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Utah/Arizona/Nevada

Best of Color Country National Parks: Zion, Bryce & Grand Canyon

Program No. 11573RJ
Discover the colorful and ancient landscapes of three iconic national parks as you explore geological monuments, visit historic lodges and marvel at scenic wonders with a naturalist.
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National ParksOn the RoadMost PopularNature & Environment
Length
8 days
Rating (4.91)
Activity Level
Starts at
2,999
Itinerary
While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of our published materials, programs are typically advertised more than a year prior to their start date. Read More.
While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of our published materials, programs are typically advertised more than a year prior to their start date. As a result, some program activities, schedules, accommodations, personnel, and other logistics occasionally change due to local conditions or circumstances. Should a major change occur, we will make every effort to alert you. For less significant changes, we will update you during orientation. Thank you for your understanding.
Duration
8 days
7 nights
What's Included
19 meals ( 7B, 6L, 6D )
1 expert-led lecture
12 expert-led field trips
1 performance
An experienced Group Leader
7 nights of accommodations
Taxes and customary gratuity
Road Scholar Assurance Plan
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Activity Note
Hotel check-in from 3:00 p.m.
Afternoon:
Program Registration: 5:00 – 5:30 p.m. After you have your room assignment, come to the Road Scholar table outside the meeting room to register with the program staff and get your welcome packet containing the up-to-date schedule that reflects any changes, other important information, and to confirm the time and location of the Orientation session. If you arrive late, please ask for your packet when you check in. Orientation, 5:30 p.m. The Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer questions. We will be accompanied by a Northern Arizona University employee who will serve as our Group Leader, leading hikes and field trips unless specified otherwise. Please bring a refillable water bottle on the program and on all hikes. Periods in the schedule designated as “Free time” and “At leisure” offer opportunities to do what you like and make your experience even more meaningful and memorable according to your personal preferences. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding.
Dinner:
We will enjoy a dinner in the hotel meeting room.
Evening:
At leisure. Continue getting to know your fellow Road Scholars, settle in, and get a good night’s rest for the day ahead. Be sure to prepare for check-out and transfer in the morning.
Activity Note
Driving approximately 165 miles; about 3 hours. Hiking approximately .75 miles; about 3/4 hour; gravel path with some steps and uneven footing.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
Once checked out of the hotel, we will board the motorcoach for our transfer north toward Zion National Park. Along the way, our instructor will enhance our travel time with insights into the geology, plants, animals, and human history of the region. We’ll travel through the Basin and Range Province, the upper Mojave Desert, and the Virgin River Gorge, en route to the Colorado Plateau and Zion National Park. Upon arrival to the Zion Lodge area we will transfer by free park shuttle to the Grotto picnic area.
Lunch:
Within the towering cliffs of Zion Canyon, we’ll enjoy a box lunch.
Afternoon:
After lunch we will begin our explorations from the Grotto picnic area walking back to the Zion Lodge area Nestled at the base of stunning canyon walls, the grounds of the Zion Lodge invite people to linger among its shady cottonwood trees and grassy field. At the Lodge, your Group Leaders will give an overview of the area and offer activities at one or more locations. Activities may include walking the Lower Emerald Pools Trail, the Grotto Trail, or a historic walk around the Zion Lodge. Mid-afternoon we will depart Zion Canyon for the town of Springdale and check-in to our hotel. We will have an opportunity to settle in and relax before gathering for dinner.
Dinner:
At a local restaurant in the town of Springdale.
Evening:
We will gather to discuss free time choices in the park tomorrow. Our Group Leader will provide us detailed park information and shuttle maps. We’ll discuss how the park and Springdale shuttle systems operate and have an orientation to many of the park’s highlights, viewpoints, trails, and feature. The Group Leader will also discuss dining options in town for dinner on your own tomorrow. NOTE: There have been reductions within our Zion National Park Commercial Use Authorization (CUA). The CUA regulates and mandates which trails and parking areas groups are allowed to use and the number of people that constitute a group. These changes in regulations have necessitated an independent exploration day by participants within the park tomorrow.
Activity Note
Getting on/off Zion Park shuttle; driving about 16 miles round-trip, approximately 90 minutes riding time with stops. Elective walking about 2 - 4 miles round trip according to personal choice, approximately 4-6 hours; paved and unpaved trails. Lower Emerald Pools trail: 1.2 miles round trip 70 ft. elev. gain. Riverside Walk 2.2 miles round trip; paved, relatively level. Bring day pack to carry your sack lunch, water bottle, sun protection.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
In keeping with current park group protocols, today will be dedicated to independent exploration. We will gather in the hotel lobby with our Group Leader to be sure everyone is properly outfitted with the essentials of being out in the field for the day including water, sunscreen, hat, and other weather-related gear. The Group Leaders will review how the park shuttle operates; discuss the many viewpoints and features in the park available to explore; how to return to the hotel using the shuttle system; and answer any questions. We will also have sack lunches distributed. Using our vehicle(s), we will transport as a group from the hotel to the Zion Visitor Center where the Group Leader will confirm our group entry into the National Park. From the Visitor Center, we’ll then stroll across the plaza to the free Zion Canyon shuttle bus terminal where our park exploration and access into Zion Canyon will begin.
