Yellowstone and the American West Tour

Arrival Day: SALT LAKE CITY

Arrive and transfer to your hotel in Salt Lake City.  You will meet with your guide in the morning so enjoy an evening to yourself and feel free to explore downtown and City Creek only 2 blocks away.

Day One: SALT LAKE CITY, PARK CITY, UT

We begin our tour in Salt Lake City at 10:00 AM by meeting in the lobby of your hotel. Once all are accounted for, we will take a trip out to Park City, UT, home of the 2002 Olympics.  Now a destination for the rich and famous this picturesque town is worth a stop.  We will make a visit to the Olympic park and if we are lucky we will be able to see some Olympic hopefuls practicing on the summer freestyle ski jump. We will take some time to visit Main Street Park City, filled with galleries and shops, have lunch and then make our way back to Salt Lake.  We will return to Salt Lake that afternoon and have a welcome dinner at a wonderful restaurant overlooking the Mormon Temple Square. Later that evening, we will attend a rehearsal of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

Day Two: JACKSON, WY

After Breakfast, we will depart Salt Lake.

We travel through Northern Utah, through one of the most beautiful canyons in the country winding along the Logan River and then descending the mountain to the turquoise colored lake of Bear Lake.  This natural Lake crosses the borders of Idaho, Utah, and Wyoming and is well known for the raspberries produced there.  After a brief stop for a snack we will continue into the mountains of Wyoming,

We will arrive in the world famous town of Jackson Hole by mid-afternoon. After getting check into the hotel we will make our way to downtown for dinner.

Day Three: JACKSON, SNAKE RIVER

Today we will begin the day with a smooth water float trip on the Snake River.

“All Snake River scenic floats are guide-powered so you can relax and enjoy the scenery all around you. This 13-Mile stretch of braided river is home to an array of wildlife and is especially rich in bird life… With our float trips, you will experience all the Snake River offers, but in a relaxing atmosphere.”

Afterward, we will have lunch in Jackson,  and there will be some time to explore the downtown area get a picture under the unique elk antler arches (don’t worry no elk were harmed) and visit some of the local shops.  That afternoon we will take a gondola ride to the top of the Jackson Hole resort. We will ascend 2,000 feet to the top of the mountain and have an amazing view of the Grand Teton and the valley below.

Day Four: GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK

We enter Grand Tetons National Park. Jenny lake sits at the base of the Tetons. We will take a boat ride on Jenny Lake for a fun and scenic experience. After lunch, we visit the Jackson Lake Lodge, which is a great place to sit and enjoy the great outdoors. The vistas of the Teton Mountain Range are just fantastic. We continue on into Yellowstone National Park and plan on heading directly to Old Faithful Geyser and Inn. We will see geyser that has made Yellowstone so famous, tour the Inn and then head for West Yellowstone for dinner and lodging.

Day Five: YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK

We visit the nearby Grizzly Bear and Wolf Experience where we will see orphaned or injured wolves being rehbilitated and researched to help minimize people and animal interactions in the wild. There ongoing research and testing on bear proof containers has made camping safer for both people and animals.  We then continue back into Yellowstone to see the Fire River, Geyser Basin and the parts of Yellowstone known for its geysers and wildlife, and then return to West Yellowstone for the evening.

Day Six: YELLOWSTONE, CODY, WY

Today we want to visit the Yellowstone River and the famous “Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone” and travel along Yellowstone Lake on our way to Cody, Wyoming. In the afternoon, we will visit the world famous Buffalo Bill Museum for some outstanding displays of the Plains Indian teepee and lifestyle; thousands of guns that were used in developing the American Wes; and many artifacts related to Buffalo Bill. Dinner and lodging will be in Cody WY.

Day Seven: BIGHORN NATIONAL FOREST, LITTLE BIGHORN NATIONAL MONUMENT, SHERIDAN, WY

Breakfast is at Bubba’s (wait until you see the size of the biscuits and pancakes) we then drive over the Big Horn Mountains on our wat to the Battle of Little Bighorn National Monument we will spend some time visitng the monument where General George Armstrong Custer made his last stand against Sitting Bull and his displaced band.  We will then continue on to Sheridan for our lopdging that evening.

Day Eight: DEVIL’S TOWER, DEADWOOD, SD

After Breakfast we travel across Wyoming  to Devil’s Tower. Devil’s tower was named America’s first National Monument and was made famous in the movie blockbuster Close Encounters Of The Third Kind.  After we are done at devils tower we will make our wat to Deadwood City arriving in the afternoon, dinner and gambling if you are so inclined. the Deadwood Boothill Tour.

Day Nine: MT RUSHMORE, CRAZY HORSE MONUMENT, CUSTER STATE PARK

After Breakfast we leave Deadwood and travel to Mt. Rushmore. We will view the monument and then travel on to the Crazy Horse Monument just a short distance away.  Here we will learn about the efforts foing into the construction of the monument and eventually a college facility on the site.

Afterward we will visit Custer State park with a drive through this beautiful park located in the black hills.  I trip down the Wildlife loop will allow close up viewing of WIld Burros and Buffallo.

We will then depart for Rapid City for Dinner and Lodging.

Day Ten: BADLANDS STATE PARK

We take a morning tour of the Badlands located near the Sioux Indian Reservation and then visit famous Wall Drugs for lunch and shopping. Afterwards, we will return to Rapid City for departures from the airport.  We will arrive no later than 2:00 pm.