Arrive in Las Vegas at your leisure today. Meet up with your small group at 5:00 p.m. for introductions and a trip orientation from your guide, followed by a group dinner.
Hyatt Place Las Vegas (D)

Begin our journey early and head to the gateway town of Torrey and Capitol Reef National Park. Capitol Reef was first a National Monument created in 1937. In 1969, a presidential proclamation expanded it, then Congress authorized the monument to become a National Park in 1971. It protects not only the famed Waterpocket Fold, a monocline “reef” that rises to 3,000 feet, exposing an incredible array of multicolored sandstone and limestone layers. The breathtaking rock formations and spectacular slot canyons are among the most beautiful geologic features on earth, often referred to as the “sleeping rainbow.” The park also protects the cultural history of emigrants, including a historic Mormon settlement known for its delicious stone fruit orchards, and intricately carved petroglyph panels of the Fremont people, who farmed and hunted these canyons from 700 to 1300 AD.

En route we stop for lunch, and later enjoy a short hike (2 miles) in Cohab Canyon to get a first look at the unique geological feature which once blocked the progress of emigrants, known as the Waterpocket Fold. Before dinner we will head to the Mormon community of Fruita and stop by the Visitor’s Center to orient ourselves to all the park has to offer. We'll also visit historic Gifford Homestead, first constructed in 1908 and surrounded by a 200-acre historical district listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Lodge at Red River Ranch (B,L,D)

Our exploration of Capitol Reef and the Waterpocket Fold continues with a morning hike of about 3 miles through the Grand Wash, which cuts through the Navajo sandstone. At times sections are only 15 feet wide,  which made it very difficult for emigrants to fit their wagons through.We also take a two-mile hike to the 133-foot natural bridge known as Hickman’s Bridge with gorgeous, which provides views of the surrounding Fremont River Valley. After lunch we learn about some of the human history of the park at Capitol Gorge where we can view petroglyphs and a pioneer register from the first emigrants to pass here, during a 3-mile walk in a beautiful slot canyon.
The Lodge at Red River Ranch (B,L,D)

Grand Staircase-Escalante, unlike the National Park System, is administered by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. Little development exists within its boundaries with numerous trails and roads leading into the back country for a unique Utah experience.

On our way south on highway 12 we will leave the highway (after about an hour) to drive part of the famed Burr Trail through a narrow canyon of contouring of sandstone. We stop for a short walk into one of the narrow, steep-walled slot canyons that characterize the Escalante country. We continue to the town of Boulder for lunch, before visiting Anasazi State Park, the anthropology museum, and the excavated site of a 1,000-year-old village. The Fremont prehistoric people occupied most of Utah during the same period as the Ancestral Puebloans. Artifacts recovered from this site, as well as its architecture, reflect a prehistoric “melting pot.” Afterwards we continue south to stopping for a hike to beautiful Calf Creek Falls (2 or 6 mile options). We then continue along the scenic highway (for about 1.5 hours) to Bryce Canyon National Park.
Ruby's Inn Best Western (B,L,D) 

Bryce Canyon became a national monument administered by the U.S. Forest Service in 1928 to protect the natural wonders in this canyon including the unique geological formations known as hoodoos. 

Our exploration starts with a walk along the Rim Trail showcasing the diversity of geological formations the park protects. We then head below the rim down to the Navajo and Queens Garden Trails for a closer look at the unique hoodoo formations. After walking the 3-mile loop, we finish by climbing the famed Wall Street section of the trail which takes you up a set of switch backs up to the rim. After lunch take some time to explore the Visitor’s Center and savor the ambiance of the Lodge, designed in 1924 by master architect Gilbert Stanley Underwood. The lodge and its cabins were recognized in 1987 as a National Historic Landmark. Before dinner, we will drive to two scenic overlooks at Bryce Point and Paria View providing two more fantastic vantage points of this picturesque canyon.
Ruby's Inn Best Western (B,L,D) 

Zion National Park originated as a national monument created from the public domain by a presidential proclamation, and then in 1919 Congress legislated to make it the first national park in Utah. It’s unique steep red cliff walls have been carved by the Virgin River to create an amazing canyon to explore.

After breakfast we head west to Zion National Park (about 2 hours), entering the park through the tunnel completed in 1930 to create direct access to Bryce Canyon and Grand Canyon from Zion National Park. We will stop off at the Zion Visitor’s Center and Human History Museum to give us a better sense of the unique natural and cultural history the park protects. After lunch we hike about 2 miles along the Virgin River which has cut its way through the canyon forming the beautiful landscape we see today.
Desert Pearl Inn (B,L,D)

Zion is one of the few national parks that has implemented a mandatory shuttle program in order to create a nearly car free environment, and providing an opportunity to enjoy the park and the canyon with less traffic or crowds. We will hop on the shuttle to explore the park on a few different trails offering time both in the canyon and above the canyon including the Riverside Walk (2 miles round-trip) to Emerald Pools (1.5 miles round-trip) to Weeping Rock Trail (1 mile). After a full day of exploring the park we will gather this evening to celebrate our adventures together.
Desert Pearl Inn (B,L,D)

After one last post-breakfast hike of 2-3 miles to get above the canyon to a scenic overlook of Zion we make our way down to Las Vegas (about 2.5 hours) to bid farewell after a great week in Utah.
(B)