SOLD OUT please join the Waitlist by calling 843-279-0310
Insider’s National Parks with Tauck
Discover America’s natural treasures on this one week guided exploration of our national parks with Graham Tours in partnership with Tauck. Stay nearby, so that you’ll have more time to wander & appreciate your surroundings.
TAUCK EXCLUSIVE – Hear insider stories about the national parks during filmed narratives made by filmmakers Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan
TAUCK EXCLUSIVE – Champagne welcome & private yacht dinner cruise on stunning Lake Powell
Inside-the-park accommodations at two national parks – Grand Canyon and Zion
TAUCK VALUE INCLUDES
Flightseeing over Lake Powell and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
Insights into the Grand Canyon’s ecology from a geology expert
A gentle float trip on the Colorado River through Glen Canyon
Private Lake Powell cruise and guided tour
Airport transfers upon arrival and departure as detailed
17 meals, service charges, gratuities to local guides, admission fees, taxes and porterage
America’s Canyonlands – Small Group Departure (averages 24 guests)
You’ll start “climbing” it at the incredible Grand Canyon… stay on it through the Painted Desert… into Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and Lake Powell… past the Vermillion, White, Grey and Pink Cliffs… on to the pinnacles and hoodoos of Bryce Canyon… and right into the cliffs and valleys of Zion National Park. “It” is the Grand Staircase of the Escalante – a vast, unbroken expanse of colorful sedimentary rock layers that took nature over 200 million years to create, and envisioned by a 19th-century geologist as a series of gigantic “steps” stretching across the Southwest. And all these wonders are part of it…
Not included: flights*, travel insurance (available AT DEPOSIT ONLY for $349 per person), meals not mentioned in the itinerary, optional activities, and tips for our Tauck Director. Solo traveler without roomate has limited availability.
SOLD OUT 3/23/23
DEPOSIT of $550 per person to reserve a spot. The deposit is nonrefundable. Insurance, if desired, is purchased at deposit for $349 per person (that would be $899 per person deposit with the insurance).
Please note that the parks visited on this trip are completely different parks than our 2024 trip!
To sign up you can fill out our Secure Payment Form and authorize your deposit with the trip description of “National Parks 23”. If you have questions please contact us at 843.279.0310 or office@mgatravel.com.
Airfare: While not included, we are happy to book air for you.
IMPORTANT: Please note that this is an Outlander Society trip and The Outlander Society Travel Club requires invitation but you may request to apply with Michael Graham or ask another member to stand for you.
Details
TOUR DIRECTOR
We will be joined by a Tauck tour director who will have knowledge of activities to do and things to see, local restaurants, and other pertinent information.
MEALS (see inclusions above & detailed itinerary below)
AIR
For your convenience, we offer airfare for purchase with all vacation packages. Your rates are subject to change until paid in full. Preassigned seats are limited and may not be available on every flight or departure date. **We recommend coordinating with us to ensure you can take advantage of the included group airport transfers.** Air estimates will include all government-imposed taxes and fees applicable at the time of booking and will be shown as a total amount. Additional airline fees for baggage may apply. For more information please check our website, the carrier’s website, or iflybags.com for up-to-date baggage pricing/restrictions.
ITINERARY & ACCOMMODATIONS
A transfer is included from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport to Westin Kierland Resort in Scottsdale for your Graham Tours extra night. Meet your travel companions at the Outlander Society welcome dinner tonight at the desert resort. Dinner
Westin Kierland Resort in Scottsdale
Free Day on Your Own to explore the area or relax at the resort.
