western states rail & national park adventure

Independent arrivals San Francisco. Met and transferred to the hotel at Fisherman's Wharf. Evening Welcome Dinner at Fisherman's Wharf. After dinner we take a ride on the famous San Francisco Muni Cable Cars to Market & Powell Streets downtown. Here we transfer to a Muni Street Car on Market Street and head uptown to the end of the line at the famous Haight-Ashbury District. From here we transfer underground and catch one of the Trams that will take us all the way to the foot of Market Street at the Ferry Building. From this point we go back up to street level and catch one of the Street Cars for the final journey back to Fisherman's Wharf.

🍽 dinner

After breakfast we again catch a ride on one the famous San Francisco Cable Cars, this time on a different route than what we rode last night. When the Cable Car passes the car barn we will pause and visit the San Francisco Muni Cable Car Museum.Here at the historic Cable Car Barn & Powerhouse we can view the actual cable winding machinery from an elevated gallery, as well as the path of the cable entering the building and leaving underneath the street. On display are various mechanical devices, such as grips, track, trucks, cable, brake mechanisms and some of the first cable cars. After breakfast we again catch a ride on one the famous San Francisco Cable Cars, this time on a different route than what we rode last night. When the Cable Car passes the car barn we will pause and visit the San Francisco Muni Cable Car Museum.Here at the historic Cable Car Barn & Powerhouse we can view the actual cable winding machinery from an elevated gallery, as well as the path of the cable entering the building and leaving underneath the street. On display are various mechanical devices, such as grips, track, trucks, cable, brake mechanisms and some of the first cable cars. We then take a ride on BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) from San Francisco to Oakland and on to Richmond where we will transfer across the platform to Amtrak. We then ride one of Amtrak's Capitol trains from Richmond to Sacramento and hotel check-in.

🍽 breakfast, lunch

Morning visit to the famous California State Railroad Museum. We then head east up into the High Sierra and make a stop at historic Nevada City and visit the Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum. We will take a ride on our charter narrow gauge railcar through the woods. Departing Nevada City we will travel to Oroville and enter the rugged Feather River Canyon. For the rest of the day we will be photographing the Union Pacific and BNSF trains in the canyon. Special attention will be spent at the famous Keddie Wye Bridge and the Williams Loop before arriving in Portola and motel check-in. After getting cleaned up a visit will be made at Chris Skow's large outdoor G Scale model railroad and historic railroad artifact museum.

🍽 breakfast

Morning visit to the Western Pacific Railroad Museum in Portola. We then travel to Truckee and spend the afternoon on Donner Pass trackside on the Union Pacific. We end the day by visiting the Nevada State Railroad Museum at Carson City before hotel check-in.

