Trains and Canyons of the West

Welcome to Salt Lake City whose rustic charm still thrives today. Meet your Tour Manager at 5:30 p.m. for dinner with your traveling companions. Meal: D

This morning, depart Salt Lake City and travel to Moab. You are joined by a local guide who shows you the massive sandstone walls and of Canyonlands National Park. Here, the Colorado and Green Rivers converge to form a plateau, which offers spectacular views across the park. Also visit Dead Horse Point State Park, which sits atop a 2,000-foot peninsula and is known for the herds of wild horses, which once roamed here. This evening enjoy a BBQ dinner cooked in Dutch ovens before boarding your jet boat to experience the amazing Sound and Light Show of Canyon Country. The high red rock canyon walls come alive under the star-filled Utah sky with lights which add color and beauty to the tales of native legends told by your experienced guide. Meals: B, D

Arches National Park contains the largest concentration of stone arches in the world. Marvel at the towering monoliths that appear to defy gravity. Enjoy lunch today near the Colorado River before boarding a raft for a float trip on this famous river. During the leisurely ride your oarsman will share tales of the area as you explore river passages with names like Fisher Towers and Professor Valley. Meals: B, L

Imagine being able to stand where you are only one step away from crossing into four different states. Four Corners Monument is the only place in the United States where four states intersect at one point: Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado. Later, see the amazing Spruce Tree Cliff Dwellings of the Anasazi Indians at Mesa Verde National Park. Learn the history of “the Ancient Ones, ” and view the famous Cliff Palace, one of the largest of the 700-year old dwellings. Later, continue on to Ignacio, your home for the next two nights. Meals: B, D

It’s “full steam ahead” today aboard the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. Voted one of the “Top Ten Most Exciting Train Journeys in the World” by the Society of American Travel Writers, the train winds through the spectacular and breathtaking canyons in the remote wilderness of the two-million acre San Juan National Forest. The locomotives used today remain 100% coal-fired, steam-operated and are maintained in their original condition. Meal: B

Today, ride the original Rio Grande Line over the Rockies aboard the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad. This is America’s most spectacular narrow gauge steam railroad and it explores 50 miles of wild and rugged territory between Chama, New Mexico and Antonito, Colorado. Travel through Cumbres Pass, the highest point on the railroad and enjoy lunch at Osier. Here you can imagine what the region was like when the gold and silver miners as well as the loggers who traveled the same route long ago. Meals: B, L

This morning embark on a guided tour of Santa Fe. Founded in 1610, the “City of Holy Faith” remains a wealth of Old World charm. You will see Santa Fe’s east side with its “million dollar mud houses” owned by the rich and famous, as well as Cristo Rey church, the largest adobe structure in North America. Also take a walking tour down Old Santa Fe Trail to see San Miguel Mission and Loretto Chapel with its miraculous staircase. Enjoy free time this afternoon before gathering for a farewell dinner hosted by your Tour Manager held in a rich southwest atmosphere. Meals: B, D

Depart at 8:00 a.m. for Albuquerque on a group transfer to the Albuquerque airport for flights after 12:00 p.m. Meal: B