Explore the rushing rivers, grand valleys and rugged wilderness of America’s greatest national parks. This is the imposing Southwest, where you’ll witness Mother Nature’s most glorious marvels. Then, the pace quickens as you head to Las Vegas with its non-stop gaming and entertainment action. Your Canyonlands tour combines scenic rail travel (reclining coach seat with leg rest) aboard Amtrak’s Southwest Chief, escorted tours and first class accommodations. Follow the trail of cowboys as they journeyed through windswept deserts and impressive mountains. (Sleeping accommodation upgrade onboard the train is available for an extra charge.)

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Featuring The Grand Canyon • Lake Powell • Las Vegas • Sedona • Bryce & Oak Creek Canyons • Zion National Park • Valley of Fire

• The Grand Canyon of the Colorado River has long stood as a symbol of America’s natural beauty and one of the great wonders of the world



• Bryce Canyon National Park is famous for its multi-colored rock formations, which have been sculpted into stately pillars called "hoodoos"



• Zion National Park is considered one of the jewels of the West with unique desert terrain and huge, sculpted rock formations



• Cruise on Lake Powell, formed by the Glen Canyon dam, the second largest man-made lake in the country.



• Las Vegas beckons with glittering hotels, glamorous showgirls and 24/7 excitement. Visit some of the most spectacular hotel/casinos and the “new” downtown.



• Famous Oak Creek Canyon, the second most popular tourist attraction next to the Grand Canyon, has spectacular, colored cliffs and cypress forests



• Mysterious Sedona is known for the beautiful red-rock formations and aura that surrounds it as well as colorful, contemporary and traditional art

• Round-trip transportation by rail and deluxe motor coach.
• First-class hotel accommodations for seven nights.
• 20 Meals
• Sightseeing tours of all included National Parks. Admissions to all included attractions
• Baggage handling, taxes, etc.
• Services of a professional Tour Director.

Day 1: En Route - Depart Chicago aboard the Southwest Chief
Meet your Tour Director in the Metropolitan Lounge of Chicago's historic Union Station. If you have time before boarding, go to the top of Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower), the world's tallest building for breathtaking views of the city and famous “ledge.”

Board the Southwest Chief about 30 minutes prior to your 3:15 p.m. departure. Get settled in your reclining coach seat with leg rest. Meet your traveling companions and enjoy a full-course dinner in the dining car. For snacks, the Sightseer Lounge offers lighter fare. If you choose to upgrade your accommodations, Roomette bedroom sleeping accommodations and upgraded Bedrooms (including shower facilities) are available at an additional cost. Bottled water and coffee are available in both upgrades.

Be sure to visit the glass-enclosed Sightseer Lounge with expansive floor to ceiling windows for a wide-angle view of the ever changing scenery. (D)

Day 2: En Route/Flagstaff - This is desert country!
As you awake the next morning, you will travel through Raton Pass, reaching an elevation of 7834 feet. Get set for adventure and experience the historic wonders of the Santa Fe Trail as you cross New Mexico and Arizona. Enjoy a brief train side walk in Albuquerque this afternoon and continue on to Flagstaff, Arizona, scheduled to arrive at 9:51 p.m. When you arrive, you'll be transferred to your hotel for the evening, the Holiday Inn Express. (B,L, D)

Day 3: The Grand Canyon - A powerful and inspiring landscape
Enjoy a continental breakfast at the hotel, then board your deluxe motorcoach bound for the Grand Canyon, seen by more than five million visitors each year. Carved over several millennia through the rocks of the Colorado Plateau, this great chasm is unsurpassed in size, color and geological importance.

You’ll have an opportunity to see the canyon from several observation points with spectacular views of the Colorado River, the Canyon, the Painted Desert and Kaibab National Forest. New exhibits at the Yavapai Observation Station will answer your geology questions. Return to Flagstaff and enjoy a delicious dinner (included), hosted by your Tour Manager. (CB, D)

Day 4: Lake Powell - the second largest man-made lake in the U.S.
Start with continental breakfast in your hotel, then board the motorcoach and head north 132 miles to beautiful Lake Powell, partly in Arizona and Utah. No visit to the area would be complete without a refreshing cruise on the crystal-clear water of Lake Powell. Formed during the construction of the Glen Canyon Dam in 1963, Lake Powell serves as home to an abundance of wildlife along its shores. Then visit the Carl Hayden Visitor Center at Glen Canyon.

After lunch, board the motorcoach for a scenic ride to Bryce, Utah, where you’ll check into the Best Western Ruby's Inn. Get ready for a great evening, beginning with dinner (included) at the Cowboy's Buffet and Steak Room. (CB, L, D)

Day 5: Bryce Canyon/Zion National Parks - Glories of the great outdoors
After breakfast at your hotel, a scenic ride to Bryce Canyon National Park awaits you. Bryce Canyon National Park is named for just one of the many canyons that form a series of horseshoe-shaped amphitheaters on the edge of the Paunsaugunt Plateau. Erosion has carved colorful Claron limestones into thousands of spires, fins, arches and mazes, collectively called "hoodoos."

