Arizona/California
On the Road: Saguaro, Joshua Tree & Death Valley National Parks
Program No. 13480RJ
Explore the warmth of the great American Sonoran and Mojave deserts, as well as the Saguaro, Joshua Tree and Death Valley National Parks, on the journey of a lifetime.
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Participant Reviews
Based on 41 Reviews
SHOWING
Bryan, Amanda and Ray were all very knowledgeable and helpful throughout the trip. It was great to have the benefit of the experience and knowledge of all three of them. Virtually every day was fully scheduled with something for everyone to do or see. The order of the trip starting with Saguaro National Park first, followed by Palm Springs and Joshua Tree and finally Death Valley worked well as each stop seemed better than the last. Although our daily schedules were jam packed it was nice staying in the same hotel for 3 straight nights in both Palm Springs and Death Valley. We look forward to many more trips with Road Scholar.
John & Bobbie Hutchinson
— Review left March 3, 2025
Fabulous trip to see three very special National Parks! We made new friends, learned about the history and especially the geology of this area and came home eager to travel again with Road Scholar!
— Review left February 13, 2025
High quality food, accommodations, and phenomenal guides. Truly an informational and fun journey.
— Review left February 11, 2025
Wonderful trip to see 3 of the Southwestern National Parks and the diversity of landscapes was so unexpected and awesome. Guides Matt and Briscoe did a wonderful job making sure our trip was memorable and educational.
— Review left January 26, 2025
Love to go again! Palm Springs Tram, is a once in a lifetime experience. Death Valley was like the end of the earth, so much to see and so little time.
— Review left January 22, 2025
Wonderful program, great to see our National Parks.
— Review left January 21, 2025
I loved this trip - it was everything I had hoped it would be. Our guide, Matt, was very knowledgeable and fun. Routes were well planned, fellow travelers friendly, hotels and meals were good. I learned a lot about this part of the country and was able to enjoy its beauty.
— Review left January 2, 2025
This program provided a comprehensive experience in the National Parks and the lands of the Southwest.
— Review left November 28, 2024
This program exceeded all of my expectations!! Our tour guide Matt was both professional as well as very knowledgeable!! All in all a great experience!! Doug
— Review left November 27, 2024
I didn't know desert landscapes could be so diverse. This program was a wonderful dive into all the beauty and starkness that deserts offer - mountains and salt flats, sand dunes and river basins, bare terrain and saguaros and Joshua trees. Loved this trip.
— Review left November 27, 2024
The tour is a great way to visit all three of these national parks. The terrain is interesting and I learned more about that area of our country. The days were well planned and there were a few optional short walks that I really enjoyed.
— Review left March 4, 2024
Loved this trip. Had great trip leaders and awesome deserts to visit. Some food was not that great, my only complaint.
— Review left February 23, 2024
Great trip! Great guide! Lovely fellow travelers. Good itinerary - covered all the major deserts with good accommodations along the way. Exactly what I wanted.
— Review left November 17, 2023
This was a great trip - seeing beautiful scenery enhanced by the knowledge of our guide in the company of interesting fellow travelers. The opportunities to be outside and experience the various places up close were great and were geared to allow for individuals to set their own pace. Even getting to Death Valley was a blessing considering the extensive damage that occurred in August. Seeing the uniqueness of a “lake” at Badwater basin was an unexpected but interesting experience. Great reflections for the photo ops.
— Review left November 15, 2023
I learned far more than I dreamed I would; met some people who have led interesting lives; and had an amazing experience with a group of kind, curiosity junkies who made me smile and feel like we were on the adventure of a lifetime. Our leader was warm, knowledgeable and truly our "guide". Our driver was careful and astonishing in his skill. It was a fabulous experience.
— Review left November 15, 2023
Perfect trip to the three desert National Parks in the Southwest. Dramatic beauty and pioneering history made this a memorable experience
— Review left March 8, 2023
Overall, this was a wonderful trip. My fellow participants were uniformly congenial and helpful! The places we visited were fabulous. Unfortunately, the places we stayed were adequate, at best. And with the exception of the last dinner, I felt the food was barely adequate, or sometimes worse. I know that being in or near the desert can limit what's available. The food and hotels did not, however, outweigh the majestic beauty that we saw every day.
— Review left March 2, 2023
Wonderful way to explore a large swath of the nation (the southwest)...takes some time to get place to place but worth it to see the beauty and variety of the terrain, plant and animal life. A bit humbling to learn the long history of these deserts and the people, plants, animals who live in this environment
— Review left February 14, 2023
Great program! I highly recommend! Perfect for a winter escape!
— Review left February 7, 2023
As a 1st time participants, I thought the program to be well organized, very educational and respectful of the participants,\.
— Review left February 3, 2023
The areas we visited during this trip were spectacular! I was especially surprised by Death Valley National Park. I had thought I would see a large, flat desert. Wow! That is NOT Death Valley! The landscape is varied and beautiful and the colors are outstanding.
— Review left January 31, 2023
I always wanted to go to southern Arizona, southern California and Death Valley, so it was a great trip for me.
— Review left March 22, 2022
This program is for those who want diversity in nature and learning. I enjoyed going in February with the surprise of the snow and colder weather. This in my opinion added to mystery of the desert. Sonora Desert Museum is a beautiful surprise, eating lunch on the bus during the snow storm at Joshua Tree(Hidden Valley) and then 10 minutes later hiking after the snow ceased and the desert drank up the moisture was awesome. The Palm Springs Aerial Tram pushed me out of my comfort zone, Death Valley National Park has so much to see and do. It was nice that the temperatures were comfortable, as it made our adventures better. I would encourage you to read the program materials as there are some times that you are on the bus for long periods of time, but the scenery is amazing and the leaders educate you along the way. There were plenty of bathroom breaks. Pack accordingly, and be prepared for a sudden change in weather. Don't forget your water bottle as you will need to stay hydrated during this trip. Bryan and Barbara were a great compliment to one another and helped us learn along the way and allowed us to share our knowledge as well. I enjoyed adding this as my 6th Road Scholar trip and look forward to my next one.
