Visit Yellowstone NP, Grand Teton NP, Bryce Canyon NP, Zion NP, Grand Canyon NP, Monument Valley, Arches NP & Canyonlands NP.
If you love the great outdoors, then this could the road trip for you. Perfect for nature lovers, this region’s unspoilt and expansive beauty will astonish even the most well-travelled explorer. Cruise through the majestic alpine landscapes of Colorado, Wyoming and Montana before heading south to the spectacular deserts of Utah and Colorado.
Key road trip highlights:
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We’ll suggest properties to match your preferred budget, be it low-cost, mid-range or high-end luxury that you’re looking for. We can also mix it up so you’ll enjoy a range of standards and experiences along your road trip.
All of our American road trips can be tailored to meet your requirements. Do you have more or less than 17 days for your road trip? No problem, we can bolt on extra nights to allow more time to explore or shorten the number of destinations as required.
Fly directly to Denver from the UK, collect your road trip wheels and then choose from staying overnight in Downtown Denver, Denver Airport or the upscale neighbourhood of Boulder, which lies forty miles in the direction of Rocky Mountain National Park.
Drive across the highest paved mountain pass in the entire United States, Trail Ridge Road starts in Estes Park before climbing to over 12,000 feet, where it meets the Continental Divide, before dropping down Grand Lake on the far side of Rocky Mountain Park. Along the way, wildlife viewing opportunities will hopefully include Elk, Moose, Bighorn Sheep, Bears and even Mountain Lions.
After a leisurely morning in Grand Lake, you’ll cruise through Rocky Mountain National Park for a second time, looking for wildlife and epic mountain views as you go. You’ll then turn north and leave Colorado for wonderful Wyoming. Stop for lunch in the cowboy town of Cheyenne before continuing along the speedy I-25 to the former pioneer town of Casper in the heart of Wyoming.
Get an early start and a hearty breakfast; you’ll then cruise northwest to the former home of Buffalo Bill – Cody, Wyoming. Check out the old cowboy buildings and the excellent Buffalo Bill Center of the West museum for an hour or so. Onto Yellowstone National Park next, spend the afternoon exploring the Northern Loop of Yellowstone; highlights include the wildlife found in the Lamar Valley and Mammoth Hot Springs.
Today, you’ll focus on the numerous beauty spots on Yellowstone’s South Loop. Half the world’s geysers are found here, including the most famous, Old Faithful. This iconic natural wonder spurts water over 90 feet in the air almost every hour. Enjoy taking in one of the National Park ranger-led talks or walks that depart daily from Old Faithful Lodge. Further highlights include the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, Hayden Valley, Lake Yellowstone and the extraordinary Grand Prismatic Spring.
Spend the morning and early afternoon concluding any remaining Yellowstone sightseeing before heading south on the short drive to Grand Teton National Park. Grand Teton more than holds its own against its more famous neighbours found along this road trip. This gorgeous National Park offers a rich mix of extraordinary wildlife, pristine lakes and stunning alpine terrain; to call it beautiful would be an understatement.
Grand Teton National Park is home to numerous scenic drives, including Jenny Lake Scenic Drive, Teton Park Road and Signal Mountain Sumit Road. Want to stretch your legs for the rest of the day? Easy hiking options include Taggart Lake, Phelps Lake Overlook and Lunch Tree Hill, with the latter offering spectacular views of the Teton Range. Numerous opportunities exist for those wanting a more challenging walk also.
Our road trips are tailor-made to meet our client’s exact requirements; for this particular overnight stop, you can choose between the outdoorsy ski resort of Park City or a night or two in Utah’s largest metropolis – Salt Lake City. Motor enthusiasts may want to plan in a couple of nights in or around Salt Lake City to visit the legendary Bonneville Salt Flats during their stay. Whilst skiing and movie buffs may prefer a stop in Park City, home to numerous ski resorts and the famous Sundance Film Festival.
Utah is home to five, yes five, of America’s very best National Parks. Known around the world as the Utah Mighty 5, which will be your favourite I wonder? After a four-hour scenic drive down to the southern half of Utah, you’ll spend the afternoon exploring the least visited of the five – Capital Reef National Park.
