Pioneer Adventures of the Old West
Experience Overview
Unlock your pioneer spirit of the Old West on this US National Parks Tour. Sunny Scottsdale welcomes you to Arizona. Explore bohemian Sedona, then board a scenic train through the Kaibab Forest en route the UNESCO-listed Grand Canyon National Park, before experiencing majestic Page and Lake Powell. Enjoy a picnic lunch in Zion National Park and head to Bryce Canyon, home of the ghostly hoodoos.
Highlights
Dining Summary
- 3 Dinner (D)
- 7 Breakfast (B)
- 1 Lunch (L)
Be My Guest
- Williams: No doubt Williams, Arizona has both a Route 66 and Old West Town. And Wild West Junction screams Old West! California transplants Dan and Judy Curns host a special Be My Guest dinner. The married couple will provide some entertaining history on Williams Wild Wild West past.
Dive into Culture
- Flagstaff: Explore the history and culture of the Ancestral Puebloan people who lived in northern Arizona. You'll see examples of pottery from the past and observe its evolution over time. View contemporary Indigenous pottery and learn about the traditional tools and techniques, many of which are still in use today. Finally, create your own clay pot or sculpture using either ancient or modern tools, which you can take home as a keepsake.
Iconic Experience
- Sedona: Take the scenic route down into the serene, artistic town of Sedona to take in the surrounding red rock and pine forests.
- Grand Canyon National Park: Explore Grand Canyon Railway and view Kaibab National Forest on your way to The Grand Canyon.
- Grand Canyon National Park: Meet Canyon Dave, who shares fascinating stories about this extraordinary feat of nature and its development over the past 40 million years.
- Page: Behold the majestic beauty of Horseshoe Bend, where the mighty Colorado River gracefully curves through the heart of the desert landscape, creating a breath-taking natural spectacle that must be seen to be believed. The hike to Horseshoe Bend is approximately 0.75 miles (1.2 kilometers) one way, making it a total round-trip distance of about 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers). The trail is relatively easy and well-maintained, suitable for people of all ages and fitness levels. It typically takes around 20 to 30 minutes to hike from the parking area to the overlook, where you'll be rewarded with stunning panoramic views of the bend and the surrounding landscape.
- Zion National Park: Unlock geological history as you walk the paths and trails of Zion National Park, following in the footsteps of Native Americans and the earliest pioneers. The lush vegetation, wild rivers, roaring waterfalls and towering cliffs of this park will have you reaching for your camera over and over again. You’ll even drive through the amazing 1.1-mile, sandstone Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel built from the late 1920s through 1930, when it was the longest tunnel of its type at the time.
- Bryce Canyon National Park: Hello, hoodoos. As you arrive at Bryce Canyon National Park, enjoy seeing the pink, orange and rusty-red limestone spires, known as hoodoos, rise up from the valley floor. Explore the visitor center to learn more about the history and geology of the park before a scenic drive along Bryce Canyon Road with possible stops at Sunrise Point, Sunset Point and Inspiration Point. You’ll love seeing how Bryce Canyon, home to the largest collection of these spires in the world, is in a league of its own.
MAKE TRAVEL MATTER®
- Grand Canyon: At Desert Viewpoint Inter-tribal Cultural Heritage Site learn about the 11 Grand Canyon tribal communities. Discover Native crafts watching a carpet weaving demonstration, or you may enjoy traditional song and dance performances. Your visit and donation provide a continuous source of funding for the on-going development of the Cultural Heritage Site while allowing guests to engage directly with Indigenous community members. The experience directly supports United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities and Goal 11: Responsible Production and Consumption.
Must-see Highlights
- Explore the Grand Canyon with 'Canyon Tim', a Local Geologist
- Visit Sedona, Flagstaff, Walnut Canyon National Monument, Museum of the North, Horseshoe Bend, Historic Cameron Trading Post, Grand Canyon National Park, Page, Lake Powell, Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park
- Scenic Drive through Red Rock Country, Oak Creek Canyon and Desert View in Arizona. Grand Canyon Railway journey through the Kaibab Forest
- Iconic Train journey aboard the historic Grand Canyon Railway
Trafalgar Difference
- Grand Canyon: Step into a bygone era at refurbished Grand Canyon Railway Hotel which was built to serve passengers on the Santa Fe Railroad in 1908. Next door to the train depot and just a block away from downtown Williams and historic Route 66, you’re in the ideal spot to make the most of the Grand Canyon. Tempt yourself with dining options at the Fred Harvey Restaurant and Spenser’s Pub or relax in the indoor pool and hot tub.