Lunch:
Sack lunches in the field at your leisure at a location of our choice.
Afternoon:
Continue independent explorations in Zion National Park. Return to the hotel according to personal choice by utilizing the National Park Shuttle and Springdale town shuttle bus system.
Dinner:
This meal has been excluded from the program cost. Dinner is on your own in the quaint town of Springdale, where you can enjoy a variety of restaurants, bars, gift shops, art galleries, and more. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.
Evening:
At leisure. Be sure to prepare for check-out and transfer in the morning.
Activity Note
Driving about 85 miles, around 1.5 hours, to Bryce Canyon National Park. Walking about 1 mile along Bryce Canyon rim from Inspiration Point to Sunset Point; approximately 1 hour; about 100 feet of change in elevation; unpaved trail. Elevation is approximately 8,000 feet at Bryce Canyon.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
We’ll board the motorcoach and travel to Bryce Canyon National Park, one of America’s smaller national parks, covering only 56 square miles. Bryce is renowned for its unique geological features, carved by nature into hoodoos and pinnacles of an amazing palette of colors. Along the way we will travel through the one mile long Zion-Mt. Carmel tunnel and stop at Checkerboard Mesa to hear why it has horizontal layers and vertical cracks. We will also discuss how the vegetation and habitat changes from the valley floor 2,000 feet below us. Then, we will climb the Grand Staircase via US 89, heading up Long Valley, rich in early Mormon pioneer history to Bryce Canyon National Park.
Lunch:
At Ruby’s Cowboy Cafe, we will enjoy a variety lunch entree choices. A trip through the salad bar and a nonalcoholic beverage will be included.
Afternoon:
After lunch, we will travel to Inspiration Point for a walk to Sunset Point. This one mile, unpaved trail winds along the rim through Bristlecone pine, spruce and fir trees. All along the trail, we'll have great views of the Bryce Amphitheater with rows of hoodoos, fins and spires of red, pink and yellow rock. In the late afternoon, we will check into our hotel.
Dinner:
At Ruby’s Cowboy Cafe.
Evening:
Evening at Leisure.
Activity Note
Driving about 50 miles total throughout the day; approximately 2 hours total drive time, with stops. Walking approximately 3 miles total: sunrise walk is less than 1/4 mile roundtrip, paved; Queen's Garden walk is about 2 miles roundtrip with 320 feet loss/gain of elevation; walk to Yovimpa Point is approximately 1/2 mile roundtrip, paved.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
Before breakfast, there will be an elective motorcoach trip to Sunset Point, where early risers will be rewarded with a spectacular sunrise over the richly colored hoodoos of Bryce Amphitheater. Here we will watch both the brightening eastern horizon and the transformative color change of the hoodoos below the rim of the amphitheater. After the sunrise viewing, we will return to our hotel for breakfast. After breakfast, the group will depart for a day in the splendid scenery of Bryce Canyon National Park. Our first stop will take us back to the rim of Bryce Amphitheater for a short walk to Sunrise Point. From Sunrise Point, we will have two hikes/walks to choose from. The more ambitious choice is a 1.8 mile roundtrip hike below the rim with a 320 foot loss/gain of elevation to the Queen's Garden. Led by one of our Group Leaders, we will hike below the canyon rim and experience an entirely different view of the hoodoo-filled landscape. You may elect to turn around and head back up the trail at any time in order to shorten this hike. Alternatively, you may choose embark on a walk with our other Group Leader along the amphitheater rim on the relatively level gravel path. Once everyone has returned from the Queen's Garden hike, the group will reconvene at the bus and depart for the southern reaches of the park via the scenic drive to Rainbow and Yovimpa Points.
Lunch:
At Rainbow / Yovimpa Point, at 9,115 feet above sea level, we’ll enjoy a boxed lunch.
Afternoon:
At Rainbow and Yovimpa Points, we’ll have a photo opportunity before setting out on a short walk through high-elevation conifer forest to Yovimpa Point. From here, we’ll enjoy expansive views from the top of the Grand Staircase, with Navajo Mountain to the east and the Kaibab Plateau to the south. After walking back from Yovimpa Point, we’ll board the motorcoach for the Bryce Canyon Visitor Center to view the award-winning park video and visit the natural history museum. We’ll then return to the hotel.