A local guide will take you on a 37-mile round trip tour on a road that follows the high rim, giving you spectacular views of the canyon below. Then you’ll continue on your tour of America’s National Parks to another one of the jewels of the West, Zion National Park, Utah's first National Park. Massive canyon walls ascend toward a brilliant blue sky, with towering, colorful sandstone cliffs. Explore the desert terrain and huge, sculpted rock formations with waterfalls and hanging gardens.

Your guided tour will unearth the gems of the natural wonderland, from hidden waterfalls to spectacular red and white sandstone cliffs that tower thousands of feet high. A tram ride will show you a spectacular gorge carved by uniquely-colored sandstone and shale by the Virgin River. About a half-mile deep and a half-mile wide, the canyon narrows to about 300 feet at the Temple of Sinawava.

After a full day, you’ll relax on your motorcoach ride to Las Vegas, where you’ll arrive around mid evening. Dinner (included) will be made en route. Your accommodations for the next two nights are at Bally’s Las Vegas. Take the town by storm this evening and explore the nightlife of this desert paradise! (B, D)

Day 6: Las Vegas - The city that never sleeps!
Wake up to a delicious breakfast this morning in your hotel. Then tour four of Las Vegas’ most spectacular hotel/casinos including The Venetian, New York - New York, Excalibur and Luxor. Your visit ends at the breathtakingly beautiful Venetian, with its plentiful food court, just in time for lunch!

At night, you’ll head to the original Las Vegas, now known as the newly revitalized "downtown." Home to 10 casinos, 60 restaurants and the spectacular “Fremont Street Experience” show with more than a million lights, Fremont Street lights up the night. You’ll have plenty of time to check out the action in the casinos (B)

Day 7: En Route/Sedona - Red Rock Country
This morning, you’ll head east across the desert, stopping at Seligman, Arizona, an authentic "Route 66" town. Enjoy lunch on your own in this historic setting. Don't forget to buy a Route 66 T-shirt or other memento.

This afternoon takes you along State Route 89A, heading south to Oak Creek Canyon, the second most visited tourist area after the Grand Canyon. Keep your cameras out as this canyon is known for its multi-colored cliffs, colorful rocks and unique formations. Your next destination is mystical Sedona, nestled among crimson towers of sandstone, and a stunning sanctuary for unique heritage, culture and contemporary arts. Shop for pottery, paintings, jewelry and art in the excellent galleries and boutiques found throughout the city and in Tlaquepaque, a Mexican/Spanish-style village. The Best Western Inn of Sedona, one of the town's finest hostelries, with amazing views of the surrounding hills, is your home for tonight. Don’t miss the brilliant orange and red glow of the formations when illuminated by the setting sun. (D)

Day 8: Sedona/Flagstaff - Surrounded by natural wonders
This morning is yours to explore the wonders of Sedona. See the sun rise and light up the dramatic red rocks. Shop in the boutiques near the hotel. Take an entertaining jeep ride into historic Dry Creek Basin and hear tales of the early cowboys. Then we hop on the famous Verde Canyon Railroad excursion train (included) and enjoy the three-and-a-half-hour round-trip through Arizona's "other" Grand Canyon. You'll view Sinaqua Indian Ruins, unique and distinctive geology and a variety of wildlife and waterfowl. Box lunch will be served on board.

Later this afternoon, it’s time to board the motorcoach and travel north about 50 miles to Flagstaff and the Holiday Inn Express for our final overnight. Tonight our Tour Manager hosts a farewell dinner at a local restaurant, included. (CB, D)

Day 9: En Route - Your journey back to Chicago begins
Early this morning, you’ll transfer to the Flagstaff Amtrak station and board the Southwest Chief for a 5:01 a.m. departure to Chicago. All meals on the train and other amenities experienced on the westbound Southwest Chief, will be provided. Breakfast will be served in the dining car, following departure.

Keep your eyes open as the train travels through Arizona and New Mexico for more spectacular desert terrain and mountain scenery. (B, L, D)

Day 10: En Route - Back to Chicago
The Southwest Chief will roll across the plains of northeast Missouri, touch Iowa and travel through Illinois before you arrive back in Chicago at 3:20 p.m. Catch a connecting train home or if you are flying home post night stays in Chicago are strongly encouraged to avoid missed connections. (B, L)

From canyons to casinos, blaze a trail through the great American Southwest! Relive the awe early settlers first felt when they forged their way through this rugged and inspiring territory. This exciting tour will evoke memories of beauty and wonder for years to come.

   

   

   

 Departure Date:

• September 22 – October 1

 Per Person Rates:

• Twin $2,145
• Single add $1,635

 Per Person Sleeping Accommodation Upgrade Rates:

• Roomette Bedroom $570
• Upgraded Bedroom $1070