Trains & Canyons of the West

Day One

Arrive in Salt Lake City - 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.

Day Two

Salt Lake City and Dead Horse Point State Park - Enjoy a panoramic tour of Salt Lake City, founded by Mormon settlers more than 150 years ago. Then, venture into Dead Horse Point State Park with its amazing views of the Colorado River as it snakes it is way through massive sandstone walls and colorful canyons. 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 starfilled Utah sky with lights which add color and beauty to the tales of native legends told by your experienced guide.

Day Three

Arches National Park - 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.

Day Four

Mesa Verde National Park - Depart Moab this morning and make a stop at the Hole N“ The Rock, a unique home carved out of a huge rock with a gift shop and trading post. Also, make a photo stop at the Wilson Arch Scenic View area. 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 Durango, your home for the next two nights.

Day Five

Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad - 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 have been converted from coal to the oil-fired, steam-operated engines used today.

Day SIx

Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad - 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.

Day Seven

Santa Fe Touring - 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.

Day Eight

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

FB=Full Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner