9-Nights Spirit of the Desert: The National Parks of the Southwest - Land Journey

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Spirit of the Desert: The National Parks of the Southwest

Stunning landscapes so arresting that they'll live forever in your mind's eye… impossible red rock arches opening before you like grand entryways, offering a sense of endless possibility… canyons and immense cliffs, seemingly carved by a giant to form an island in the sky… fanciful hoodoos come alive while gods and legends linger everywhere… how the human spirit is cheered and fortified by the spirit of the desert. On the ground or by air, explore Arches, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Bryce Canyon, Zion and Grand Canyon national parks. Fly over the remote reaches of Capitol Reef and see the Grand Canyon from the air en route to Las Vegas. Spend two nights on the Grand Canyon's North Rim for a fresh, "new" perspective of the park, enjoyed by fewer than 10% of park visitors. Enjoy independent sunrise and sunset spirit-of-the-moment experiences in the national parks… and gain insights through filmed vignettes by Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan, sharing their own personal stories and of those who shaped the creation of the national parks.

Featured Destinations

Springdale
Canyonlands National Park Canyonlands National Park Canyonlands preserves an immense wilderness of rock at the heart of the Colorado Plateau. Water and gravity have been the prime architects of this land, cutting flat layers of sedimentary rock into hundreds of colorful canyons, mesas, buttes, fins, arches and spires. At center stage are two great canyons, those carved by the Green and Colorado rivers. Surrounding the rivers are vast and very different regions of the park: to the north, Island in the Sky; to the west, the Maze; and to the east, the Needles. The areas share a common primitive spirit and wild desert atmosphere. Each also offers its own special rewards. Few people were familiar with these remote lands and rivers when the park was established in 1964. To a large degree, Canyonlands remains untrammeled today. Its roads are mostly unpaved, its trails primitive, its rivers free-flowing. Throughout its 527 square miles roam animals native to this land. Canyonlands is wild America.	Destination Guide
Las Vegas Las Vegas Las Vegas is one of the nation's hot spots. There are nightly shows, great dining, and world famous live entertainment to thrill and dazzle every visitor walking down the strip. Las Vegas is the largest city in the nation for gambling and entertainment. Casinos continuously amaze with their shows, attractions, and non stop gaming. Las Vegas has many local attractions and entertainment. World famous shows such as, Tom Jones, David Copperfield, Siegfried & Roy, and Steve and Eddie are here. Casinos offer live entertainment, fine dining, and all types of gambling to fit everyone's desire. Las Vegas also has great shopping, museums, and some of the nations best golf. Although Las Vegas is primarily known for gambling, everything else is worth offering here as well.	Destination Guide
Grand Canyon National Park Grand Canyon National Park Located entirely in northern Arizona, the park encompasses 277 miles of the Colorado River and adjacent uplands. One of the most spectacular examples of erosion anywhere in the world, Grand Canyon is unmatched in the incomparable vistas it offers to visitors on the rim. Grand Canyon National Park is a World Heritage Site.	Destination Guide
Zion National Park Zion National Park Zion is an ancient Hebrew word meaning a place of refuge or sanctuary. Protected within the park's 229 square miles is a dramatic landscape of sculptured canyons and soaring cliffs. Zion is located at the junction of the Colorado Plateau, Great Basin and Mojave Desert provinces. This unique geography and the variety of life zones within the park make Zion significant as a place of unusual plant and animal diversity.	Destination Guide
Bryce Canyon National Park Bryce Canyon National Park At Bryce Canyon National Park, erosion has shaped colorful Claron limestones, sandstones, and mudstones into thousands of spires, fins, pinnacles, and mazes. Collectively called "hoodoos," these colorful and whimsical formations stand in horseshoe-shaped amphitheaters along the eastern edge of the Paunsaugunt Plateau in Southern Utah.	Destination Guide
Moab Moab Located on the banks of the Colorado River, nestled in a fertile green valley between soaring red sandstone cliffs, the town of Moab is truly an emerald in the desert. Moab’s close proximity to several national and state parks has made it a popular destination, and a wonderful location to begin any adventure in southeastern Utah. The majestic LaSal Mountains tower over the southern end of town attaining heights of nearly 13,000 feet. Just five miles north of town is Arches National Park, which contains the world’s largest concentration of natural stone arches. Thirty miles west of Moab is Canyonlands National Park, containing over 500 square miles of incredibly rugged and spectacular canyon country.	Destination Guide

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