🍽 breakfast, lunch

Morning visit to the Virginia & Truckee Railroad workshops at Virginia City. You will then have sometime to explore colorful Virginia City before we start the long drive across Nevada on what is called the Loneliest Road in America. Operating for 80 years, the V&T was Nevada’s Bonanza Railroad as it hauled valuable Comstock ore to quartz reduction mills located at Silver City and along the Carson River. The name “Virginia & Truckee” is recognized the world over: V&T locomotives and cars have appeared in scores of feature length motion pictures and the historic equipment is preserved and exhibited in museums in Nevada, California, and as far away as Strasburg, Pennsylvania. The Virginia & Truckee Railroad Company was organized in Nevada on March 5, 1868. The objective was to connect Comstock ore producing mines with quartz reduction mills and, on the return trip, to bring in needed lumber, mining timbers and cord wood for fuel. For nearly twenty years the V&T was a major political and economic factor in the growth and development of Western Nevada and Eastern California. During the late 1870s, V&T stockholders divided handsome dividends in excess of $100,000 monthly. After 80 years of continuous operation, the Virginia & Truckee finally succumbed to the increasing competition of highway truck traffic. The Bonanza short line’s last official revenue train operated on May 31, 1950 between Reno, Carson City, and Minden. Following the local sale of the railway’s structures and properties, the rails between Reno and Minden were finally removed and the famous V&T became but a legend. As we head east across Nevada our first stop is at Austin which was discovered in 1862 by a horse which by accident, kicked up a piece of quartz containing gold and silver. The ore was sent to Virginia City for assay. Once word got out the silver rush was on. One year later, 10,000 people occupied the town. A lumber mill had been built and four hundred homes had been constructed. There were schools, churches, hotels, stores and, of course, the required number of saloons and pleasure houses. By 1880, the mines began to show signs of exhaustion and its total of $50 million in ore production was history. Next we visit Eureka which is one of the best-preserved mining cities in the American West. Silver strikes made here in 1864 by prospectors from Austin proved uneconomical to work because of the high lead content of the ores. Ore was shipped to England and Wales for reduction until 1869, when the first of sixteen successful smelters was constructed. Within a decade three mines alone had paid out in dividends more money than had ever been invested in all Eureka County enterprises combined, and Eureka was famous as the "Pittsburgh of the West." Eureka overtook Austin in size and mining productivity during the middle 1870s when the Eureka & Palisade Railroad was extended south to the Central Pacific. By 1878, when Austin had already begun its decline, Eureka had a population of about 9,000 and had taken second place among Nevada cities. There were dozens of saloons, gambling houses and bawdy houses, three opera houses, two breweries, five volunteer firefighting companies, and two companies of militia as well as the usual complement of doctors, lawyers, merchants, bankers, hotels, newspapers, and other businesses. Fifty mines produced lead, silver, gold, and zinc for the smelters, which could process more than 700 tons of ore a day. Many of its buildings are impressive. Eureka's breweries were located on opposite ends of town, the heavy winters prompted the business people to drive tunnels underground from one end of town to the other in order to ensure the prompt delivery of beer to the saloons along Main Street. Much of the old tunneling has collapsed or is unsafe, but in its heyday it was quite comfortable to use, fancy, even, with bricked walls, and arched brick chambers reminiscent of medieval dungeons. Early evening arrival in Ely, Nevada and hotel check-in.

🍽 breakfast

We will have our own private charter photo freight pulled by a steam locomotive with many photo run-bys and opportunities. Everyone will ride in the caboose. 2nd night in Ely.

🍽 breakfast, lunch

Morning we leave Ely and continue eastbound making a stop at the Great Basin National Park with a guided tour underground into the Lehman Caves. After our cave tour we then take you up to the base of Wheeler Peak. From the 13,000-foot summit of Wheeler Peak, to the sage-covered foothills, Great Basin National Park is a place to sample the stunning diversity of the this area of Nevada. After our national park visit we enter Utah and arrive at the town of Cedar City and hotel check-in.

🍽 breakfast, lunch

We continue south to Zion National Park and spend several hours here before heading north towards Bryce National Park arriving just before sunset so we can enjoy the last rays of sun shinning on the many strange rock formations in this park. Then hotel check-in.

🍽 breakfast

Morning visit to Bryce National Park. Enjoy the many Hoodoos (odd shaped pillars of rock left standing from the forces of erosion). Mid-day we depart Bryce and continue eastbound to the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and final check-in to our hotel in Torrey, Utah.

🍽 breakfast

Morning visit to Capitol Reef National Park, located in south-central Utah in the heart of red rock country. Capitol Reef National Park is a hidden treasure filled with cliffs, canyons, domes and bridges in the Water pocket Fold, a geologic wrinkle on the earth extending almost 100 miles. We then continue our trek eastbound stopping in Green River, Utah for lunch and then following the former Rio Grande Railroad mainline (Now Union Pacific) looking for some train action to photographic. Mid afternoon we visit Arches National Park. You will discover landscape of contrasting colors, landforms and textures unlike any other in the world. The park has over 2,000 natural stone arches, in addition to hundreds of soaring pinnacles, massive fins and giant balanced rocks. This red rock wonderland will amaze you with its formations.