Trip Details
Product Code: 28154
Tour Type: Group Tour
Accommodation: Moderate
Transport: Private
Guide Language: English
Travel Styles:
Family
Tour Operator:
Trafalgar (CA)
Supplier Code: 330.559B
Starts: Phoenix (AZ), United States Of America
Finishes: Las Vegas (NV), United States Of America
Duration: 8 days
Departures: Not Guaranteed
Physical Rating:
Easy
Includes
Whats Included
- An expert Travel Director and professional Driver
- Cherry-picked hotels, all tried and trusted
- All porterage and restaurant gratuities
- All hotel tips, charges and local taxes
- Breakfast daily and up to half of your evening meals
- Must-see sightseeing and surprise extras
- Audio headsets for flexible sightseeing
- All transport and transfers shown
- Luxury air-conditioned coach with Wi-Fi in most countries or alternative transportation (such as rail journeys)
- Optional Experiences and free time
- On occasion, hotels of similar standard and location may be utilized
Price
Price per person: (Double Occupancy) CAD $4,277 ($535 /day)
Itinerary
Howdy folks! Arrive in Phoenix and transfer to Scottsdale on your own. You can spend the afternoon at leisure before meeting your new travel partners for dinner.
Accommodation: Sonesta Suites Scottsdale Gainey Ranch
Meals: Dinner
Your trek through America's frontier history begins in the Sonoran Desert. Stampede through the luminous orange and red landscapes of Sedona with your choice sightseeing. Then, it’s on through Oak Creek Canyon to the historic railroad town of Williams, where you’ll Connect With Locals and enjoy a Be My Guest experience dinner hosted by the owners of a local western restaurant.
Accommodation: Grand Canyon Railway
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Discover all that Flagstaff has to offer today. Head to Walnut Canyon National Monument to spot cliff dwellings and learn all about the Sinagua people who lived here over 800 years ago. Enjoy a scenic self-guided 0.9-mile loop trail that allows visitors to explore the dwellings up close, as well as breath-taking views of the canyon and its diverse plant and animal life. Enjoy lunch on your terms in downtown Flagstaff before you Dive into Culture at the Museum of Northern Arizona learning all about the cultural heritage of the Colorado Plateau over a guided pottery-making class. The remainder of your evening is free for you to explore Route 66 just steps away from your hotel.
Accommodation: Grand Canyon Railway
Meals: Breakfast
Cut dirt and board your train to the Grand Canyon for some Family Fun, passing the vanilla-scented Ponderosa Pines and through the Kaibab National Forest. Tales of Old West legends are brought back to life as they travel with you along the rugged landscapes. We arrive at the UNESCO-listed Grand Canyon, one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. Walk the rim and learn from a Local Specialist how this extraordinary feat of nature developed over the past 40 million years.
Accommodation: National Park Lodges Grand Canyon
Meals: Breakfast
Enjoy a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience as you visit Desert View's Pueblo-style Watch tower and support the Grand Canyon Conservancy and their development of the Desert View Inter-Tribal Cultural Heritage Site. Enjoy lunch on your own in Page before heading over to the iconic Horseshoe Bend. You'll witness the Colorado River carving through the red rock canyons with sweeping vistas as far as the eye can see. Afterward, you can choose to join a Navajo Local Guide for a tour through one of the magical slot canyons surrounding the region. In the evening, join an optional MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience at Red Heritage, a Navajo owned and operated Native American Performing Arts Theater, for a show of powwow dancing, flute playing and live drum music while enjoying a tasty dinner.
Accommodation: Lake Powell Resorts & Marinas
Meals: Breakfast
Explore yet another great natural triumph in Zion National Park by shuttle or on foot. Connect to history following in the footsteps of Native Americans and the earliest pioneers. Immerse yourself in Zion's vibrant landscapes, where lush vegetation lines winding rivers, seasonal waterfalls cascade down canyon walls, and towering white and pink sandstone cliffs soar overhead. Perhaps challenge yourself with a hike to the Emerald Pools before continuing your adventure to the red-orange-pink-hued hoodoos of Bryce Canyon, your final stop for today. Continue the fun over an optional barbeque dinner at Ebenezer's Show and Dinner feasting on salmon, flat iron steaks and grilled chicken and tasty sides while taking in an energizing live country music show.
Accommodation: Best Western Plus Ruby's Inn
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
Take your seat in an amphitheater of the must-see, towering sandstone spires of Bryce Canyon. Bask in these pink, orange and rusty-red limestone spires, known as hoodoos, that seem to rise from the desert floor. Explore the rim, learning how the canyon was formed over millennia by the erosion of sandstone and limestone, before spending the afternoon at leisure. Choose to blaze your own trail on a one-hour horseback ride in the Dixie National Forest, climbing Bristlecone Pine Ridge with 1,500-year-old Bristlecone Pines (one of the oldest living things on the North American continent). Your adventure through the Old West almost at its end, you get gussied up for dinner.
Accommodation: Best Western Plus Ruby's Inn
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Hoodoos to your back and high-living ahead, depart on the last leg of your journey to Las Vegas with a stop in St. George, Utah for lunch on your own. You'll be transferred to Las Vegas International Airport, or your hotel if you're extending your stay.
