USA Vacations

Colorado

Begin your trip in the mile-high city of Denver on this Old West vacation. Enjoy a sightseeing tour of Denver then head to Estes Park, gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park. Marvel at fantastic alpine scenery as you travel along Trail Ridge Road, the highest continuous highway in the United States at an elevation of 12,000 feet. Pass Grand Lake, Colorado’s largest natural lake, and journey to the resort town of Vail, one of the most popular ski resorts and a popular summer vacation destination. Travel through the massive 1,800-foot walls of Glenwood Canyon to Colorado National Monument and Moab, Utah. In Moab, stay high on the banks of the Colorado River at the Red Cliffs Adventure Lodge and enjoy a wine tasting and authentic outdoor Western barbecue. Enjoy a visit to Arches National Park with its 2,000 natural sandstone arches and unusual rock formations. Your tour then heads back to Colorado and Mesa Verde National Park. In Mesa Verde, marvel at the cliff dwellings and see how the Ancestral Pueblo people lived for over 700 years.

More Western history awaits in Durango with a scenic ride through the San Juan National Forest on the Durango–Silverton train. The legendary steam train hugs steep canyon walls and offers breathtaking beauty. Journey south to New Mexico for tours of Santa Fe and Taos. Your tour in Sante Fe includes the “Miracle Stairway” at Loretto Chapel. Learn about the Native American culture in Taos on your walking tour, including a visit to Pueblo de Taos, a Native American village inhabited for nearly 700 years. Cross the Rio Grand Gorge Bridge, one of the highest in the US, en route to Colorado. On the way to Colorado Springs, take a walk along the Royal Gorge Bridge, the highest suspension bridge in the world, and marvel at the rugged rock walls that plunge more than 1,000 feet down to the Arkansas River. Visit charming Manitou Springs and take the cog railway up to the summit of 14,110-foot Pikes Peak for amazing views. The vacation ends back in Denver—a great way to end this spectacular journey through some of the West’s most beautiful areas and Old West charm.

Day 2 Denver–Rocky Mountain National Park–Vail
Enjoy a sightseeing tour of Denver this morning, then it’s on to the beautiful Colorado mountains. Travel to Estes Park, gateway to ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK. A break at almost 12,000 feet provides fantastic alpine scenery. Continue along scenic Trail Ridge Road, crossing the Continental Divide and passing Grand Lake, Colorado’s largest natural lake. Journey to Vail, one of America’s most popular mountain resorts. (B)

Note: Rocky Mountain National Park is subject to favorable road and weather conditions.

Day 3 Vail–Colorado National Monument–Moab
Travel through the massive 1,800-foot walls of Glenwood Canyon to the “western slope” of Colorado. Then, visit COLORADO NATIONAL MONUMENT, with sightseeing along panoramic Rim Rock Drive. Admire the majestic beauty of Independence Monument and Balanced Rock. Afterward, continue to Moab, Utah, arriving at Red Cliffs Lodge. Enjoy WINE TASTING at your resort’s winery, then experience an authentic outdoor Western barbecue. (B,D)

Special Feature: Your hotel in Moab is the Red Cliffs Lodge. Offering guests a ranch-like experience amid luxurious Western charm, Red Cliffs Lodge sits high on the banks of the Colorado River surrounded by cliffs and situated where Western favorites such as Wagon Master and Rio Grande were filmed.

Day 4 Moab
This morning, visit ARCHES NATIONAL PARK, a wonderland of magnificent sandstone formations. Balance of the day is at leisure. Relax, swim, play tennis, visit the winery, or explore the museum with memorabilia from the movies filmed at your resort’s spectacular location. This evening, enjoy the optional Canyonlands by Night riverboat show. (B)

Day 5 Moab–Mesa Verde National Park–Durango
Head back to Colorado and travel to MESA VERDE NATIONAL PARK, a World Heritage Site. Stop at Spruce Tree House, one of the best-preserved cliff dwellings. Also visit the museum that depicts the story of the people who once thrived on this 8,000-foot plateau, and stop at a great vantage point for pictures of Cliff Palace (one of the largest of the 700-year-old Anasazi dwellings). Arrive in Durango, a town born in the Gold Rush and silver-mining era. (B,D)

Day 6 Durango
Rail Journey to Silverton. Board the narrow-gauge DURANGO-SILVERTON TRAIN this morning for a scenic ride through San Juan National Forest. The legendary steam train hugs steep canyon walls winding its way through Rio de las Animas Canyon with vistas of snowcapped peaks. Free time in Silverton, once a major mining town which owes its name to the bragging statement by an early miner: “We have no gold, but silver by the ton!” Return to Durango. (B)

Day 7 Durango–Santa Fe
Head to New Mexico and to the charming city of Santa Fe, the oldest seat of government in the United States. Experience Santa Fe up close as you embark on a GUIDED WALKING TOUR of the many historic buildings that reveals the town’s Spanish, Indian, and American heritage. Main sights include the San Miguel Mission, the Palace of the Governors, the CATHEDRAL OF ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI, and LORETTO CHAPEL’S“Miracle Stairway.” The remainder of your day is at leisure. (B)

Day 8 Santa Fe. Excursion to Taos
Today, travel to the adobe town of Taos, seated on the high desert mesa at the foot of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. On today’s walking tour, learn about its 1,100 years of history and art by visiting PUEBLO DE TAOS, a Native American village inhabited for nearly 700 years. Explore the historic town plaza, offering eclectic galleries, and wonderful shops before returning to Santa Fe and stopping for dinner at one of New Mexico’s historic restaurants. (B,D)

Day 9 Santa Fe–Colorado Springs
Leave Santa Fe, traveling across the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge, one of the highest in the U.S., and drive north to Colorado Springs, Colorado, stopping at the ROYAL GORGE BRIDGE en route. Walk across the world’s highest suspension bridge and marvel at the rugged rock walls that plunge more than 1,000 feet down to the Arkansas River. Continue to Colorado Springs, home to the U.S. Olympic Training Center. (B)

Day 10 Colorado Springs. Pikes Peak & Cog Railway Excursion
Visit Manitou Springs and take the COG RAILROAD up to the summit of 14,110-foot Pikes Peak, the place that inspired Katharine Lee Bates to write “America the Beautiful.” This evening, your Tour Director hosts a special farewell dinner. Wonderful conversation and cuisine make the perfect finale for your vacation. (B,D)

Day 11 Colorado Springs–Denver
Head north to reach Denver International Airport for guests with homebound flights. Please schedule flights after Noon. The motorcoach then continues into downtown, where the vacation ends. (B)

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