10D9N America’s Greatest Treasures With Denver Start (8850)

Welcome to Denver, the “Mile High City,” capital of Colorado and gateway to the Rocky Mountains. This evening is free to explore on your own.

Depart Denver and travel north to Cheyenne, capital of Wyoming. Then, on through the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota, immortalized in a famous song from the musical Calamity Jane, to the historic frontier town of Custer. Overnight in Rapid City.

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Visit Crazy Horse Memorial, a monument carved out of a mountain that pays respect to the great Native American hero, Chief Crazy Horse. Drive deep into the Black Hills, through what was Sioux Indian territory, to see the stunning granite faces of Mount Rushmore, a giant monument to four great American presidents: Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt. On to Deadwood, a lawless frontier town during the 1876 Gold Rush, where Jack McCall murdered Wild Bill Hickok during a poker game. Overnight here, and discover Deadwood’s Wild West ways as you walk in the footsteps of legends like Calamity Jane and Seth Bullock.

This morning, head through high country, where open-range cattle kings made war on the homesteaders in the 1890s. Drive past Sheridan and then ascend into the alpine region of the Bighorn Mountains, and site of the Battle of Tongue River. Overnight in Buffalo Bill’s frontier town of Cody.

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Proceed through Shoshone National Forest to Yellowstone National Park. Travel along Grand Loop Road to Artist Point for views of the Lower Falls of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. Overnight in West Yellowstone. NOTES: Routing and areas visited in Yellowstone National Park are always subject to favorable weather, gate access, and road conditions; therefore, routings may be adjusted.

Today, explore more of America’s first national park by returning to visit the geyser basins with bubbling mud paint pots and the reliable “blow” of Old Faithful. In addition to superb mountain scenery, the park is one of the world’s principal wildlife preserves and a photographer’s paradise.

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Head south into magnificent Grand Teton National Park, one of America’s last preserves of wild solitude. Its 13,770-foot-high ridges are crested with snow most of the year. Stroll along the shores of beautiful glacier-fed Jenny Lake before ending the day in the Wild West town of Jackson. This evening, join an optional barbecue cookout and Wild West show. Travel by horse-drawn covered wagon into Cache Creek Canyon and experience dinner and entertainment before returning to Jackson.

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Time to relax in Jackson or maybe join a scenic trip down the Snake River. Enjoy an 8-mile float trip that passes nesting areas of bald eagles, ospreys and a plethora of other bird species and wildlife. The afternoon is free to explore the historic downtown area of Jackson.

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Today, travel to Salt Lake City, Utah’s vibrant capital. Set on the edge of Great Salt Lake Desert, this centre of the Mormon religion is where Brigham Young declared to his followers, “This is the place.” An included sightseeing tour offers a glimpse of Temple Square, the Capitol Building, and the beautiful downtown area.

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Your holiday ends this morning.

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