Take the short drive west to Bryce Canyon National Park, famous for its unique geology consisting of horseshoe-shaped amphitheatres carved from the eastern edge of the Paunsaugunt Plateau. The erosional force of frost-wedging and the dissolving power of rainwater have shaped the colourful limestone rock into bizarre shapes, including slot canyons, windows, fins, and spires called “hoodoos”.
Another short drive today, over to the third of Utah’s Mighty 5, Zion National Park. Arguably the best of the lot, Zion National Park is stunningly beautiful. Emerald-coloured pools, lush green trees, and rust-red canyon walls are all on show in this picturesque valley. This combination of colours is a visual delight, and the Park’s trails offer the chance to explore nature at its best.
A second full day to wander along the trails and take in the geological wonders of Zion National Park. The brave and athletic among you may wish to tackle the epic Angel’s Landing trail, culminating at a lofty perch boasting magnificent 360-degree views over the valley below. Alternatively, walk the famous ‘Narrows’, often knee-deep in water. Tonight, enjoy a meal at Zion Lodge or in the neighbouring town of Springdale, which has plenty of local options to choose from.
The world’s largest and most well-known geological wonder is simply staggering. Two billion years in the making, the Colorado River has forged a mile deep, 18 miles wide and 277 mile long gouge into northern Arizona. Whenever possible, we try to place clients at the lesser visited North Rim of the Grand Canyon, as we believe this location offers the very best views of the Canyon. Furthermore, Grand Canyon Lodge North Rim is packed with rustic charm.
Head northeast to Page, home to Lake Powell, Horseshoe Bend and Antelope Canyon. Antelope Canyon includes two separate, photogenic slot canyons, referred to individually as Upper Antelope Canyon or The Crack; and Lower Antelope Canyon or The Corkscrew. During late afternoon, you’ll drive onto Monument Valley in Navajo Native American Territory. This magical place is an epic experience at any time of day, but it’s particularly stunning at dawn or dusk. This western movie set landscape turns a thousand shades of red, making this a truly unforgettable place to visit.
Re-enter Utah, and drive north to the outdoorsy Moab. The main highlight nearby is Arches National Park, with its iconic red-rock landscape. The park has over 2,000 natural stone arches, in addition to hundreds of soaring pinnacles, massive fins and giant balanced rocks. Arches really is a wonderland of geological proportions not found anywhere else in the world.
Enjoy another day in Moab. You may prefer to relax today, or perhaps you’ll want to take in yet another National Park. If the latter, then Canyonlands is Utah’s biggest park and is crammed with a colourful terrain eroded into countless canyons, mesas and buttes by the Colorado and the Green Rivers. Nearby Dead Horse Point is a State Park made famous for being the filming location of the iconic final scene in the Oscar-winning film Thelma and Louise.
After visiting nine all-American National Parks along this road trip, it’s time to relax a little in the natural hot waters of Glenwood Springs, Colorado. Your Road Trip Pack will show the most scenic route to the final destination, and this particular drive is one of our very favourites. Once in Glenwood Springs, choose your preferred hot spring pool and soak away any hiking aches and pains. Want more adventure? Then Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park has roller coasters and canyon swings overlooking the magnificent mountain views surrounding this town. Tomorrow, you’ll return the car to Denver and fly home.
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You’ll find answers to most of your questions right here. If you still need assistance, Feel free to get in touch, and we’ll be sure to get back to you promptly!
Not a problem. If you are lucky enough to have extra time to explore more places or add more rest days, then just let us know and we’ll adjust your trip to match your preferred timescale.
We strongly advise that you purchase travel insurance for your holiday to cover you against medical expenses, theft and other financial costs. Should you need to cancel before travelling, some insurance policies may pay out for any loss of funds that have been paid to us and which cannot be refunded under our cancellation policy.
Many of our trips have a different end destination than the starting point, so this is not a problem. Please note a fee sometimes applies for one-way rentals between other regions or states, which will be paid to the supplier directly when collecting the vehicle. We’ll endeavour to inform you of this charge within your quote.
No, far from it. We work with a range of properties from 3* to 5*, so we can adapt the trip to match most budgets. We have access to rooms in more than 800 hotels, motels, lodges and B&Bs across North America.
The minimum age to rent a car is 21 in the United States or Canada, although, in addition, any drivers under 25 years of age will generally incur a surcharge.
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Not quite what you’re looking for? Get in touch to discuss your Bespoke Road Trip plans, or check out these similar road trip itineraries…
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