🍽 breakfast, lunch

This morning we will return to Canyonlands National Park and explore a different area. We then head south towards the Utah/Arizona border. Still in Utah we stop to explore the remote Valley of the Gods and Goosenecks State Park near the town of Mexican Hat. Goosenecks SP is on the edge of a deep canyon above the San Juan River with impressive views of one of the most striking examples of an entrenched river meander on the North American continent. The San Juan River twists and turns through the meander, flowing a distance of over six miles while advancing one and half miles west on its way to Lake Powell. Gaze at the results of 300 million years of geological activity, where the San Juan River winds and carves its way through the desert 1,000 feet below. We end our day in the Navajo Nation's Monument Valley Park which is within the Navajo Nation of which part in Arizona and Utah and controlled by Navajo laws and customs. This is a nation within the boundary’s of the United States. You will be experiencing one of the most majestic - and most photographed - points on earth. Monument Valley boasts sandstone masterpieces that tower at heights of 400 to 1,000 feet, framed by scenic clouds casting shadows that graciously roam the desert floor. The angle of the sun accents these graceful formations, providing scenery that is simply spellbinding. The landscape overwhelms, not just by its beauty but also by its size. The fragile pinnacles of rock are surrounded by miles of mesas and buttes, shrubs, trees and windblown sand, all comprising the magnificent colors of the valley. All of this harmoniously combines to make Monument Valley a truly wondrous experience. We plan to arrive here a couple of hours prior to sunset and first check into The View Hotel. This Hotel is a Navajo owned business located within the Navajo Nation and the Navajo Tribal Park at Monument Valley. All rooms face east with a private balcony with views unlike anywhere else in world. You can enjoy the sunset as the shadows of late afternoon move across the valley and onto the massive rock formations right from your balcony. After the sun sets you can head for the hotel restaurant for dinner.

🍽 breakfast, lunch

Morning hours to explore Monument Valley as we travel the 17 Mile Drive through the valley to view some of the rock formations with Navajo names like: East & West Mitten, Merrick Butte, Elephant Butte, The Three Sisters, Camel Butte, The Hub, Rain God Mesa, and Totem Pole to name a few. Next we visit Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado. Mesa Verde, Spanish for green table, offers a spectacular look into the lives of the Ancestral Pueblo people who made it their home for over 700 years, from AD 600 to 1300. Today the park protects nearly 5,000 known archeological sites, including 600 cliff dwellings. These sites are some of the most notable and best preserved in the United States. After spending several hours at Mesa Verde we travel to Dolores, and visit the Galloping Goose Historical Society of Dolores Museum. Galloping Goose No. 5 is the centerpiece of this museum including exhibits that showcase the history of the Rio Grande Southern Railroad. We have arranged to have No. 5 in operation for our visit. We end the day in Durango. After hotel check-in for those that are interested we will go a few miles north of town and photographic The Silverton trains.

🍽 lunch

Before boarding our train in Durango we will visit the Durango & Silverton museum which is attached to the workshops and give you a view into the roundhouse from the museum. We then board the first steam train of the day on the famous Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. After returning to Durango we travel east to Cumbres, New Mexico and hotel check-in. For those interested we will take you down to the Cumbres & Toltec workshops for some night photography.

🍽 breakfast

After breakfast, visit to the railroad yards and workshops to watch the crew prepare the steam locomotive for a 10:00AM departure on the Cumbres & Toltec Railroad. This morning you will have a choice to either ride the steam train up the steep grades to Cumbres Summit or you can follow the train by highway and get some great action shots then board the train at Cumbres Summit and ride the rest of the way to Antonito, Colorado arriving at 4:05PM. Once the train arrives at Antonito we travel to Canon City and hotel check-in.

🍽 lunch

Leisure breakfast at the hotel. The Royal Gorge train does not depart until 12:30pm. Visit the railroad workshops and go up to the top of the Royal Gorge and look down to the railroad and the Arkansas River. Depart onboard the Royal Gorge train at 12:30pm. If you like you can go to the dining car and purchase lunch during the train ride today. The train ride today is 2 ½ hours arriving back in Canon City at 3:00pm. Since 1879, these tracks have followed the winding, tumbling Arkansas River deep within the soaring, 1,000-foot granite cliffs of Colorado's Royal Gorge. We then travel to Colorado Springs which is about an hour away. We first visit the Garden of the Gods rock formations before we check into our hotel at Colorado Springs.

