This morning we are transported to the Charlotte Airport for our flight to Denver. Upon our arrival we meet our Christian Tours motorcoach and driver. We’ll be transported to our area hotel. Tonight we get better acquainted as we enjoy dinner together. (D)

Today we travel north through vast tracts of ranchland and through Cheyenne, Wyoming’s capital city. We pay a visit to Fort Laramie National Historic Site, a major stop along the Oregon Trail. Much of the history of the old west began right here. We continue north to Rapid City where we spend the next two nights.

First on this morning’s agenda is Badlands National Park, a multicolored wasteland of weirdly formed gullies, canyons, ridges, and spires. Our next stop is at famous Wall Drug, where the Hustead family made their fortune by advertising free ice water to tourists since 1936. We will have time to have lunch on our own while here in this little western town. A scenic drive this afternoon takes us to Mount Rushmore, without a doubt one of America’s most photographed National Memorials. Here the faces of four great presidents, Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Roosevelt, were carved in honored glory by Gutzum Borglum and his staff on the side of this 6,000-foot mountain. Our route takes us to Crazy Horse, the dream of another sculptor, Korczak Ziolkowski. We enjoy dinner together this evening. (D)

This morning we leave Rapid City and make our way back into Wyoming. Later we pass through the Bighorn Mountains, the scene of many fierce battles between U.S. Cavalry and the Sioux, Cheyenne, and Crow Indians, before continuing to Cody. Cody is a fun town, filled with history, named for the dashing frontiersman Buffalo Bill Cody. This afternoon we visit the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, which is home to the Buffalo Bill Museum, the Museum of the Plains Indian, the Cody Firearms Museum, and the Whitney Gallery of Western Art.

Today we travel through another of the nation’s most beautiful National Parks, Yellowstone, the world’s first National Park. This is a world all of its own, with hot springs, geysers, boiling pots, plunging waterfalls, multicolored canyons, mud volcanoes, rivers and streams, mountains, forests, and countless species of plant and animal life. Of course, we’ll see the most famous sight in the park, Old Faithful. Our destination for the day is the true western town of Jackson, WY. Jackson keeps its wild west spirit alive with swinging door saloons and shoot-outs on Main Street.

This morning we’ll visit Grand Teton National Park and see the Chapel of the Transfiguration. You’ll be inspired by the distinctive snow-covered peaks of the Tetons that line our path as we travel. In the afternoon we’ll have free time in Jackson. This evening we enjoy dinner together. (D)

This morning we pass through the town of Afton, where 3,000 elk horns form the arch over Main Street. We enter the southern tip of Idaho and make a picture stop along the shores of Bear Lake. Before we reach the city, we visit the incredible Great Salt Lake. With the exception of the Dead Sea, the Great Salt Lake is the saltiest body of water on earth. Upon arrival we check into our hotel for a two-night stay in the Salt Lake City area.

On this morning’s sightseeing tour we visit many of the historical monuments that tell us the story of the Mormon pioneers. See Temple Square, with its imposing Temple and Tabernacle, and stop at the “This is the Place” monument, which commemorates the words uttered by Brigham Young when he first found this site. Completing our tour, we drive past the State Capitol Building and the University of Utah. This afternoon, we visit Park City, where the 2002 Olympic Events were held. Dinner is included today. (D)

This morning we leave Salt Lake City behind and travel to Bryce Canyon National Park. It took nature thousands of years to carve these beautiful formations. We tour Bryce Canyon National Park, which includes some of the earth’s most colorful rock formations, fantastic wind and water sculpted “hoodoos” tinted by various oxides which give red, yellow, brown and lavender hues. After our tour and ample time for picturetaking, we proceed to our overnight destination.

Some of the most enormous rock formations are found at Zion National Park. At the visitors center we’ll board a tram for our tour into the canyon where we find ourselves surrounded by massive rock formations. These formations, described as temples, cathedrals and thrones, rise to great heights, the highest reaching 8,726 feet. This afternoon we enjoy a cruise on the sparkling blue waters of Lake Powell, where the dazzling water offers stark contrast to the brown desert that surrounds us. This is a cruise we are sure you’ll never forget. The perfect way to end an enjoyable day is waiting for us with dinner at the Lake Powell Lodge. (May 19th & August 9th departures include a dinner cruise on Lake Powell, replacing the cruise & dinner at the Lodge.) We overnight in Page. (D)

Have your camera at the ready today as we’re in for some of the most spectacular scenery in America. We travel through spectacular red cliffs, stands of aspen, cedar and oak, and abundant wildflowers to reach the South Rim, Grand Canyon, which is 7000 feet above sea level. Here, the canyon is a mile to the bottom. 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. Enjoy the sights of this natural wonder with its exceptional views and photo opportunities. We overnight here at the Grand Canyon.

This morning we travel through spectacular Oak Creek Canyon, where the rock formations constantly change color and shape as we head south. We’re off to the artist colony of Sedona for our overnight. You’ll have time for shopping in downtown before an included dinner this evening. (D)

This morning we are transferred to the Phoenix Airport for our flight home.