Welcome to Denver, Colorado! After making your way to your hotel, head out to explore the ‘Mile High City’, with its iconic Rocky Mountains backdrop. Denver is making a name for itself on the food and drink scene, meaning there’s a great choice of restaurants in Lower Downtown and at Denver Pavilions, as well as craft breweries and rooftop cocktail bars in the hip Highland district.

Hotel Indigo or similar

Today is yours to discover Denver at your leisure. Near the city centre you’ll find the Denver Art Museum, the zoo and botanic gardens. Perhaps wander through walkways adorned with street art, and browse the boutique shops.

To the east of the city, in the foothills of the Rockies, is the Colorado Rail Road Museum and Buffalo Bill Museum & Grave. Around 1.5 hours south of the Denver is Colorado Springs and the quite incredible Garden of the Gods, a surreal collection of steep-side, red rock formations, around which are numerous walking trails. Guided day tours from Denver are available.

Hotel Indigo or similar

You will be met at your hotel this morning, for the short drive to Denver’s 38th/Blake Station. Feel the excitement build as your board the Canyon Spirit, for your luxurious rail journey through the US southwest. Created by the masterminds behind the Rocky Mountaineer, you can expect the same luxury experience that has become synonymous with the railway.

Crossing the Continental Divide, soak in the spectacular views of rugged canyons and the mighty Colorado River that surround you. Enjoy breakfast and lunch onboard, meet your fellow rail travellers and learn about the regions fascinating history and geology from your Onboard Hosts.

Arrive in the peaceful resort town of Glenwood Springs in the afternoon, where you will spend the night.

Glenwood Springs hotel  (accommodation will be confirmed at check in and a comfortable, moderate-standard hotel will be provided)

Breakfast and lunch

After a restful night’s sleep, your journey aboard the Canyon Spirit continues, departing Glenwood Springs and crossing the Colorado-Utah border. Enjoy a hearty breakfast on board, as mountain views give way to the iconic red sandstone landscapes of the Beehive State. The train will then pull into the quaint town of Moab, the gateway to Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, and your home for the night.

You’ll be transferred to your hotel and have the rest of the afternoon and evening at leisure.

Hyatt Place Moab or similar

Breakfast

Today is yours to explore the ‘Scarlet City’ or join a tour to Arches or Canyonlands National Parks, the reserve visitor centres only around 15 and 40 minutes away respectively. Arches National Park has has over 2,000 natural stone arches and hundreds of towering pinnacles, as well as a number of precariously looking giant balanced rocks. Canyonlands offers a wonderful wilderness; a dramatic desert landscape carved over millennia by the Colorado River.

Hyatt Place Moab or similar

This morning, you will be met at your hotel, to embark on your guided tour through the incredible landscapes of Utah. First stop is Capitol Reef National Park, which has been described as ‘100-mile pinch in the earth’s crust, in the geographical middle of nowhere!’ Towering rusty-red cliffs, canyons and almost surreal rock formations await.

Continuing on Utah’s Scenic Byway 12 (scenic being an understatement!) you’ll travel past the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, a series of plateaus that dramatically drop from one to the next, before you reach Bryce Canyon, famous for its amphitheatre of hoodoos.

Best Western Plus Bryce Canyon or similar

Lunch

From Bryce Canyon, your tour of Utah continues, heading southwest to Zion National Park, where massive sandstone cliffs of red, pink and cream soar into a brilliant blue sky. Experience the 1.1 mile Mount Carmel Tunnel and gaze across Zion Canyon, in places 2,640 feet deep, carved by the Virgin River.

Your journey ends upon arrival in Las Vegas, where you can stay a few nights or head to the airport – just let your Travel Consultant know what you would like to do.