🍽 breakfast

After breakfast at the hotel we travel to near-by Manitou Springs and board the 9:20am train on the Boardmore, Manitou and Pikes Peak Cog Railway. The 9 miles up to the summit of Pikes Peak is spectacular. moving above timberline, where the views get more expansive. At the summit, which is 14,115 feet you will have views of both the Collegiate and Sangre de Cristo mountain ranges as well as the mining town of Cripple Creek and on a clear day you may even see the skyscrapers of Denver. The train arrives back at Manitou Springs at 12:50pm. Before departing from the area we will get some lunch then head north towards the town of Golden. Visit to the Colorado Railroad Museum. After our museum visit we check-in to our hotel in downtown Golden and in the evening have our “Farewell Dinner”

🍽 breakfast, lunch, dinner

After breakfast we head for near-by Denver and visit the Forney Transportation Museum. The Forney Museum of Transportation is a one-of-a-kind collection of over 600 artifacts relating to historical transportation. It began 60 years ago with a single1921 Kissel, but soon expanded to include vehicles of all kinds. Today it includes not just vehicles, but also buggies, motorcycles, steam locomotives, aircraft, carriages, rail equipment, fire apparatus, public transportation , sleighs, bicycles, toys & models, vintage apparel and much, much more! One of the highlights include: Union Pacific 'Big Boy' Steam Locomotive #4005. We will also stop at the Denver Union Station which is now the Transportation Center for a visit. End of the tour upon arrival at the Denver International Airport for your flights home. We plan to be at the airport no later than 1:00pm.

🍽 breakfast

Arrive at San Francisco International Airport, met and transferred to our Hotel located at famous Fisherman's Wharf. Evening Welcome Dinner at Fisherman's Wharf. After dinner we take a tour of San Francisco at night all by rail. The cable car station is just a short 1 block from our hotel. First we ride on the famous San Francisco Cable Cars from Fisherman's Wharf to Market & Powell Streets in the downtown area. Here we transfer to a Muni Street Car on Market Street and ride uptown to the end of the line at the famous Haight-Ashbury District. On the corner of Castro and Market Streets we go underground and catch one of the newer trams that will take us all the way to the foot of Market Street at the Ferry Building. From this point we go back up to street level and catch one of the classic street cars for the final journey back to Fisherman's Wharf and our hotel.

🍽 dinner

riding the san francisco cable cars at night

After breakfast we again catch a ride on one the famous San Francisco Cable Cars, this time on a different route than what we rode last night. When the Cable Car passes the car barn we will pause and visit the interesting San Francisco Muni Cable Car Museum. Here at the historic Cable Car Barn & Powerhouse we can view the actual cable winding machinery from an elevated gallery, as well as the path of the cable entering the building and leaving underneath the street. On display are various mechanical devices, such as grips, track, trucks, cable, brake mechanisms and some of the first cable cars. After our barn visit we reboard one of the cable cars and continue on to Market Street. We then transfer underground and catch a tram train that will take us to Cal-Train's South San Francisco Station. Here we will board a Cal Train southbound commupter running down the Peninsula to the station of Mountain View which is 36 miles south of the city. Here we will transfer to our waiting vans for the journey into the Santa Cruz Mountains to the small town Felton.

At Felton we will be able to get some lunch before boarding the early afternoon Roaring Camp and Big Trees narrow gauge steam excurson that will take us deep into the massive Redwood trees. We will travel over trestles, through towering redwood groves and up a winding narrow-gauge grade to the summit of Bear Mountain and return. Upon arrival back in Roaring Camp we will board our vans and travel to Santa Cruz and then head north along the scenic coast high way following the Pacific Ocean back into San Francisco. We will continue north crossing over the famous Golden Gate Bridge and into the Golden Gate National Recreation Area where we will have a grand view of the famous Golden Gate Bridge, the San Francisco Bay and the San Francisco City skyline. We then return to our hotel in San Francisco and rest of the evening at your own leisure.

🍽 lunch

san francisco cable car museum

riding the san francisco muni railway
on the street cars and cable cars

riding the san francisco muni railway
on the street cars and cable cars

san francisco has a collection of street cars from all
over the usa and the world

cal train south san francisco station

roaring camp & big trees railroad
running through the redwood trees

the california coast near san francisco

the golden gate bridge and
san francisco at night

the golden gate bridge and
san francisco at night

Early hotel check-out after breakfast and we board one of the San Francisco Muni street cars for a ride along the Embarcadero to the Ferry Building at the foot of Market Street. Here we transfer underground and board one of the fast BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) trains for a ride under the San Francisco Bay to Oakland and on to Walnut Creek. Here our vans will transfer us to the Walnut Creek Model Railroad Society's huge HO scale model railroad. They will have an operating session just for our visit.