Tour begins: 5:30 PM, Westin Kierland Resort in Scottsdale: Meet up with your travel companions at the Tauck reception and dinner tonight at your desert resort. Dinner
On this first full day of your Southwest and Grand Canyon tour, stop in Sedona – home to famous red-rock formations with whimsical names like the Mittens and the Rabbit Ears, and the backdrop for many western movies and TV shows – and check out this intriguing town shaped by early settlers, cowboys, artists and Hollywood celebrities. Later, wind through Oak Creek Canyon en route to Grand Canyon National Park. Arrive at your inside-the-park lodge (Kachina Lodge) on the South Rim of the amazing Grand Canyon, carved over millions of years by the Colorado River, and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Tonight, enjoy dinner at your choice of restaurants on the canyon’s rim at El Tovar, the Arizona Room or Bright Angel Café.Breakfast, Dinner
Kachina Lodge
You just might want to take advantage of your lodge’s ideal location on the South Rim by waking early enough to catch one of nature’s grandest shows – a Grand Canyon sunrise! Learn about the geology and wildlife of the region from a local geology expert in a perfect location, right on the rim. And no Grand Canyon tour would be complete without exploring the canyon rim and Canyon Village as you please, witnessing the rugged landscape’s vast grandeur and changing colors as the sun climbs in the sky. Travel through the Navajo Reservation en route to the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and Lake Powell, one of the largest man-made lakes in the world, for a two-night stay. Tonight, a true highlight – a private Lake Powell dinner cruise aboard the sleek double-decked yacht Canyon Princess.Breakfast, Dinner
Lake Powell Resort
See remote corners of 186-mile-long Lake Powell – created from the Colorado River by the Glen Canyon Dam in the 1960s – from a variety of perspectives. Early morning, take an included 45-minute flight* over remote corners of 186-mile-long Lake Powell – created from the Colorado River by the Glen Canyon Dam in the 1960s; view the unusual red-rock formations reflecting in the lake. You also have the possibility today to take an optional four-hour excursion to Monument Valley* in the Navajo Nation, made famous as a setting of many westerns by director John Ford; combine aerial sightseeing with a land tour by a Navajo guide through rock buttes and spires (at an additional cost – click on a date in Pricing & Availability for additional information or ask at time of booking). This afternoon, cruise the beautiful waters of Lake Powell to Glen Canyon Dam, followed by an evening at leisure.Breakfast, Dinner
This morning’s float trip on the Colorado River takes you through Glen Canyon; your experienced river adventure guide imparts a wealth of knowledge about the canyon as you glide past colorful walls of Navajo sandstone. Utah’s iconic landscapes have served as ideal locations for movie and TV westerns over the years; view them on an afternoon drive to Bryce Canyon National Park – a wondrous land of pines, pinnacles and oddly sculpted formations known as hoodoos, resembling the towers of fairy-tale castles. Magnificent spires, tinted with shades of pink, orange and red, put on a captivating show as the light changes throughout the day. Keep an eye open for the park’s abundant wildlife, including mule deer, coyotes, marmots, and prairie dogs. Dinner at Ebenezer’s Barn and Grill! Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Best Western Bryce Canyon
If you rise early this morning, you’ll be rewarded with an awe-inspiring Bryce Canyon sunrise, as the light of dawn slowly spreads across the hoodoos and other unique geological features steps from your room at The Lodge at Bryce Canyon! Spend the morning at leisure, perhaps venturing out on one of the park’s renowned hiking trails to observe a great variety of bird species, beautiful wildflowers and diverse wildlife. After lunch, travel across southwestern Utah to Zion National Park, where colorful sandstone canyons and 3,000-foot-high palisades tower above the lush greenery of the canyon floor. The park’s shuttle system and network of hiking trails afford access to its key geologic features – thriving vegetation includes cottonwood trees and dry desert plants; wildlife ranges from mule deer to hundreds of bird species.
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Springhill Suites Springdale Zion National Park
The morning is yours to explore Zion National Park’s diverse geological features at leisure; its dramatic peaks and cliffs, odd geologic formations, desert oases featuring abundant pools and waterfalls, and mighty canyons splashed with vivid colors are all equally compelling. The Paiutes believed this place to be the home of their coyote spirit, Sinawava, while early Mormon visitors referred to it as “the natural temples of God.” Highlights include a trio of peaks known as the Three Patriarchs; the Emerald Pools, fed by waterfalls cascading over the canyon walls; and the veil of spring water trickling over Weeping Rock. Depart Zion for a memorable journey across the vast, colorful vistas of the northeastern Mojave Desert. Then get ready for a bit of culture shock as you arrive in Las Vegas, Nevada – a city that truly never sleeps, offering non-stop entertainment and fancifully themed casinos. Accommodations tonight are at the Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas, providing easy access to the famed Strip – and yet the hotel is a welcoming oasis unto itself. Wrap up your Zion, Bryce Canyon and Grand Canyon tour with a farewell reception and dinner at the Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas, one last chance to share travel memories with new friends.Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas
Tour ends: Las Vegas on October 7th, 2023. Fly home anytime. A transfer is included from Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas to Las Vegas McCarran International Airport. Checkout time at Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas is 12:00 PM; allow a minimum of two hours for flight check-in at the airport.Breakfast
Flights are not included.
To sign up you can fill out our Secure Payment Form and authorize your deposit with the trip description of “National Parks 23”. If you have questions please contact us at 843.279.0310 or office@mgatravel.com. See Pricing & Availability above.
Cruise and land itineraries are subject to change at any time. This itinerary is not finalized and pricing may be adjusted for fuel or inflation.
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