western national parks

Day 1: Arrive Seattle, Washington

The American West is home to an amazing collection of national parks, national monuments and protected
lands. Today, guests will fly to Seattle where a John Hall’s Alaska representative and luxury coach will be
waiting to transfer you to your Seattle hotel. Dinner will be at the hotel this evening. 

Dinner Included             Hotel Overnight: DoubleTree Southcenter, Seattle

Day 2: Olympic National Park

After a welcome breakfast, board your John Hall’s Alaska motor coach and drive to Port Angeles. Enjoy lunch
here before entering the first of 10 National Parks visited on this trip, Olympic National Park. Spend three hours
in this park which encompasses three distinctly different ecosystems: glacier-capped mountains, Pacific coast,
and temperate rain forests. This area is rich in cultural history with eight contemporary tribes of the Olympic Peninsula - the Hoh, Ozette, Makah, Quinault, Quileute, Queets, Lower Elwha Klallam, and Jamestown S’Klallam - still living in this area and continuing to maintain strong relationships to the lands and waters within. Upon returning to Seattle, enjoy dinner at a waterfront restaurant. Return to your Seattle hotel this evening. 

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Included             Hotel Overnight: DoubleTree Southcenter, Seattle

OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK

Day 3: Mount Rainier National Park

Following breakfast, join your coach for a journey from Seattle through Mount Rainier National Park, one of
the United States most dramatic mountain landscapes. Ascending to 14,410 feet above sea level, Mount Rainier stands as an icon in the Washington landscape. An active volcano, Mount Rainier is the most glaciated peak in
the contiguous U.S.A., spawning five major rivers. This afternoon arrive in Yakima, Washington, your home
for the evening. 

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Included             Hotel Overnight: Hotel Maison, Yakima

Day 4: Spokane Falls & Coeur D’ Alene

Enjoy a leisurely morning before your coach departs Washington and makes its way towards Idaho. In Spokane, experience the Spokane Falls SkyRide, heralded as one of the best cable rides in the world. Riders gradually descend 200 feet over the Spokane Falls, witnessing the thunderous falls crashing beneath them. The waterfalls’ spray in this portion of the river is famous for rainbows! Late afternoon arrive in the town of Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho, and check in to the Coeur d’ Alene Resort, located on the shores of one
of the most beautiful lakes in America. Enjoy dinner at this beautiful resort.

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Included             Hotel Overnight: Coeur d' Alene Resort, Coeur d' Alene

Day 5: Idaho, Montana and West Yellowstone

Today’s drive continues through the heart of Idaho before crossing the border into Wyoming. Enjoy lunch in Missoula, a city surrounded by five mountain ranges giving it the nickname, Hub of Five Valleys. Early afternoon you’ll have some free time for sightseeing in Butte, located on the Continental Divide and bustling with a rich mining history. Early evening we will reach West Yellowstone, your home for the next two evenings.
* The order in which Yellowstone’s three days of highlights are enjoyed may vary between the days. We will be overnighting in West Yellowstone
and traveling through the entire park while touring.

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Included             Hotel Overnight: Explorer Cabins, West Yellowstone

Day 6: Yellowstone National Park and Mammoth Hot Springs

Yellowstone National Park is the world’s first national park! While here, you will marvel at colorful hot springs, mudpots, and geysers, then explore mountains, forests, and lakes to watch plentiful wildlife and witness the drama of the natural world unfold. Yellowstone possesses close to 60% of the world’s geysers. Start your day with a visit to the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center before viewing the film, “Yellowstone” at IMAX Theater. Board your coach and venture to unforgettable Mammoth Hot Springs, a large complex of hot springs, created over thousands of years as hot water from the spring cooled and deposited calcium carbonate. Enjoy dinner in the historic Mammoth Hot Springs hotel before returning to West Yellowstone and your hotel. 

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Included             Hotel Overnight: Explorer Cabins, West Yellowstone

Day 7: Yellowstone, Old Faithful and Jackson Hole

After breakfast, it’s time for a beautiful morning drive through tall lodge pole pine forests. Spend your morning
at the Old Faithful Visitor Education Center which features exhibits on Yellowstone’s hydrothermal features. It documents life in these extreme environments, highlights the volcano beneath Yellowstone, and introduces ongoing scientific research into one of the greatest living laboratories on earth. Witness Yellowstone’s most famous geyser, Old Faithful, and then partake in lunch. After lunch, stroll the boardwalk and see the largest collection of hydrothermal features in the world as part of the Upper Geyser Basin. Visit the spectacular Grand Canyon of Yellowstone with its tremendous waterfalls. Board your coach and cross through Lewis River Canyon and Lewis Falls in route to Jackson Hole. Arrive in Jackson Hole, your home for the next two evenings.

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Included             Hotel Overnight: The Lexington at Jackson Hole, Jackson Hole

Day 8: Grand Teton National Park, Snake River, and Jackson Hole

This morning discover into Grand Teton National Park! Your first experience will be a scenic raft float trip on
the Snake River. This will be an incredible opportunity to gaze at mountains, spot wildlife and learn about the area’s unique historical and geological characteristics from your river guide. After lunch, take the scenic park loop drive allowing for breathtaking views of the area. A stop at Jenny Lake will be the perfect opportunity to take pictures and marvel at Grand Teton’s jagged peaks. This afternoon enjoy free time in
Jackson Hole before whooping it up at a western cookout complete with cowboy entertainment.

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Included             Hotel Overnight: The Lexington at Jackson Hole, Jackson Hole

​

Day 9: Salt Lake City

This morning depart Jackson Hole, traveling past Star Valley and Snake River Canyon and catching the final glimpse of Wyoming’s soaring mountains, majestic rivers, emerald forests, cattle, oil wells and coal miners. Briefly cross into Idaho for lunch before continuing on to Salt Lake City. Visit the Family History Library, the world’s largest genealogical library, then spend time exploring Salt Lake City’s downtown as well as the Utah State Capital before completing your evening with a rooftop dining experience, complete with expansive views of the valley below.

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Included             Hotel Overnight: Kimpton Monaco Hotel, Salt Lake City

​

Day 10: Mormon Tabernacle & Moab

This morning, join a docent-led tour of the Utah State Capitol Building followed by a visit to the beautiful home of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. While here you will attend the noon organ recital in the Tabernacle. Following lunch in town, head south towards Price, entering the great Basin region and the Colorado Plateau this afternoon Your next three evenings will be spent in Moab, at the Hoodoo Hotel, a central hub for 
exploration of this area’s national parks.

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Included             Hotel Overnight: Hoodoo Moab, Moab

Day 11: Arches National Park, Canyonland National Park and Dead Horse Point State Park

Today will be spent enjoying some of America’s most wondrous natural formations. Early this morning
depart for a visit to Arches National Park, home to more than 2,000 natural sandstone arches that have been carved out over the centuries by wind and rain. Just a short drive away is Canyonlands National Park, a wilderness of countless canyons and fantastically formed buttes carved by the power of the Colorado River. Lastly, we head to Dead Horse Point State Park for dramatic overlooks of the Colorado River.
After this adventurous day, return to Moab for dinner.

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Included             Hotel Overnight: Hoodoo Moab, Moab

​

Day 12: Capitol Reef National Park

Early this morning, relax on the coach as you make the 2.5 hour journey to Capitol Reef National Park. This hidden gem surrounds a long wrinkle in the earth known as the Waterpocket Fold, and is home to layers of golden sandstone, canyons and striking rock formations. Among the park’s sights are the Chimney Rock pillar, the Hickman Bridge arch, and Capitol Reef, known for its white sandstone domes. In the north are the towering monoliths of Cathedral Valley. Enjoy lunch before free time in the park. Return to Moab this evening for dinner and one more night at the beautiful Hoodoo Hotel.

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Included             Hotel Overnight: Hoodoo Moab, Moab

​

Day 13: Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park

This morning, make your way towards Navajo Nation’s Monument Valley Park, home to one of nature’s most precisely chiseled works of art and one of the most photographed places on earth. Enjoy lunch here, accompanied by spectacular views before gearing up for an off road adventure. A Navajo guide will take you on a 4x4 excursion into the valley, providing cultural commentary and ecological history as you tour the area. This afternoon, board your luxury coach for a drive towards Page, with a scenic stop overlooking the famous Glen Canyon Dam. You’ll overnight in the small town of Page this evening.

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Included             Hotel Overnight: Lake Powell Resort, Page

​

Day 14: Rainbow Bridge National Monument and Springdale

Following breakfast, board our sightseeing vessel for a morning of cruising the coastlines of Lake Powell,
enjoying beautiful scenery on your way to Rainbow Bridge National Monument. Rainbow Bridge is one of the highest natural bridges in the world. After your cruise, enjoy lunch and continue south to Springdale, UT, your home for the next two evenings. Springdale is often referred to as the Hollywood of the West. Hundreds of movie and TV westerns have been shot around this visual marvel.