After our model railroad visit the vans will take us to Napa Valley where we will board the 11:30am Napa Valley Wine Lunch Train for a nice leisure three hour lunch rail cruise. Upon arrival back at the Napa Valley train station we board our vans for the ride to Sacramento and a visit to the California State Railroad Museum located next to historic Old Sacramento. You can enjoy this world class railroad museum at your own pace and afterwards take a stroll through Old Sacramento which has buildings dating back to 1849.

🍽 lunch

we ride bart from san francisco to walnut creek

visit to the walnut creek model railroad
society which has one of the
largest ho model railroads in california

enjoy lunch onboard the famous napa valley wine train

enjoy lunch onboard the famous napa valley wine train

the california state railroad museum
at sacramento

This morning after breakfast we board our vans and travel eastbound up into the foothills of the High Sierra Mountains and into the famous 49er Gold Rush Country. Our first stop will be at historic Nevada City and a visit to the Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum. We will take a ride of several miles on our charter narrow gauge railcar through the woods. Departing Nevada City we travel to nearby Colfax just in time to board Amtrak's eastbound California Zephyr which departs at 12:21pm for a spectacular ride over the High Sierra Mountains and famous Donner Pass and down the east slope to Reno, Nevada. You can enjoy lunch in the dinning car if you like. The train arrives in Reno at 3:56pm. Hotel check-in and rest of the evening at your own leisure enjoying the many casinos and live shows of downtown Reno.

🍽 breakfast

nevada county narrow gauge
railroad museum

amtrak's california zephyr on donner pass

After breakfast we travel back into the High Sierra Mountains to Lake Tahoe were we will follow the eastern shores of this crystal clear lake of which part of it is in Nevada and part in California. We then drop down into the desert to Carson City, Capitol of Nevada and visit the Nevada State Railroad Museum. After our visit we head up into the famous Comstock Country and visit the wonderful wild west historic mining town of Virginia City. You will have plenty of time to explore downtown Virginia City and take a ride on the Virginia & Truckee Railroad which was organized on March 5, 1868. The train ride will take us from Virginia City to Gold Hill and return. After our train ride we head south along the east face of the High Sierra Mountains to the town of Lee Vining which is located near Mono Lake. Upon arrival we check-in at our motel and relax for the rest of the evening.

🍽 breakfast

beautiful lake tahoe

nevada state railroad museum
in carson city, nevada

we visit the colorful wild west town of
virginia city

we visit the colorful wild west town of
virginia city

After breakfast we depart Lee Vining for the short drive to the shores of Mono Lake for a visit to the Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve. We will take a walk through the strange Tufa Towers of calcium carbonate. After our visit we continue our trek southbound towards the Mojave Desert and Death Valley National Park. Out of all of the national parks in the United States Death Valley holds the record of being the Hottest, Driest and Lowest national park in the country. This valley holds the record of the hottest place on earth at 134 F (57 C). Don't worry, on our visit the average temperature is 82 F (28 C). Besides being the driest place it is the lowest at 282 feet below sealevel. Also on a clear day one can see the lowest point in the USA at Badwater Basin and the highest point in the lower 48 states which is Mt. Whitney at 14, 505 feet.

As we continue southbound we pass through Las Vegas before entering the state of Arizona. We will make a stop to view Hoover Dam on the Colorado River. This dam is 726.4 feet high (221.3 meters) and is the 2nd highest in the United States. After departing from Hoover Dam our next city is Kingman and it is here where we will travel on the famous Route 66 Highway eastbound towards the Grand Canyon following the very busy BNSF mainline. This double track mainline is called “The Racetrack” with freight trains running up to 70 mph and up to 100 trains per day. As we make our way east across Arizona we will stop at a few select locations to photograph some of the BNSF trains. Upon arrival at Williams hotel check-in.

