Although you may have been inclined to travel to U.S. National Parks independently in the past, the price of gas this summer may have you rethinking the prospect of hitting the road on your own. This may be the year that you decide that a group tour is the best way to go. Not only will you be traveling with like-minded people and getting to visit several parks in a single trip, but you'll avoid having to scour the Internet for available hotel rooms and you can leave the car and the headaches at home.
Mayflower Tours (tel.800/323-7604; www.mayflowertours.com) offers a comprehensive ten-day National Parks of the Southwest guided tour that begins in Las Vegas and travels though three states and five parks -- the Grand Canyon, Arches National Park, Monument Valley and Capitol Reef National Park, Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park. The trip includes airport transfers; nine nights' hotel accommodations (the classic Golden Nugget in Las Vegas, Grand Canyon Lodges, Lake Powell Resort and Marina, Best Western Canyonlands Inn in Moab, Wonderland Inn in Torrey and Best Western Zion Park Inn in Springdale); the services of a professional Tour Manager; extensive touring, park entry fees and 11 meals (four dinners, two lunches and five breakfasts).
Trip highlights include standing on the rim of the Grand Canyon, gazing at towering sandstone structures of Arches National Park and Monument Valley, viewing colorful limestone creations in Bryce Canyon, discovering hidden waterfalls in Zion National Park, catching a glimpse of the local fauna as you float down the Colorado River on a raft, exploring Native American culture at the Haibab Indian Reservation, Pipe Spring National Monument and Anasazi Indian Village State Park, cruising on Lake Powell and following the trail of cowboys and the Navajo across windswept deserts and winding river valleys. 2008 departure dates are June 5, July 10, August 7 and September 2, 4, 9, and 10. This tour is priced at $1,799 per person based on double occupancy or $18 less if three people are sharing a room. Add $799 for single supplement.
One of Caravan Tours' (tel. 800/227-2826; www.caravan.com) signature National Parks experiences is their eight-day Mt Rushmore, Grand Tetons & Yellowstone tour priced from $995 per person based on double occupancy, $975 for triples and $1,455 for singles. Taxes are additional. This tour departs daily from Rapid City, SD from May 28 to July 31 and again from August 10 to September 26. The price includes seven nights' accommodations (The Radisson in Rapid City, Crowne Plaza in Billings, Old Faithful Inn, Old Faithful Snow Lodge or Grant Village at Yellowstone, The Virginian Lodge in Jackson and The Hilton in Salt Lake City), most meals, private transportation, and all entrance fees. This tour across five states (South Dakota, Wyoming, Utah, Idaho and Montana) also includes the following travel highlights: Mount Rushmore; Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument in the Crow Nation; the old western cowboy town of Sheridan; Billings; the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody; the Plains Indian Museum and the Whitney Gallery of Western Art; Yellowstone National Park including the Norris Geyser Basin, Mammoth Hot Springs, Old Faithful Geyser, Fountain Paint Pots, Yellowstone Lake and Yellowstone Falls; Grand Teton National Park; a float trip along the majestic Snake River, wildlife viewing; Jenny Lake; Jackson; the Bridger-Teton National Forest; and Bear Lake. The tour ends in Salt Lake City, Utah. Prices do not include airfare or taxes.
Affordable Tours (tel. 800/935-2620; www.affordabletours.com) offers a savings of 10% on the cost of Trafalgar Tours' first class, 14-day Scenic Parks Explorer tour that departs from Las Vegas between June and October, 2008. The trip takes in a total of seven different National Parks plus a variety of other natural and historic sites plus several national monuments. The $2,249 per person land-only cost includes 13 nights' accommodations (The Las Vegas Hilton, Ruby's Inn at Bryce Canyon, the Sheraton City Center in Salt Lake City, Antler Inn in Jackson, National Park Lodges at Yellowstone, Crowne Plaza in Billings, the Radisson in Rapid City, Adam's Mark in Denver, Canyonlands Inn in Moab, Holiday Inn in Kayenta and National Park Lodges in the Grand Canyon), breakfast daily, ten dinners, transportation and entry fees to all parks and monuments.
Highlights of the tour include St. George; the massive rock formations of Zion Canyon; the sandstone spires of Bryce Canyon National Park and its amphitheater of hoodoos; Salt Lake City; the Oregon Trail; Jackson; Grand Teton National Park; Yellowstone National Park; Cody; the Buffalo Bill Historical Center; Billings; Little Bighorn National Monument; Deadwood; Crazy Horse Memorial; Mount Rushmore; the Black Hills National Forest; Denver; the Rocky Mountains; the resort town of Vail; Arches National Park; the UNESCO World Heritage listed Mesa Verde National Park; Kayenta on the Navajo Indian Reservation; the famous monoliths of Monument Valley, the Grand Canyon; and a drive along Route 66. Travel with a group of five or more and save an additional 5% off the land price. Children five to 17 years of age receive an additional 10% off. Departure dates for this tour in 2008 are June 26, July 1, 2, 13 and 17, August 14 and October 5, 7, 9 and 12.
Vacations by Rail (tel. 877/929-7245; www.vacationsbyrail.com) has a wide selection of single and multi-park rail journeys. Their Rail to Glacier Park, Montana trip has three departures in July 2008 -- July 9, 10 and 16. The six-day adventure with four breakfasts and two dinners, two nights' round-trip sleeper roomette accommodations, one night's hotel in Seattle and two nights in Glacier Park at the historic Many Glacier Hotel and Glacier Park Lodge is priced at $1,399 per person for double occupancy or $1,893 for singles (plus a $330 per person upgrade for a Deluxe Amtrak Sleeper cabin with private bath). Highlights include traveling on Amtrak's magnificent Empire Builder -- one of the most scenic rail trips in North America; cruising on Swiftcurrent Lake; a Seattle city tour; and a 1930s vintage convertible touring bus along the Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park. Whilst visiting the Park also experience an ascent of Logan Pass, Lake McDonald, the David Walburn contemporary folk multi-media show, a scenic float trip and hikes through the magnificent landscape.
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