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Included             Hotel Overnight: Cliffrose Lodge, Springdale

Day 15: Bryce Canyon National Park and Zion National Park

This morning we explore the overlooks of Bryce Canyon National Park, a wonder of nature with sculpted pillars of red, yellow and brown limestone. After lunch, we’ll drop down in elevation and use the mile-long Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel to travel into Zion National Park for some equally amazing scenery. It is here that your group will take an evening narrated tram ride through Zion Canyon. With soaring canyon walls on both sides and the Virgin River running parallel to this drive, you’ll witness some of the most treasured spots in the park. Return to Springdale after a day of visual delights.

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Included             Hotel Overnight: Cliffrose Lodge, Springdale

Day 16: Marble Canyon and the Grand Canyon

Today you will make your way to one of the 7 wonders of the natural world, the Grand Canyon. Along the way, stop at Marble Canyon for unspoiled views of the Colorado River. Next, you’ll have a southwest style lunch at the historic Cameron Trading Post, located on Navajo Tribal lands, before viewing sites of the south rim of Grand Canyon National Park. This evening your coach will arrive at Grand Canyon Village.

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Included             Hotel Overnight: Grand Canyon Squire Inn, Grand Canyon Village

Day 17: Grand Canyon National Park

Today will be spent taking pictures from the many scenic overlooks along the south rim of Grand CanyonNational Park. Many of these experiences are sure to leave you speechless. The National Geographic Visitor Center is a great first stop today offering many interpretive displays that you may browse. It is the home of a 6-story IMAX theater offering visitors a wonderful film about the Grand Canyon called “The Hidden Secret.” After learning about this majestic place, board your luxury coach as we enter the park and travel the scenic Desert View Drive. Glimpse remnants of the Ancestral Puebloan people at the Tusayan Pueblo and Museum, followed by a stop at the Watchtower. After a day of touring, relax at your hotel tonight.

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Included             Hotel Overnight: Grand Canyon Squire Inn, Grand Canyon Village​

Day 18: The Kaibab & Coconino National Forests & Red Rock-Secret Mountain Wilderness

Enjoy a leisurely morning, allowing time for guests who wish to take an optional helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon to do so. We then depart via coach and head south towards Sedona, Arizona. Enjoy lunch in beautiful Flagstaff before reaching the Kaibab and Coconino National Forests. Continue south to experience the world famous Red Rock-Secret Mountain Wilderness. This collection of cliffs, buttes, and canyons has to rank as one of nature’s most magnificent masterpieces. It certainly is one of the most colorful. Red is the predominant hue here among these 43,950 acres of wind and water sculpted pinnacles, windows, arches, and slot canyons.

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Included             Hotel Overnight: Hilton, Sedona

Day 19: Sedona, Sinagua People & Montezuma Castle National Monument

Today, get set for an adventure as you board your pink Jeep and explore Sedona’s iconic red rocks.
Hold on tight while your vehicle crawls over rough terrain on Broken Arrow trail is where famous westerns
were filmed followed by a thrilling jeep ride descending the Road of No Return. Following the jeep tour, have lunch, before visiting the Chapel of the Holy Cross built into the rock hills of Sedona. Continue on to Montezuma Castle National Monument. It is here that the indigenous Sinagua people lived and worked between 600 AD until the 1400s. Walk among 700-year-old cliff dwellings and learn how the Sinagua farmed and hunted, their complicated trading system—and how their society mysteriously vanished. This afternoon journey to Phoenix for your first of a two night stay in the heart of Scottsdale.

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Included             Hotel Overnight: Hyatt Regency Resort Gainey Ranch, Scottsdale

Day 20: Scottsdale

After a busy 19 days of touring, enjoy a relaxing day of shopping and exploring Scottsdale in the wonderful sunshine. Alternatively, you may choose to enjoy the Hyatt Regency Resort’s many amenities including spa and golf options (spa and golf will come at an additional cost to the guest). A farewell dinner will be enjoyed this evening.

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Included             Hotel Overnight: Hyatt Regency Resort Gainey Ranch, Scottsdale​

Day 21: Fly Home from Phoenix

Today, you will enjoy breakfast at your leisure before being transferred to the Phoenix Sky Harbor
International Airport for your scheduled flight home. We thank you for joining John Hall’s Alaska on a journey through America’s most amazing western national parks!

Breakfast Included             Thank You for Joining Us!

​