🍽 lunch

the strange mono lake tufa's

we drive through death valley national park

we drive through death valley national park

a stop at hoover dam on the colorado river will be made

in arizona we drive on famous highway 66. we will be
following the bnsf mainline. this line sees up to
100 trains per day. as time permits we will
stop to photograph some of these trains

in arizona we drive on famous highway 66. we will be
following the bnsf mainline. this line sees up to
100 trains per day. as time permits we will
stop to photograph some of these trains

After breakfast we board the Grand Canyon Railway passenger train which departs at 9:30 am and arrives at the south rim of the Grand Canyon at 11:45 am. You will have around 4 hours to explore the trails that run along the south rim. The train departs the south rim at 3:30 pm arriving back in Williams at 5:45pm. We then depart Williams by hiway for the one hour drive to Sedona, Arizona. Sedona is famous worldwide for a place to come and relax and leave the everyday stress behind. People come to this area for spiritual and personal enrichment. From healing massage treatments, yoga, spas, salons and retreats, Sedona is said to have something to offer everyone. This area is considered to be a haven for spiritual wellness, due to the numerous energy vortexes that encompass the region. It is said that the massive red rock formations around Sedona give off a special energy that heals body and soul. We will spend two nights here.

🍽 breakfast, dinner

the grand canyon railway

the grand canyon railway

spectacular grand canyon national park

colorful sedona, arizona where we spend two nights

Today is a free day to relax and enjoy the beauty of the area. Also Sedona is recognized as being one of the best small cities in the country for the arts and many of the galleries and shops are within walking distance of one another. During your free day in Sedona there are many things that you might want to do such as:

1. Good time to have your laundry done
2. Shopping for a souvenir at the many shops and art galleries
3. Join up with a group that is going jeep four wheelin into the back country
4. Rent your own jeep for the day and explore the many remote back roads
5. Get a relaxing massage at one of the many spas
6. Explore the local antique shops in the area
7. Visit the local jewelry, gems and mineral shops
8. Rent a bike and going mountain biking on the many trails
9. Go hiking on many local trails
10. Enjoy the local indian craft shops
11. Sign up for a local tour of the near-by indian cliff dwellings
12. Take a train ride on the Verde Canyon Railroad

For those tour members interested in this option on the Verde Canyon Railroad excursion train. This is a four-hour train ride from Clarkdale to Perkinsville and back – into Arizona’s other “grand canyon”. Captivating panoramic views are revealed in every direction, exclusively from the relaxed atmosphere of the train. This historic rail route runs through a protected corridor at the river’s edge, lined with towering red rock pinnacles, near ancient Indian ruins, over fortified bridges and through a tunnel carved through solid rock over a century ago. As far as the eye can see, wildlife, high-desert foliage and rugged terrain are visible from the train. This train departs Clarkdale at 10:30am returning at 2:30pm. On our way back to our hotel we will make a stop to explore the mining ghost town of Jerome. This option will return to our hotel at around 4:30pm. There is no additional cost for this option.

🍽 none

verde canyon railroad excursion train

We have an early departure today right after breakfast. We first travel north through Oak Creek Canyon and Flagstaff finally crossing over the Colorado River at Marble Canyon which is 50 miles up river from the Grand Canyon. We then head in a northwest direction towards the state of Utah making a stop at Kanab for lunch. Kanab, Utah is known as Utah's Little Hollywood. Hollywood has come to Kanab to make 120 movies and TV shows over the past 50 years. Some of the more famous movies and TV shows made in this area are:

After lunch we continue to Zion National Park and spend the afternoon here. Late afternoon we continue northbound to Bryce National Park in just enough time to enjoy the sunset and last rays of light shine on the spectacular rock formations. Then hotel check-in and evening at your leisure at Bryce

🍽 lunch

zion national park

After an early breakfast we return to near-by Bryce National Park in time to enjoy the morning sun light shining on the many Hoodoos (odd shaped pillars of rock left standing from the forces of erosion). Mid-day we depart Bryce and continue eastbound to the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and then on to the small town of Torrey and hotel check-in.

