Day 1: Las Vegas
Arrive at any time.
There are no planned activities today until the evening welcome meeting, so check out the strip or get tickets to a show for this evening.
Day 2: Las Vegas/Zion National Park
Depart early for Zion, Utah's oldest national park, and observe some of the most beautiful canyon country scenes in the United States. Catch the shuttle into the park with our CEO and hike to the Emerald Pools and hanging gardens.
Includes: Breakfast
Day 3: Zion National Park
Enjoy a guided hike to the Narrows in Zion National Park. Splash and wade in the river that cuts through this stunning slot canyon. Witness the awe-inspiring beauty of the high plateaus, towers, temples, mesas, and the earth's tallest-known sheer sandstone walls of pinks and reds.
The canyon is narrow, and the river covers the bottom in many places, which means you will have to wade or swim to proceed. Prepare to get wet but the cool water makes this hike particularly pleasant during the hot summer months. During the cooler months, there are available gear rentals including Gore-Tex dry pants, canyon shoes, and neoprene socks. Hiking poles are available for rent year-round.
Hiking is not permitted when the river is high from runoff or flash flooding. Runoff mostly occurs in April and early May. Late summer thunderstorms can occasionally produce flooding. If the hike is not possible due to weather, it will be replaced with another activity.
Includes: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 4: Zion National Park/Page
This morning, hike through Bryce Canyon National Park, famed for its multi-coloured rock pinnacles called 'hoodoo'. Be sure to have your camera ready to snap shots of these spectacular, natural towers that cover the canyon floor. Continue on to Page, Arizona, home to Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend and the beautiful Lake Powell.
Includes: Breakfast
Day 5: Page/Grand Canyon National Park
Start the day with a visit to the incredible Antelope Canyon with a local Navajo guide. Located on Navajo land and accessible only with an authorized guide, this landmark is considered one of the most visually stunning slot canyon formations in the world. Take a short hike to Horseshoe Bend, then travel to the Grand Canyon and have lunch en route at a local Navajo food truck supported by Planeterra.
Marvel as the Grand Canyon unfolds before you but don't get too close. The land drops almost straight down for more than 1,000m (3,280 ft) into the serpentine canyons below! The gorge is filled with rocky buttes, sheer limestone cliffs, and deep canyons all arrayed in a rainbow of colors. Words defy. This is truly one of the most magnificent sights on earth.
Includes: Breakfast, Lunch
Day 6: Grand Canyon National Park
Spend the day exploring the Canyon with an expert from the Grand Canyon Conservancy Field Institute. Enjoy a walk along the South Rim discussing the unique geology and botany of the Canyon, as well as human history here. After, visit the Historic Village District viewing iconic park structures then continue down the Bright Angel Trail below the canyon rim and view two-thousand-year-old rock art and 250-million-year-old fossils. Also visit the historic Kolb Studio, home to photography pioneers Emery and Ellsworth Kolb, who shared with the world the first pictures of the epic Canyon.
Includes: Breakfast
Day 7: Grand Canyon National Park/Las Vegas
This morning, visit Lowell Observatory for a tour of the giant telescopes and to learn about the study of astronomy, as well as a lecture on Mars. Continue back to Las Vegas, but not before getting your kicks on Route 66 in Seligman, Arizona — the birthplace of this famed highway.
Includes: Breakfast
Day 8: Las Vegas/Death Valley National Park
Leave the glitz and glamour of Las Vegas behind and travel to Death Valley National Park — the lowest, hottest, and driest place in North America. Marvel at the extremes of this landscape as you pass mountains, valleys, badlands, salt flats, dunes, and more.
Drive through the spectacular landscape of Death Valley. Take in the views of diverse geological features as far as the eye can see. Drive through Twenty Mule Team Canyon to see the different shades of the badlands. Continue to the Devils Golf Course, get out to see and hear the eroded rock salt, so craggy "only the devil could play golf on such rough links". Then descend into Badwater Basin, the lowest, hottest, driest point in North America that sits 282 feet below sea level.
Continue to the Furnace Creek Visitor Center to get out of the sun and get for a further look into this unique park. Once the heat of the day has passed, head to the most photographed spot in the park, Zabriskie Point for sunset.
Includes: Breakfast
Day 9: Death Valley National Park/Sequoia National Park
Before leaving the park, make a final stop at Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes and Father Crowley Vista Point. Walk along the trail to see Rainbow Canyon to one side, Panamint Valley to the other, and if we're lucky, fighter jets practicing between the cliffs. Continue around the Sierra Nevadas to Sequoia National Park.
Includes: Breakfast
Day 10: Sequoia National Park
Enjoy a full day to explore. Walk through California’s Sequoia National Park and learn about these impressive giant trees on the trail alongside a naturalist. Drive to Big Tree Trail for an afternoon hike and learn about how National Geographic deeded tracts of giant trees in the heart of the park to the National Parks Service for safekeeping. This evening, we return to the park for an evening of stargazing with an expert from the Sequoia Parks Conservancy (SPC).
Includes: Breakfast
Day 11: Sequoia National Park/Kings Canyon National Park
Take a spectacular drive through the park with stops along the way from Grant Grove through Kings Canyon to Cedar Grove. Watch as the scenery changes from sequoias to one of the deepest canyons in the USA. Carved out over hundreds of thousands of year ago by glaciers and continuing to deepen with the help of the Kings River. Keep a keen eye out for the endangered Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep, and the incredible wildlife that calls this place home.
Includes: Breakfast
Day 12: Kings Canyon National Park/Yosemite National Park
Travel north through the Sierras to the south entrance of Yosemite National Park stopping at the trailhead to Sentinel Dome. Climb the trail for breathtaking 360-degree views of the park and a picnic lunch. Feel on top of the world with views of Half Dome, El Capitan, Yosemite Falls, and the Valley floor below. Continue to Glacier Point for an even closer view of one of the most iconic sites in the park. Later watch Free Solo, a National Geographic film based on Alex Honnold and his quest to climb El Capitan without ropes or a safety net.
Includes: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 13: Yosemite National Park
Join a Yosemite Conservancy naturalist-guide for a half day in Yosemite National Park. Learn about the human, natural, and geological history of the region from a local expert. Hike through the heart of Yosemite while highlighting flora, fauna, and discovering the historical significance of the park. Take in the iconic views and the hidden wonders made of granite and carved by glaciers. Enjoy the rest of the day on your own and choose to explore the majestic waterfalls, crystal clear lakes, lush green meadows, and walk among pristine groves in Yosemite. Keep an eye out for glacial erratics, rock climbers, and the diverse wildlife within the park. Opt to visit the Ansel Adams Studio or relax by the river with Half Dome as the backdrop.
Carved by glaciers, Yosemite National Park became the first protected state park in the US in 1864. It took until 1890 to gain National Park status, with the work of John Muir. Though 95% of the park is backcountry, there is still plenty to explore via hikes or the shuttle system. Spend the day hiking amongst Giant Sequoias, granite cliffs, and rushing waterfalls and understand why around 4 million people come to the park each year.
Includes: Breakfast
Day 14: Yosemite National Park/San Francisco
Drive through the Central Valley of California, stopping at a local farm stand to sample some of the region's best produce. Travel over the Bay Bridge on the way into one of America's most popular cities. Settle into the hotel before heading along the Embarcadero to Fisherman's Wharf for an optional sunset sail in the San Francisco Bay, past Alcatraz and underneath the Golden Gate Bridge.
Includes: Breakfast
Day 15: San Francisco
Depart at any time.
Includes: Breakfast