Meals: Breakfast
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Tour Operator
Trafalgar (CA)
Family owned and run since 1920, The Travel Corporation (TTC) is the world leader in immersive travel experiences across an extensive range of travel categories. Each year TTC's 40 award winning hospitality and travel brands connect over 1 million happy travellers to the world. We give you access to the 12 DMC’s behind these brands, so you can build your business by capitalizing on the extensive experience, local expertise, and financial assurance of TTC. LOCAL EXPERTISE The world leaders in travel for over 100 years, we offer unparalleled local expertise with a global footprint. Our 12 DMCs, led by experienced in-destination teams, deliver experience rich travel solutions in more than 80 countries. Additionally, our market based teams are on hand to support across our 40 offices worldwide
In Business Since 1931
Reviews
Denise Lambert - Traveled, September 2024
Great National Park trip. The service provided by Trafalgar was above and beyond our expectations. So professional yet personable. This trip exceeded our expectations. We saw so many things that weren't even listed on our itinerary. Our guide *********** was exceptional with his knowledge of the area and his timing was spot on. The price of this trip was way more economical than if we would have pieced it out ourselves and we wouldn't have gotten the information we received from our guide. All the restaurants served good quality food and the places of entertainment were of great fun. The hotels were very nice and clean and their staff was polite and professional. We are mentally planning a Trafalgar trip for next summer vacation.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 10/21/2024
Trusted Customer - Traveled, April 2024
Great itinerary for this part of the country. Our tour director was excellent -- very detail oriented, knowledgeable and right on top of everything. I think Road Scholar is a much better value with wonderful lectures and almost everything is included in the tour price. Almost all meals are included. The tour director was excellent, and so was the driver. The excursion in Sedona was a 0, jeeps straight out of the junkyard and toothless drivers. The tour didn't do Sedona justice. The Indian Heritage lunch and show was spectacular, the best show of that type that we have ever seen. The ropes course was wildly inappropriate for the age group on our bus. 95% of us were between 65 and 85 years old. The dinner and show at Ebenezer's was very enjoyable. That's a keeper. And, of course, the scenery was spectacular!
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 05/08/2024
Trusted Customer - Traveled, April 2024
Wonderful Way to See the West. Our guide, Miranda and bus driver, Robin were knowledgeable, proactive and friendly. They communicated our itinerary and expectations clearly. We were always greeted with a smile. This tour was well- organized and made me feel comfortable throughout the trip. I liked having the opportunities to meet and get to know my fellow travelers. I didn’t have to be concerned with transportation, lodging or finding great destinations. The views and options were super!
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 05/09/2024
Eric Schultz - Traveled, September 2023
Great trip, good company, excellent service. Yes, I would recommend, it was a great trip, good hotels, good food. Excellent service and hotels, great food. excellent travel director and excellent bus driver.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 10/25/2023
Trusted Customer - Traveled, September 2023
Pioneers of the Old West trip. The trip was amazing! Lesley and William were great TD’s! And Willie our bus driver was amazing! Covered all of our bucket list adventures.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 10/21/2023
Trusted Customer - Traveled, September 2023
Great Experience. Excellent way to see the Grand Canyon, Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon and other environs . They make it enjoyable and informative while taking the stress out of planning. A nice slice of the West in a week.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 10/26/2023
Trusted Customer - Traveled, September 2023
I would recommend to others and would purchase from them again. Itinerary was perfect. Was able to learn the history and have fun doing it.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 10/19/2023
Donald Macdonald - Traveled, September 2023
Hospital trip. Attended to our every needs (Lesley and willie) . However when Don became ill we sat on the bus in Sedona all day while our travel mates went on their Jeep excursions. Don was unable due to food poisoning but we didn’t know this at the time. Temporary tour director William suggested I take Don to a dr. Or hospital but didn’t offer to help me do this. Also, I am diabetic and I thought he would offer to get me some food. The tour continued to Williams and I. Contacted the front desk and they called the paramedics who came immediately. We went by ambulance to flagstaff where he was diagnosed with food poisoning Thankfully for Uber we arrived back in Williams at. 3am and joined the tour. Hotels. scenery, tour director (Lesley) and bus driver willie were perfection and you can’t top perfection.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 10/26/2023
Tommy Chan - Traveled, May 2024
Best way to see our National Parks First class, everything was great from the Tour Director to the coach and driver. Hotel accommodations good and met expectations. It’s a great tour for all ages, no strenuous activity and lots of amazing landscapes. A guided hike in Zion National Park would be nice. Ebenezer’s Dinner and show was unexpectedly good! Consider adding an optional excursion in Bryce Canyon for ATV, I think that would be amazing. The Cowboys and Canyons excursion in Sedona was underwhelming, didn’t really get to see the red rocks up close as expected.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 05/07/2024
Trusted Customer - Traveled, April 2024
It was a fantastic trip. Such beautiful nature and sights to explore. I only wish we had more time in Zion National Park. One idea. Get rid of the obstacle course and the visit to Flagstaff AZ to spend more time in the national parks.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 05/08/2024
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