Welcome to Denver, Colorado! After making your way to the 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, with a 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. To the east, in the foothills of the Rockies, is the Colorado Rail Road Museum and Buffalo Bill Museum & Grave.

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 Rocky Mountaineer Rockies to the Red Rocks luxurious rail journey through the US southwest.

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 ever-helpful hosts.

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

SilverLeaf & SilverLeaf Plus: Glenwood Springs hotel (comfortable, moderate standard)

Breakfast and lunch on board

After a restful night’s sleep, your USA Rocky Mountaineer journey continues, departing Glenwood Springs and crossing the Colorado-Utah border. Mountain views give way to the iconic red sandstone landscapes of the Beehive State as you approach the quaint town of Moab.

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

Hyatt Place Moab Hotel

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 Hotel

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 through 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.

Your chosen Bryce Canyon hotel

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 continues to the bright lights of Las Vegas.

Platinum Hotel & Spa or similar

Breakfast, lunch

This morning, pick up your hire car to begin your self drive adventure. Around 40 minutes east of Las Vegas, on the Nevada/Arizona border is the impressive Hoover Dam, a more than worthy photo stop. Just over an hour’s drive further, and you’ll reach the town of Kingman, from where you can either continue to Williams on the main highway, Interstate 40, or join the Historic Route 66 and pass the iconic Hackberry General Store and Grand Canyon Caverns.

Las Vegas > Williams | 219 miles

Grand Canyon Railway Hotel or similar

All aboard! Today, you’ll travel on the lovingly restored Grand Canyon Railway from Williams to Grand Canyon Village on the South Rim. Watch as the scenery transforms from desert, to prairie to pine forest, as the train winds its way into the National Park, enjoying live music and stories of cowboy antics from onboard entertainers en route. You will then have around 3.5 hours to explore, with Mather Point, Hopi Point and other a number of other lookouts within walking distance.

Alternatively, you can drive to Grand Canyon, with parking available in Grand Canyon Village.

Grand Canyon Railway Hotel or similar

Depart Williams this morning and travel towards Flagstaff, before heading North to Lake Powell. A roughly 3 hour journey through unmistakably Western USA scenery, there are several places to stop along the way, including Navajo Moenave Dinosaur Tracks, Antelope Pass Vista and the breathtaking Horseshoe Bend.

The somewhat surreal landscapes of Lake Powell, where cream and red cliffs rise from deep blue waters, were artificially created by the construction of Glen Canyon Dam. You can take a scenic afternoon boat tour to the dam, indulge in a sunset dinner cruise or just relax by the swimming pool at your resort.

Williams > Lake Powell | 174 miles

Lake Powell Resort or similar

It’s a long drive today, but worth it. Bid farewell to Lake Powell and drive towards Monument Valley, the setting for more Western movies than any other; here unique sandstone formations punctuate the desert landscape. A 17 mile scenic loop, off USA Highway 163, takes you past the most iconic buttes and mesa in the Navajo Tribal Park, with panoramic vistas galore. Continue from Monument Valley to the equally wonderous Mesa Verde.

Lake Powell > Mesa Verde | 247 miles

Far View Lodge Mesa Verde or similar

This morning, you have plenty of time to explore Mesa Verde National Park, which protects over 4000 archaeological sites, including 600 cliff dwellings of the ancient Anasazi people. To enter the cliff dwellings you must join a range led tour, typically available mid-May to late October. Advance booking with National Park Service is recommended.

The drive from Mesa Verde to Durango, a welcome town with tree-lined streets and mountainous backdrop.

Mesa Verde > Durango | 50 miles

Historic Strater Hotel or similar

Today, enjoy a leisurely trip to yesteryear on the historic Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. Sit back and enjoy the 3.5 hour journey, as the train winds alongside the Animas River through the San Juan Mountains to the former gold and silver mining  town of Silverton, population just 622 in 2020. You’ll have around 2 hours in the town before travelling back to Durango, by rail or coach.

Doubletree by Hilton, Durango or similar

An early start is recommended today, as it is just under 3 hours to reach the Great Sand Dunes National Park, with Treasure Falls a worthy stop en route. Covering 30 square miles, you can’t help but wonder how 6.5 billion cubic meters of golden sand got here. The National Park is home to the tallest sand dune in North America, and offers some amazing photo opportunities with the Rocky Mountains in the background.

After enjoy the park, drop down to Alamosa, the closest main town, for the evening.

Durango > The Great Sand Dunes | 170 miles

Holiday Inn Express Alamosa or similar

On the outskirts of Colorado Springs is the Garden of the Gods, another almost surreal geological wonder, where sandstone rock formations tower above the wooded parkland below, against the backdrop of the snow-capped Pikes Peak and (typically) brilliant blue skies. There are a number of hiking trails around the garden, as well as mountain bike and e-bike rental available.

Alamosa > Colorado Springs | 165 miles

The Mining Exchange, A Wyndham Grand Hotel or similar

Your holiday to Colorado and the Canyonlands comes to an end today. Make your way from Colorado Springs to Denver International Airport for your flight home, on which you can start planning your next West USA adventure…

Colorado Springs > Denver | 85 miles