🍽 breakfast, lunch

bryce national park

bryce national park

Morning visit to Capitol Reef National Park, located in south-central Utah in the heart of red rock country. Capitol Reef National Park is a hidden treasure filled with cliffs, canyons, domes and bridges in the Water pocket Fold, a geologic wrinkle on the earth extending almost 100 miles. We then continue our trek eastbound stopping in Green River, Utah for lunch. Mid afternoon we visit Canyonlands National Park and then Arches National Park where you will discover a landscape of contrasting colors, landforms and textures unlike any other in the world. The park has over 2,000 natural stone arches, in addition to hundreds of soaring pinnacles, massive fins and giant balanced rocks. This red rock wonderland will amaze you with its formations. Hotel check-in at near-by Moab, Utah

🍽 breakfast, lunch

capitol reef national park

canyon lands national park

canyon lands national park

arches national park

arches national park

arches national park

arches national park

We head south towards the Utah/Arizona border. We will stop in the small town of Bluff for lunch. Just south of Bluff we go off of the pavement and drive through the Valley of the Gods to enjoy the massive formations and pilars of rock. Next we explore Goosenecks State Park in southern Utah near the town of Mexican Hat. Goosenecks is on the edge of a deep canyon above the San Juan River with impressive views of one of the most striking examples of an entrenched river meander on the North American continent. The San Juan River twists and turns flowing a distance of over six miles while advancing one and half miles west on its way to Lake Powell. Gaze at the results of 300 million years of geological activity, where the San Juan River winds and carves its way through the desert 1,000 feet below.

We end our day in the Navajo Nation's Monument Valley Park which is within the Navajo Nation. This park is part in Utah and part in Arizona and we will be spending the night within the Navajo Nation in a wonderful hotel overlooking Monument Valley. This is a sovereign nation within the boundary’s of the United States. You will be experiencing one of the most majestic - and most photographed - points on earth. Monument Valley boasts sandstone masterpieces that tower at heights of 400 to 1,000 feet, framed by scenic clouds casting shadows that graciously roam the desert floor. The angle of the sun accents these graceful formations, providing scenery that is simply spellbinding. The landscape overwhelms, not just by its beauty but also by its size. The fragile pinnacles of rock are surrounded by miles of mesas and buttes, shrubs, trees and windblown sand, all comprising the magnificent colors of the valley. All of this harmoniously combines to make Monument Valley a truly wondrous experience. We plan to arrive here a couple of hours prior to sunset so that we can get all checked into the classic View Hotel. This Hotel is a Navajo owned business located within the Navajo Nation and the Navajo Tribal Park at Monument Valley. All rooms face east with a private balcony with views unlike anywhere else in world. You can enjoy the sunset as the shadows of late afternoon move across the valley and onto the massive rock formations right from your balcony. As an added plus this is full moon night so the moon will be just coming up in the eastern sky. After the sun sets you can head for the hotel restaurant for dinner at your own leisure.

🍽 breakfast

valley of the gods in remote eastern utah

valley of the gods in remote eastern utah

valley of the gods in remote eastern utah

we arrive at monument valley and check-in to the
hotel just before sunset so you can sit on
your private balcony with the view above

After breakfast we explore Monument Valley as we travel on a 17 mile loop through the valley to view some of the rock formations with Navajo names like: East & West Mitten, Merrick Butte, Elephant Butte, The Three Sisters, Camel Butte, The Hub, Rain God Mesa, and Totem Pole to name a few. Many Hollywood movies have been filmed here such as: Billy the Kid, Fort Apache, 2001 a Space Odyssey, Once Upon of Time in the West, The legend of the Lone Ranger, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and Back to the Future Part III to name a few. We then head east towards the state of Colorado making a stop in Cortez, Colorado for lunch before visiting Mesa Verde National Park which offers a spectacular look into the lives of the Ancestral Pueblo people who made it their home for over 700 years, from AD 600 to 1300. Today the park protects nearly 5,000 known archaeological sites, including 600 cliff dwellings. These sites are some of the most notable and best preserved in the United States. After spending several hours at Mesa Verde we travel to Durango and hotel check-in. Evening at your own leisure to explore Durango and enjoy dinner.

