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The Big 3 National Parks |
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Grand Canyon North Rim, Bryce, & Zion
(Week-long; all-inclusive; limited season; group or custom tour booking only.)
The
reasonable all-inclusive price of this tour is $2,125.00
(single occupancy) and $1,850.00
(double occupancy). The price of this tour is subject to change and will
be confirmed at time of booking.
However, we are reasonably sure our MD tour prices are set for the season. For
all other general information about MD tours, company, and tour policy, refer
to the main (MD) page on our Web site. Lots of
good information is posted there which covers most of the FAQ's, besides. Thanks.
Please note: We prefer a limited number of guests on this tour, with a minimum of 8 and a maximum of 22. (For custom groups, however, we can accommodate up to 30 guests; sometimes more - please inquire.)
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When booking this (or any other tour) we will always advise you what to bring
with you so that your tour will be more comfortable, as well as to help cut
down on your luggage.
Keep in mind our MD all-inclusive tours include the following: choice accommodations;
lunch and dinner (with the evening meal starting on the first full day of your
tour) (*), but alcoholic beverages are not included in the price of the
tour and may be purchased separately when dining out; snacks and refreshments;
transportation (from our meeting place and a return to same); all National Park/Monument
entry fees and special admissions; all your camping gear (if the tour warrants);
all host and special guest speaker fees (if the tour warrants); and all side
excursion tours, such as rafting, jeep tours, horseback riding, etc.
(*) A continental breakfast is usually included in most of the hotels we use on all of our tours, but breakfast is otherwise on your own when not available in the hotels we use along the way in any of our SD or MD tours. Please inquire at time of booking.
TOUR HIGHLIGHTS:
This preferential tour is for those of you who want to sample the best of what
the National Parks have to offer throughout the Colorado Plateau region - all
in one tour of diverse scenery, delight and things to see and do. Get ready
for a grand adventure at an affordable price.
Here is a day-by-day account of what we have in store for you on this full week's adventure. . .
DAY 01/SUNDAY:
If you're traveling by air, we'll meet you in Phoenix where you will spend the
night in a high quality resort hotel (pool, spa, HBO, restaurant, etc.). There
is a regular airport shuttle service available to this choice location or we
would be happy to arrange a limousine transfer for you. Evening is at your leisure
and dinner is on your own once you get there. If you're flying into Las Vegas
instead, we suggest booking a flight to Phoenix as this EZ CIRKLE tour begins
and ends here in the valley. Connecting flights are inexpensive and frequent.
We recommend flying (or driving) in early so that you can take in some of the
great sights the Phoenix region has to offer. And if you are driving to meet
us, when you leave in the morning your vehicle will be perfectly safe to leave
in the parking lot of the hotel.
DAY 02/MONDAY:
Your host for the upcoming tour will meet you in the lobby of your hotel at
8:30 a.m. Following introductions, you'll begin the pleasant drive to northern
Arizona where we'll spend the night in the mountain town of Flagstaff, home
of the highest mountains in Arizona. Before enjoying a wonderful lunch in Flagstaff,
we want to take you on a guided tour of WALNUT CANYON, which is just east of
the city. These ancient Indian cliff dwellings are a must see attraction as
far as the human history of the region goes. You will also enjoy getting out
and stretching your legs as you make your way through the setting of this evocative
and impressive setting (optional). Once a thriving abode of the Sinagua (pronounced
"seen-awa" meaning "Without water") Indians, you cannot help but feel the history
and functional utility of Walnut Canyon. Just after lunch in Flagstaff, we want
to share with you two more famous nearby landmarks, SUNSET CRATER and WUPATKI
(pronounced "woo-pat-kee," meaning "Tall house") National Monument. Sunset Crater
is Arizona's most famous volcano looming in the shadows of Arizona's grand daddy
of them all, the San Francisco Peaks. A short walk near its base will soon put
you in touch with how the regional network of volcanoes, like Sunset Crater,
played such an important role in both the geology and the cultures that came
to settle here. Along this loop road that leads to the Wupatki you will next
discover the impressive ruins of a thriving culture that once lived here. By
late afternoon you will check into your hotel. There will be time to freshen
up and relax before we take you out on the town for a great dinner in this popular
tourist center that is the main crossroads for northern Arizona.
DAY 03/TUESDAY:
After breakfast, you will depart for a world of geologic distinction that is
far from the usual crowds who come to see this part of the Colorado Plateau.
The NORTH RIM (as compared to the more visited South Rim) is arguably the best
of both worlds. You will be driving across some of the most visually stunning
scenery in all of Arizona, including the edge of the Painted Desert that makes
up part of the Marble Platform that lies far below and just east of the Grand
Canyon. Along this approximate four hour journey, you will make a stop at nearby
Cameron where you can shop for authentic Native American jewelry, artwork, rugs,
pottery and other hand-crafted items. The trading post is also said to offer
some of the best works of art at great prices. By early afternoon you will dine
on the other side of the broad platform, below the Vermilion Cliffs, where the
menu of our favorite regional restaurant is as impressive and tasty as the featured
130 variety of beers for those of you who like to indulge. After you make your
way to the top of the high plateau, by late afternoon you will arrive at the
entrance to the North Rim. You will spend the night just outside the National
Park in yet another comfortable lodging that offers its own natural and ambient
setting. After you have freshened up, your host will drive you into the park
where you will dine at the exclusive North Rim Lodge, said to offer the finest
food throughout the region. Just wait until you see your first glimpse of the
great canyon from the balcony of the lodge.