Dinner:
We'll walk a short distance from our hotel to dinner and entertainment at Ebenezer's Barn and Grill.
Evening:
During dinner, we will enjoy a country music show before returning to the hotel for a relaxing evening at leisure. Be sure to prepare for check-out and transfer in the morning.
Activity Note
Driving approximately 185 miles total throughout the day; about 4 hours total of driving time. Walking up to 1.5 miles, about 2 hours, total throughout the day; about 1/2 mile around Pipe Spring National Monument mostly paved, flat terrain.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
After checking out of the hotel, we will board our motorcoach for the southbound trip to Page, Arizona. Along the way, we'll descend down the series of colorful cliffs which make up the steps of the Grand Staircase and move on to northernmost Arizona, where we will visit Pipe Spring National Monument. Upon arrival at the park, we will orient to the park's museum exhibits, video and outdoor demonstration stations. In addition, we will meet a park ranger for an introduction and subsequent self guided exploration of Winsor Castle – a fort built by Mormon settlers beginning around 1870 – and the surrounding grounds. Mid-morning, we will depart Pipe Spring National Monument and travel back to Kanab, Utah for lunch.
Lunch:
At a local restaurant.
Afternoon:
After lunch, we'll continue eastward across the northern terminus of the Kaibab Plateau through southern Utah, passing through beautiful scenery within the southern portion of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. En route, we’ll stop at a Bureau of Land Management visitor center to learn about the geology, paleontology, and human history of the Grand Staircase region. Upon reaching our destination of Page, Arizona, we will stop at the Glen Canyon Dam overlook and Carl Hayden Visitor Center to learn about the importance and challenges of water management in the desert southwest. Upon arrival at our hotel, we'll take some time to get settled and enjoy the vistas of the area before dinner.
Dinner:
In the dining room of the hotel.
Evening:
After dinner, the remainder of the evening will be at your leisure.
Activity Note
Driving about 50 miles one way from Page to Lees Ferry to begin river trip, approximately 1 hour. Return trip in the afternoon along same route. Walking about 1.5 miles round trip, approximately 1.5 hours; loose hard pack trail, about 140 feet in elevation gain/loss to Horseshoe Bend Overlook. Getting on/off a boat; sandy section at Petroglyph Beach bathroom stop; raft ride is 15 miles roundtrip from Lees Ferry; flatwater, motor-assisted float trip through Glen Canyon.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
We will start our morning with an elective field trip to the Horseshoe Bend Overlook trail. This 1.5 mile roundtrip hike leads along a well established hard packed trail to the edge of a thousand-foot cliff looking down on a famous and picturesque 270-degree meander of the Colorado River in a section of Glen Canyon through which we will raft later in the day. Then it’s on to our Glen Canyon float trip, with a stop at historic Navajo Bridge along the way. The original Navajo Bridge, which spans Marble Canyon nearly 500 feet above the Colorado River alongside the modern automobile bridge, is now open to foot traffic only. We'll have a chance to visit the nearby National Park Service visitor center and stroll across the footbridge - keep your eyes peeled for endangered California condors! Upon our arrival at Lees Ferry after a 1-hour drive from Horseshoe Bend, we will have a safety briefing from the rafting company and then board our motorized raft.
Lunch:
Aboard our raft on the river, we’ll enjoy sack lunches.
Afternoon:
Our experienced river guide will lead discussions on the geology, wildlife, and human history of the area. After rafting upriver through Horseshoe Bend, we’ll stop at a sandy beach for a rest stop and a chance to stretch our legs along a short walk to view an iconic set of ancient petroglyphs. Those willing to brave the frigid temperatures of the Colorado River might even wish to take a bit of a dip! After a leisurely float back downriver from Petroglyph Beach (passing once again through Horseshoe Bend), the rafting portion of our trip will end back at historic Lees Ferry, gateway to the Grand Canyon. We'll then board our motorcoach and head back to Page.
Dinner:
At a favorite local restaurant.
Evening:
After dinner, the remainder of the evening will be at your leisure. Be sure to prepare for check-out and departures in the morning.
Activity Note
Hotel check-out by 7a.m. Driving approximately 270 miles from Page to Las Vegas; about 4.5 hours. Expected arrival at Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport by approximately 12:30 p.m.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
Once checked out of our hotel, we will depart from Page via motorcoach for our return trip to Las Vegas, with expected arrival at Harry Reid International Airport by 12:30 PM, followed by a stop at our starting hotel. If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on in Las Vegas independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Best wishes for all your journeys!
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