America's Great National Parks with Rocky Mountaineer

Fly to Los Angeles where, on arrival, you’ll be welcomed by your tour manager and transferred to Palms Springs, a popular desert resort city.

This morning, set off on a brief drive around Palm Springs to view some of the luxurious residences of Hollywood’s rich and famous.

The tour will then head into the heart of nearby Joshua Tree National Park. Known for its expansive striking desert landscape, this reserve is covered in otherworldly rock formations and Joshua trees, unusual plant species with tall, spiky branches. Your tour manager will point out geological features of interest and describe the wildlife that calls this arid, rugged landscape home.

Continue to Scottsdale, where your stylish hotel for the night is right next to the city’s Old Town, with its many shops, bars, and restaurants.

You’ll depart Scottsdale, travel to the northern part of Arizona and arrive in Sedona. This small town is set amongst spectacular red rock formations and pinewoods of the Coconino National Forest.

You can stroll around the uptown area, browsing the numerous art galleries, New Age shops, and cafés, backed by remarkable scenery.

From here, you can choose to join an optional Jeep ride through the surrounding landscape, passing by the distinctive rock spires and sandstone cliffs and across the twisting, weathered roads, dating back to the pioneer times. As you venture, your driver guide will tell you about the plants and animals of Arizona's high desert.

You’ll then continue to Flagstaff for two nights’ stay. Nestled in the mountains of northern Arizona and on the infamous Route 66, this town is an outdoor enthusiast’s paradise and an ideal location for stargazing.

Today will be one for the wish-list, as you’ll journey to the breathtaking Grand Canyon, one of the world’s most iconic natural wonders. You’ll enter the Grand Canyon National Park and stand on the edge of this immense chasm, which has been shaped by the Colorado River for millions of years. Observe the multi-coloured layers of rocks, visit some of the vantage points and learn about the diverse range of wildlife that inhabits the area.

If you’d like to view this spectacle from above, a once-in-a-lifetime optional helicopter ride is available. Soaring above the park and the canyon allows you to marvel at the almost incomprehensible vastness of it all.

Later in the day, you’ll return to Flagstaff. This evening, perhaps sit by one of the hotel’s outdoor firepits and do some stargazing with a drink in hand.

In the morning, the group will leave Flagstaff and head for the red desert sand region of Monument Valley on the Arizona-Utah border. This sprawling barren landscape interspersed with towering sandstone buttes is where the Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park can be found. Many TV series and films, particularly Westerns, have been filmed here due to the remarkable landscape.

Your accommodation for the night looks over Monument Valley and is built on land, which is considered sacred by Native American tribes, mainly the Navajo Nation. The wrap-around terrace provides the perfect spot to watch as the sun sets, transforming the valley.

Join an optional tour today to discover Monument Valley and its most famous highlights. During this excursion, you’ll cover a 17-mile loop, stopping at several popular viewpoints along the way. You’ll start with the Mittens, John Ford’s Point and Three Sisters, before continuing to the Totem Pole, Artist’s Point, and the North Window. While you travel and take in the stark beauty, the driver guide will provide insights into the history, cultural and natural wonders of the area. Lastly, the tour will visit an authentic Navajo hogan, a traditional, dome-shaped dwelling used by the Navajo tribe.

Once you’ve had a break for lunch, you’ll be driven to Moab, Utah and the gateway to the nearby Arches and Canyonlands National Parks. You’ll check into your hotel for three nights and have the evening to relax.

A day of adventure awaits as you’ll be discovering Canyonlands National Park, with its terrain defined by the Colorado River. Dramatic ravines and spiralling rock formations are spread across four districts, which have been divided into tributaries.

You’ll begin with the first, Island in the Sky, where you’ll pause at the lookouts, Mesa Arch and Grand Viewpoint. Continue to The Needles, home to colourful spires and jagged rock pillars, the Maze, made up of intricate canyons, and the rivers themselves.

By coach, you’ll also travel along White Rim Road, which allows you to get a better view of the canyons and river valleys below.

This morning will be free for you to take it easy, perhaps meandering around the downtown area with its craft shops, restaurants, and art galleries.

In the late afternoon, you’ll be driven into the Arches National Park. At dusk, as the sun sets, you’ll get to witness the red-rusted landscape, with over 2,000 natural stone arches, balanced rocks, and colossal pinnacles, bathed in a golden light. From an ideal viewing location, you can gaze across the reserve while it changes colour, and the sky slowly darkens.

You’ll have some time free in Moab before heading for the station and boarding the legendary Rocky Mountaineer. Once seated, dinner and a beverage will be served as you travel through the mountains, winding your way past more red rock formations, ancient canyons, and desert scenery. The imposing Mount Garfield and enchanting Ruby Canyon will be viewed before you arrive in Glenwood Springs, famed for its hot springs, in the heart of the Rocky Mountains.

Your second day on the train will see you head east towards Denver, experiencing more captivating views along the tracks. As the sun rises over the Colorado River and fringing canyons, you’ll be served a hot two-course breakfast. Later in the day, a three-course, regionally inspired lunch will be enjoyed as you traverse the Colorado Rockies. The Continental Divide will then be crossed, and the train will continue through the Moffat Tunnel, an engineering wonder, before arriving in Denver, the ‘Mile High City’.

Embrace some free time this morning in Denver, perhaps looking for some last-minute souvenirs.

In the afternoon, you’ll be driven to the airport for the return overnight flight.

Land in the UK after an American adventure in the great outdoors.