DAY
04/WEDNESDAY:
The high, cool forests of the North Rim offer seasonal relief from the high
spring and summer temperatures occurring in the lower land. The park is surrounded
by a great stand of tall stately pines, spruce, firs, and aspens. Herds of deer
and a busy roster of birds abound throughout the park as well as a plethora
of other forest creatures. The solitude of the region is common and you won't
find the crowds and tourist facilities such as are found on the South Rim. There
is so much to see and do on the North Rim today - but we're going to keep you
busy sightseeing and still give you ample time to rest and relax and do some
shopping if you want. At the North Rim everything seems so much closer compared
to the view from the opposing (and lower) South Rim. The Grand Canyon varies
in width from 4 to 18 miles across with an average of 10 miles, which is the
distance you face on the other side. By trail the average distance is around
30 miles; by road it is 225 miles. On your morning's visit you will go to Point
Imperial, nearly 9,000 feet in elevation. Claimed to be the best view of the
canyon from this side, you can look out over the expanse of Marble Platform
and the Painted Desert. Just after your morning's tour you will be served lunch
in the North Rim Lodge, with some time left for last minute shopping and/or
photo opportunities. Then it's time to say farewell to the canyon, and by early
afternoon you will depart for the region's other famous nearby National Park
- BRYCE Canyon, which is the highest terrace of the Colorado Plateau known as
"the Grand Staircase." You will spend yet another night in luxurious accommodations,
and soon after checking into your hotel for the night you will have time to
freshen up and rest before going out to enjoy another fine dining experience
with your traveling companions.
DAY 05/THURSDAY:
After breakfast, you're in for a visual treat like no other. When you first
set eyes on the unique character and setting of Bryce Canyon's pink and yellow
rocks you can hardly believe what you're seeing. Bryce Canyon is simply a masterpiece
of erosion unlike any other. As one of the original settlers once remarked about
Bryce: "It's a heck of a place to lose a cow!" Here the erosion speaks with
authority: strange looking hoodoos (spires); vertical mud stalactites hundreds
of feet high that form the main facade of precipitous vertical cliffs; candy-colored
shapes in the rocks that will remind you of people, places, even animal figures;
wind-eroded colorful turrets, pinnacles, and free-standing walls that look like
New York's Wall Street. You can either stay on the rim and take it all in, or
else hike down the switchbacks that lead into this land of wonder and awe. After
lunch in the park you will have the opportunity to take some last minute photos
and by early afternoon you will depart for the other nearby grand sculpted masterpiece
of the Colorado Plateau, ZION National Park. For the evening we will spend the
night just outside the park, where you will enjoy sleeping in comfortable, spacious
accommodations, preceded by a great meal to top off your day. Perhaps there
will be time left over to take a walk in the forest and see some more of the
abundant game we have here: elk, deer, coyote, fox, and a badger or two. Your
host will also explain some of fascinating human history of this region and
it will be a good time to go over some of the geology and natural history of
the setting.
DAY 06/FRIDAY:
Just after breakfast you will go into the park gate that takes you into (in
our view) the most visually astounding canyon anywhere around.The highly scenic
drive into the park through the tunnel starts the day's tour. Zion and its towering
walls and pristine setting will overpower you with its visually stunning beauty.
Here is found yet another colorful-sounding plateau region of the Colorado Plateau
country, and just wait until you see what a seemingly insignificant river, the
Virgin, has done to help create this masterpiece of geology. Zion, or the "Pyramids
of Zion" as the region has been called since the early pioneers first set eyes
on it, boasts some of the highest sheer cliffs in America, some of them over
2,000 feet from top to base. The monuments that contain the canyon's profile
are painted in delicate hues of pink and white, where each adds to the captivating
beauty of its deeply notched setting. There are also contorted rock images of
weathering and erosion to fascinate the view from nearly every angle. You will
enjoy a great lunch at the Lodge inside the park. Afterward, and if time to
spare, we will see the big screen presentation of Zion as depicted on the park's
giant screen. By mid afternoon we will drive back out the park gates where you
are sure to see new sights and wonders that you missed when you first came in.
Your destination for the night is Page, where the deep blue water of LAKE POWELL
stands below the upper golden walls of Glen Canyon.
DAY 07/ATTURDAY:
After breakfast, we will begin the long drive back to Phoenix, stopping off
in Sedona for lunch. SEDONA is the beginning of the Colorado Plateau from its
southern extreme end boundary. Sedona's rich red-rock setting will inspire you
as it will delight your senses. We always love to stop here for lunch and we
think the cuisine you'll sample is some of the best of what Arizona has to offer.
You will have time for sightseeing and shopping before leaving for your hotel
where we first began. Sometime by the late afternoon or early evening you will
be let off at your hotel where your host will bid you farewell, safe travels
and happy trails. The evening as well as dinner is on your own, but your spacious
comfortable room is still on us. Bus/limo or cab service is available and there
are decent to fine restaurants within walking distance if you prefer to eat
away from the hotel).
HAPPY TRAILS from all of us here at ECOSOUTHWEST.COM and we hope to see your smiling face on this exciting adventure. Contact us (preferably by e-mail) and let us know if you need more information. We're good for it and a whole lot more.
FYI: The following (average) mileage between the major scenic points is what highlights this particular tour:
| Phoenix | Flagstaff | 145 m. |
| Flagstaff | Wupatki | 36 m. |
| Flagstaff | Cameron | 51 m. |
| Cameron | Marble Canyon | 73 m. |
| Marble Canyon | Jacob Lake | 41 m. |
| Jacob Lake | North Rim | 43 m. |
| North Rim | Bryce Canyon | 160 m. |
| Bryce Canyon | Zion Canyon | 87 m. |
| Zion Canyon | Lake Powell | 117 m. |
| Lake Powell | Sedona | 163 m. |
| Sedona | Phoenix | 116 m. |
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