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How many different ways can you say “SPECTACULAR?” Utah is one of those places where you will use up all of those synonyms. Utah is a place unlike many others: National Parks, National Monuments, National Recreation areas, and wide open spaces! 

This springtime tour will take you to one of America’s most wonderful destinations and to get there on this special “road trip” we will travel through Kansas and Colorado, stopping at some great historical, cultural and geologically spectacular areas. Wild West, Canyons, Hoodoos, Buttes and Mesas are all waiting for you to witness their splendor!

 

 

Day 1 – Home to York, NE 

Our roadtrip west begins today! Get to know your traveling companions and enjoy the scenery as we motor down the highway. Tonight a relaxing stay in York, NE is planned. 

Included Meals: Dinner 

Hotel: Hampton Inn 

 

Day 2 – York to Dodge City, KS 

Today we “hit the trail” literally, as part of the day we travel near the Santa Fe Trail of days gone by. Imagine the wagons heading west and the cowboys herding their cattle in this area. Just a ways down the trail we’ll make a stop at Fort Larned National Historic Site. Fort Larned was known as “Home of the Guardians of the Santa Fe Trail.” Many of the sandstone buildings still stand at this site and we’ll enjoy a walk among them, reliving history. A little further down the trail we come to Dodge City, Kansas! Sorry to say that Matt Dillon is not the US Marshall here, but don’t worry, the local authorities have things under control! After we check into our hotel, we head down to the Long Branch Saloon for dinner and a variety show with dancers, singing bartenders and more! 

Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner 

Hotel: Hampton Inn 

 

Day 3 – Dodge City to Canon City, CO 

A great breakfast this morning will get us ready for the day. First, a tour around town will introduce us to this “Wild West” stop and then we stop back at the Boot Hill Museum to learn some more about Dodge City and its past. Then we board the motorcoach and head west towards Colorado. We will be following the Arkansas River and the Santa Fe Route for much of the day. 

Included Meals: Breakfast 

Hotel: Holiday Inn Express 

 

Day 4 – Canon City to Durango, CO 

Our first stop this morning is at Royal Gorge Bridge and Park where we will have the opportunity to take a gondola ride 2,400 feet across the gorge and 1,000 feet above the Arkansas River below! This will give us spectacular views of the gorge and the area (if we keep our eyes open!) Once on the far side of the gorge you will experience walking back across the spectacular Royal Gorge Bridge, which is one of the world’s highest bridges! There is plenty more to see and do at this stop and plenty of pictures to take so make sure your batteries are charged! We’ll board the motorcoach after lunch and travel to Durango. This drive is amazing! We travel along the Sangre De Cristo Mountains and then up and over Wolf Creek Pass at an elevation of over 10,000 ft! Chances are pretty good we’ll still see snow on the mountains…let’s just hope it’s not on the roadways! We’ll settle into the hotel tonight for a comfortable rest after a great day. 

Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner 

Hotel: Hampton Inn 

 

Day 5 – Durango to Kayenta, AZ 

Enjoy breakfast this morning before we take a short drive to the first of our National Park visits. Today we enjoy the sites and history of Mesa Verde National Park, a World Heritage Site! We’ll experience the culture of the Ancestral Puebloan people in this area, which includes over 600 cliff dwellings. From museums to great views of these sensational cliff dwellings, we will learn the history and be awed by the ingenuity of the Puebloan cliff dwellers who lived here hundreds of years ago. We’ll take time for lunch in the park before we begin our journey towards Kayenta, AZ for the night and a great included dinner with your fellow travelers before you relax for the evening. 

Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner 

Hotel: Hampton Inn 

 

Day 6 – Kayenta to Page, AZ 

This morning we take a short drive to Monument Valley. We’ll board special vehicles for our driving tour into Monument Valley where we will view some of the most iconic rock formations in the country. The valley boasts sandstone masterpieces that tower at heights of 400 to 1000 feet above the desert floor. Not only will you enjoy the great rock formations, but also the surrounding miles of mesas and buttes, shrubs, trees and windblown sand! You’ll recognize these formations from movies and commercials you’ve seen on TV. As we journey through the valley we’ll learn about the Navajo people who live here and the special love they have for this sacred place. We’ll enjoy a Navajo Taco/Beef Stew Buffet lunch before we depart the area and travel towards Page, AZ where we will begin to see the waters of Lake Powell. We’ll stop at Glen Canyon Dam and see sandstone canyons carved by flood waters – truly sculptured masterpieces! Our cameras will be clicking but make sure you just stop and take it all in! Tonight we check into Lake Powell Resort on the banks of the second largest man-made lake in the country, Lake Powell. 

Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner 

Hotel: Lake Powell Resort

 

Day 7 – Page to Bryce, UT 

After a plentiful breakfast this morning, complete with a panoramic view of Lake Powell, we will board our motorcoach and travel to our next destination, Zion National Park. Zion was Utah’s first National Park. Here we will have the joy of gazing up at massive sandstone cliffs of cream, pink, and red that soar into a brilliant blue sky. We will begin with a private, narrated open-air tram tour. With soaring canyon walls on both sides and the Virgin River running parallel to us, we’ll experience some of Zion’s most treasured spots! Then if you choose you can hike up a slot canyon or follow a trail to beautiful emerald pools. Time will be given to enjoy the park on another tram that makes many stops to enjoy the views. Lunch will be enjoyed together before we depart the park and travel to our next stop, Ruby’s Inn, just outside Bryce Canyon National Park. We will check in for a two night stay. Enjoy an included dinner at your leisure tonight, right at the Inn. 

Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner 

Hotel: Ruby’s Inn (2 Nights) 

 

Day 8 – Bryce Canyon National Park 

Enjoy a hearty breakfast today, preparing us for an adventure into the picturesque Bryce Canyon National Park. First stop is the Visitor Center to learn a bit about the park through displays and a fine movie presentation. We then drive to the southern and highest point of the park, Rainbow Point where we make our first of many stops to enjoy the views of this park, which are like no other park in the country! The Giant Hoodoos (pillars of rock left standing from the forces of erosion) are unforgettable and while we will take lots of pictures, they just won’t do it justice! One has to experience this park to fully grasp the beauty of it. We arrive back at the Inn early this afternoon for a late lunch followed by free time for you to enjoy and rest until we head just across the road to Ebenezer’s Barn and Grill for dinner and a show! 

Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner 

 

Day 9 – Bryce Canyon to Moab, Utah 

We depart this morning on a travel day. This, however, is not an ordinary travel day – we will be traveling some of the most scenic roads in all of Utah, if not the United States! On our way we travel the southern border of The Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. This is the largest National Monument in the country, covering over 1.9 million acres! From the road you will view some of the Grand Staircase, which are massive geological steps that descend toward the Grand Canyon. We’ll drive past towering mesas and deep canyons and pass through Capitol Reef National Park before we get to the heart of “slickrock” country. Then it’s up and over a mountain pass while traveling through Dixie National Forest. We’ll take some time and stop for pictures, a short hike and some lunch along the way before we arrive at Moab. Our drive is not yet complete as we’ll turn the coach along the banks of the Colorado River for our last few miles traveling through the red sandstone cliffs on our way to Red Cliffs Lodge for a two night stay. 

Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner 

Hotel: Red Cliffs Lodge (2 Nights) 

 

Day 10 – Canyonlands National Park 

Rise this morning and listen to the flowing water just outside your door before you have breakfast at the lodge. Take in the beautiful sunrise as you enjoy your breakfast this morning. We’ll travel along the river and take the short drive to the “Islands in the Sky” section of Canyonlands National Park. Here we will experience vistas that allow us to look out over vast canyons created by rivers over thousands and thousands of years. Take some pictures or just sit on a rock and enjoy the views that this day holds in store for you! After our time in the park, we will travel back to Red Cliffs for a late lunch and time to enjoy the amenities of this great lodge before another great lodge dinner is served. 

Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner 

 

Day 11 – Moab to Price, UT 

We know you are not going to want to leave this wonderful place but after breakfast this morning we board our coach for a short drive to our first stop, Arches National Park. After stopping at the visitor center to gather some information about the park, we travel up and into the park. First stop will be, “Balanced Rock.” It’s one of those natural sites that makes one wonder how that rock stays up there! We’ll then travel on to stops where we can view some of the Arches and Windows that make this park famous. We depart the park and travel to Green River for lunch and then it’s down the road to Price. 

Included Meals: Breakfast, Boxed Lunch, Dinner 

Hotel: Holiday Inn Express 

 

Day 12 – Price to Rock Springs, WY 

This morning we drive through the mining town of Helper, UT. While the town is not what it was during its “boom” days, we will get a feel for the past as we drive through. Then we board the historic Heber Valley Railroad train for a scenic ride. The train travels along the banks of the beautiful Provo River and the shore of Deer Creek Reservoir, complete with sweeping vistas of mountains in the distance. A box lunch will be served on board. Afterwards, we make our way out of Utah and into Wyoming where we will overnight in Rock Springs. 

Included Meals: Breakfast, Box Lunch, Dinner 

Hotel: Hampton Inn 

 

Day 13 – Rock Springs to Rapid City, SD 

Following breakfast we board our motorcoach for a travel day. Not just any travel day however, as we will be motoring down scenic roads with mountain vistas, antelope on the prairies, and great company in the motorcoach! Our destination tonight is Rapid City where a farewell dinner is served after checking into our hotel. 

Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner 

Hotel: Country Inn & Suites 

 

Day 14 – Rapid City to Home 

Today we’ll travel across the plains of South Dakota and across the “Wide Missouri” on our way towards home. With lunch along the way, we continue to make our way into Minnesota. It’s been a great tour with spectacular scenery and awesome traveling companions! 

Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch 

Motorcoach Per Person Pricing Information

Double: $4,899
Single: $6,189
Triple: $4,559
Quad: $4,349

Motorcoach Travel Protection Per Person

Double: $317
Single: $408

Travel Bucks

$60 Travel Bucks per person earned with this tour

Deposit Due

$100 deposit per person due at time of reservation. Full payment due 30 days prior to depart.

Passport Needed

No

Tour Pace

Moderate to Extensive Walking (*Altitude Changes!)

Price Includes

32 Meals, Hotels & Activities as stated in brochure, Luxury Motorcoach



The average temperature while R&J is visiting is 77°
Travel with R & J Tours to a warm destination where it is...
27°
Minneapolis, Mn
39°
Spring in the Southwest National Parks
Motorcoach Departure Date:
04/22/2025
Motorcoach Return Date:
05/05/2025

Make a Reservation Online

Tour Map


Tour Highlights

* 6 National Parks:
Mesa Verde
Zion
Bryce Canyon
Capitol Reef
Arches
Canyonlands
* Grand Staircase – Escalante
National Monument
* Monument Valley Jeep Tour
* Historic Heber Railroad Ride
* Royal Gorge Park
* Dodge City Old West Highlights



Travel with R & J Tours to a warm destination where it is...
27°
Minneapolis, Mn
39°
Spring in the Southwest National Parks
The average temperature while R&J is visiting is 77°
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