— Review left March 12, 2022
Several snags along the way but most notable was the non-visit to Saguaro NP. This destination was supposed to one of the three highlights of the trip and one of the National Parks I signed up to visit. The guide decided to change the itinerary on the spot and we spent 90% of the day at the AZ Sonora Desert Museum ,which in my opinion is just an upscale tourist trap. We arrived at Saguaro at 2:45pm and took a 10 minute stroll at the Visitor Center. Yes the NP shop was packed and there was a long wait to get in, but who cares about the gift shop. We departed no later than 3:15pm. This was not one of those uncontrollable events that you asked us to tolerate in advance; there was plenty of that. And why would you move the heat sensitive event to the hottest part of the day ? That is a short hike in the desert!! Road Scholar error and a game changer for me. I am seriously considering cancelling my Voyageurs NP trip as we may not see what I have paid for again. Regards Brenda Wiltrout
— Review left March 5, 2022
This is a very nice trip that provides a good sampling of three National Parks, as well as some other interesting features of the Southwest. It is not a "hiking" trip, but you do need to be able to walk and go up and down stairs, or you will miss out on some of the activities. For "hikers" like me, there were several opportunities to go a bit beyond the easy pace and have some fun without disrupting the group. I enjoyed this trip very much and recommend it for exactly what it says it is.
— Review left February 16, 2022
Good trip.
— Review left February 11, 2022
This trip expanded my understanding of the various deserts of the American Southwest and made me think a lot about water conservation. The trip was eye opening and very enjoyable! For those of us who live in cold regions of the U.S., going to these sunny locations in the winter was a real plus.
— Review left January 31, 2022
The secondary group leader introduced politics 3 times during the trip then sent this email after the trip. This was our 14th and probably final trip with RS. I don't want political commentary on vacation!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hello Road Scholars once again,
During our Great Deserts tour, I spoke briefly about issues w e face concerning water. Attached is a 1-page digest of what 4 other scientists and I have proposed. I ask that you read it and that you then contact your State and National Representatives and Senators asking that they work to implement advanced technology pilot plants so that we as a nation can address the current human and environmental health issues associated with synthetic compounds in our water. I recommend to your reading Dr. Shanna Swan, 2020 Countdown. Most of the chemicals she talks about are already in our water and our water infrastructure is not able to destroy and/or remove them.
Take care and please contact NAU Road Scholar (aka Bruce Banker) if you’d like to do another tour with me or any of our other exceptional leaders.
Bryan
— Review left November 19, 2021
Another fun and informative trip, a 10 day trip through the SW desert areas. Starting off our group leaders Bruce and Bryan are just great, they work well together and are helpful and each with his own sense of humor. I really enjoyed all of our stops, was amazed with the granite structures at Joshua Tree NP, enjoyed the lecture by the docent at Yuma Prison, the stop at Palm Springs was fun, on my free night I went to the art museum, it was free after 5 so had time to get dinner prior to visiting the museum. Death Valley was a very nice visit for two days, less than that wouldn't have been enough. All hotels are great. Rating for this trip was "Keep the Pace", though there were some long stretches on the bus this rating was pretty accurate.
— Review left November 17, 2021
The trip I took concerned the water problems in the West, as well as visitng many interesting, informative and beautiful sites. There was a lot of discussion of geology and geography thru out the trip.
— Review left February 25, 2020
If you enjoy photography as I do you will love the desert landscapes that you see. Yuma, Arizona was also picturesque.
— Review left February 6, 2020
Well organized, interesting, fascinating part of the country, with so many “must see” places — one more beautiful than the next. Didn’t know there was so much to know about desert habitats.
— Review left November 19, 2019
Great trip to cover a lot of miles in these states. Would improve with two leaders or a smaller group!
— Review left March 5, 2019
I achieved my goal of hiking with congenial people in beautiful western deserts.
Learning more geology was an added pleasure.
— Review left March 2, 2019
The deserts are diverse in terms of climate, flora, fauna and geology. This program can help you understand more about that. Remember that it's an outdoor trip, not a gourmet food tour! The food, while adequate, is not always gourmet.
— Review left March 1, 2019
Loved the desert trip. Looking forward to selecting our next trip with Road Scholar.
— Review left February 25, 2019
Learn about diversity in desert flora and fauna--and rocks. You will find out the whys and hows rock strata formed and how to understand what caused the different layers. It's much more interesting than a non-geologist would think!
— Review left February 13, 2019
Excellent tour that I would highly recommend. Having never been to this area I was blown away by the sheer beauty and spectacular vistas of the southwestern deserts and parks. This program was greatly enhanced by our leader Bryan whose knowledge of the area was extensive. A truly memorable experience.
— Review left February 13, 2019
Great opportunity to see the great deserts and be amazed at them.
— Review left January 30, 2019
This was an excellent trip with outstanding leadership, and a wide variety of activities that help one to better understand the American Desert and relevant economic, resource, and naturalist perspectives on the environment.
— Review left January 29, 2019
We did not realize the desert could be so interesting. In a little over a week we traveled through two desert areas and related National Parks with a wonderful group of travelers and two outstanding group leaders. From the perspective of a well traveled "city boy" this trip demonstrates the beauty and the diversity of the southwestern deserts and creates a desire to return for more exploration.
— Review left January 29, 2019