Welcome to Colorado! Head to your central Denver hotel, before venturing out to explore the ‘Mile High City’. Perhaps check out the happening food and drink scene in Lower Downtown and Denver Pavilions, with a huge selection of restaurants and craft breweries. Alternatively, marvel at the city skyline, backdropped by the Rocky Mountains, from a rooftop bar.

Hotel Indigo or similar

Continue to explore Denver at your leisure. Perhaps you’d like to peruse the selection of museums and galleries scattered around the city, discover Denver’s street art, or take a stroll through the botanic gardens. Alternatively, catch a Rockies baseball game, or see a concert in the Red Rocks Amphitheatre.

Venturing further outside of the city, you’ll find the Colorado Rail Road Museum, or you can head to Colorado Springs to explore the Garden of the Gods rock formations.

Hotel Indigo or similar

Today marks the beginning of your rail journey aboard the Canyon Spirit. Brought to you by the team behind the iconic Rocky Mountaineer, you can expect the same impeccable service and fine dining on board.

The Canyon Spirit Rockies to the Red Rocks rail journey begins in Denver, before crossing the Continental Divide. As you travel, soak in the spectacular views of rugged canyons and the meandering Colorado River that surround you.

Breakfast and lunch will be served on board, as your Onboard Hosts teach you about the fascinating landscapes you’re passing through.

Your home for the night is the resort town of Glenwood Springs.

Glenwood Springs hotel (comfortable, moderate standard)

Breakfast and lunch on board

Reboard the Canyon Spirit the next morning, in Glenwood Springs. Rugged peaks give way to vibrant red sandstone as you cross the Colorado-Utah border.

Disembark the Canyon Spirit in the town of Moab, where you will be transferred to your hotel. Spend the rest of the day at your leisure, before your national parks adventure begins.

Hyatt Place Moab Hotel

Breakfast

Today, either opt to explore the ‘Scarlet City’ at your leisure, or join a tour of Arches and Canyonlands National Parks.

Arches National Park boasts an otherworldly landscape of towering pinnacles, thousands of stone arches and giant balancing rocks. Canyonlands National Park is similarly breathtaking, its dramatic desert and red rock landscape broken up by the winding Colorado River.

Hyatt Place Moab Hotel

Today, you will be picked up from your hotel for a guided tour of Utah’s incredible landscapes. The first stop is Capitol Reef National Park, with its landscape of cliffs, canyons, domes and even a geologic monocline (a wrinkle in the earth).

Next, you’ll travel through the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument, with its name referring to the series of plateaus that drop dramatically from one to the next. Your final destination is Bryce Canyon, with its distinctive spire-shaped rock formations and the expansive amphitheatre.

Your chosen Bryce Canyon hotel

Lunch

After spending the night near Bryce Canyon, you’ll head towards Zion National Park this morning. Soak in the views of towering sandstone cliffs, with distinctive red, pink and cream hues. Explore Mount Carmel Tunnel and Zion Canyon, before you head on towards the bright light of 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