June 18 - 27 and September 10 - 19, 2008
$2,495 plus 9.35% sales tax
Arizona and Utah are home to over a dozen National Parks and in ten wonderful days, we’ll be adventuring in six of them. Toss in Lake Powell (a National Recreation Area) and three Native American Reservations and we have quite a trip planned for you. We’ll hike, boat, jeep, horse-ride, helicopter, raft, and kayak. There’ll be plenty of swimming at all our favorite places including in the turquoise waterfalls at Havasu, in the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Come join us for orange sunsets on canyon walls and a for a peace only the desert offers which has to be felt to be understood.
Wednesday
Meet at 3pm in Sedona at Sedona-Phoenix Shuttle drop-off point (Super 8 Motel) and check in to our cozy motel. Tour Sedona including a visit to a vortex and a hike among the red rocks. Dinner at your Trip Leader’s house in Sedona.
Thursday
Depart Sedona by 8am. Hike into Walnut Canyon and walk through Sinagua Indian dwellings. Visit Little Painted Desert. Drive to Hopi Cultural Center for lunch. Visit Hopi villages where we’ll visit an artisans home and see their wares for sale. Drive to Chinle. All aboard a jeep for a great ride into Canyon de Chelly including a visit to famous White House ruins. Camp the night beside Antelope ruins inside the canyon. While your trip leader cleans up after dinner you’ll be entertained around the campfire by our Navajo storyteller.
Friday
Visit enchanting Spider Rock before leaving Canyon de Chelly. Drive to Monument Valley to gaze upon the magnificent buttes. Lunch at historic Gouldings Trading Post. Drive to ancient pictographs at Newspaper Rock in Canyonlands National Park. We’ll stay tonight at a cozy country B&B with hot tub. Massages available.
Saturday
Drive into Moab via a stop at Hole in the Rock, a unique home. We’ll have time for shopping at the fun stores in Moab. Spend the afternoon on a float trip on the Colorado River in rafts and inflatable kayaks. This often involves relaxing in the river, floating along in our lifejackets. Lunch on the river. Tonight we’ll stay in quaint cabins. Dinner at the Moab Brewery.
Sunday
An early start today, a quick stop for breakfast and a wonderful sunrise hike to Delicate Arch in Arches National Park. Visit Dead Horse Point State Park and see the famous Goosenecks section of the Colorado River. Lunch in Green River. Afternoon drive to Capitol Reef National Park and on to dinner and lodging at Bryce Canyon.
Monday
It’s a wonderful morning drive across alpine meadows of aspens and deer then through the scenic Escalante Highway to Bryce Canyon for lunch. Spend the afternoon on an incredible three-hour mule-ride through the hoodoos in Bryce Canyon National Park on the Peek-a–Boo Loop Trail. Drive to lodging and dinner in Springdale UT.
Tuesday
After breakfast we’ll ride the eco-bus into Zion National Park enjoying all the magnificent scenery. Drive onto Lake Powell where we’ll board our vessel and take a boat ride on Lake Powell to Rainbow Bridge. We’ll lunch on the lake and relax in the warm water. Stop at Dangling Rope marina for ice cream in afternoon. Return south on the lake and set up camp for the night. Your trip leader will cook a delicious dinner at our campsite while you swim and relax. Enjoy a sky full of bright stars.
Wednesday
Breakfast at campsite. Return to marina. Take a jeep tour of Antelope Canyon, the most famous of the slot canyons in the southwest. Drive to the Grand Canyon with lunch and shopping at Cameron Trading Post. View the Grand Canyon from Desert View and Lipan Point before watching the IMax theatre presentation. Drive to Williams and check into our motel. Dinner in old west Williams.
Thursday
Leave hotel early and drive to Seligman for breakfast. Drive to Hilltop on rim of Grand Canyon and leave vehicle. Hike down to the village of Supai and have our hikers lunch on the way. The hike is eight miles and takes four hours. If this is beyond your capabilities or desires then you can helicopter into the village for an extra $80. Check into Havasupai Lodge and change into swimsuits. Hike another two miles down to three beautiful waterfalls and swim and explore. Hike back up to Lodge for dinner.