🍽 breakfast

after breakfast we take a drive through the
navajo nation monument valley park.
keep in mind this is in the navajo
nation not the united states.

after breakfast we take a drive through the
navajo nation monument valley park.
keep in mind this is in the navajo
nation not the united states.

after breakfast we take a drive through the
navajo nation monument valley park.
keep in mind this is in the navajo
nation not the united states.

in the afternoon we visit mesa verde national park

Today we will ride the famous Durango and Silverton Railroad from Durango to Silverton and return a total of 90 miles through the heart of the Colorado Rockies pulled by old time steam locomotives. Before boarding our train in Durango we will visit the Durango & Silverton Railroad Museum which is attached to the workshops and you can even take a look into the old roundhouse. We then board the first train of the day departing at 9:00am and arriving in Silverton at 12:30pm. This train journey will take you deep into the Colorado Rockies to the wild west mining town of Silverton where you will have time to explore and get some lunch before departing at 2:30pm arriving back in Durango at 6:00pm. 2nd night in Durango.

🍽 breakfast

full day on the durango & silverton railroad

our train ride between durango
and silverton will travel through
some spectacular scenery.

our train ride between
durango and silverton
will travel through
some spectacular scenery.

our train ride between durango and silverton
will travel through some spectacular scenery.

We have an early start this morning right after Breakfast as we must be in Chama, New Mexico in enough time to catch the 10:00am steam train on the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad. This excursion train will take us up and over the Rocky Mountains to Cumbres Summit at 10,022 feet and along the rim of the deep Toltec Gorge to Antonito, Colorado. From Antonito we travel the short distance by highway to Alamosa and hotel check-in.

🍽 breakfast, lunch

we enjoy yet another narrow gauge
steam excursion on the cumbres
and toltec railroad between
new mexico and colorado.

we enjoy yet another narrow gauge steam excursion on
the cumbres and toltec railroad between
new mexico and colorado.

we enjoy yet another narrow gauge steam excursion on
the cumbres and toltec railroad between
new mexico and colorado.

After breakfast we depart at 8:00am and travel by highway to near-by Sand Dunes National Park. Then we travel to Canon City, Colorado and board the 12:30pm lunch train on the Royal Gorge Scenic Railroad for a journey through the spectacular Royal Gorge while enjoying a gourmet lunch. Since 1879, these tracks have followed the winding, tumbling Arkansas River deep within the soaring 1,000-foot granite cliffs of Colorado's Royal Gorge. The lunch train arrives back in Canon City at 3:00pm. After our lunch excursion we then travel by highway to Manitou Springs arriving at around 5:00pm. We will visit Garden of the Gods rock formations then check-in to our motel. Restof the evening at your own leisure.

🍽 breakfast, lunch

morning visit to sand dunes national park

we enjoy an onboard lunch excursion on the royal gorge
railroad out of canon city, colorado

we enjoy an onboard lunch excursion on the
royal gorge railroad out of
canon city, colorado

we enjoy an onboard lunch excursion
on the royal gorge railroad
out of canon city, colorado

garden of the gods rock formations

This morning we catch the 8:00am train on the Boardmore, Manitou and Pikes Peak Cog Railway. Our motel is only a few miles from the train station. The 9 miles up to the summit of Pikes Peak is spectacular. Enter Pike National Forest, travel along Ruxton Creek, by Diamond Rock, within the steep rocky walls of Englemann Canyon, past stacked boulder formations, a striking waterfall, and through Deer Park. Move up Son of a Gun Hill, through the Icebox, a cool shaded canyon, past the remains of Halfway House Hotel, eventually moving above timberline, where the views get more expansive. At the summit, which is 14,115 feet you will have views of both the Collegiate and Sangre de Cristo mountain ranges as well as the mining town of Cripple Creek and on a clear day you may even see the skyscrapers of Denver. Additionally on a clear day you can see into the states of Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and even Wyoming. Our train arrives back into Manitou Springs at 11:00am. You will then have time to explore the many shops in downtown Manitou Springs and get some lunch. We now head for Golden, Colorado and the famous Colorado Railroad Museum. We then check into our hotel in downtown Golden. In the evening we have our Farewell Dinner.

🍽 breakfast, dinner

after breakfast we board the manitou and pike's peak
excurison train taking us up to the summit
at 14,115 feet.

after breakfast we board the manitou and pike's peak
excurison train taking us up to the summit
at 14,115 feet.

after breakfast we board the manitou and pike's peak
excurison train taking us up to the summit
at 14,115 feet.

colorado railroad museum at golden, colorado

After a leisure breakfast and check-out we head for downtown Denver which is just a few miles away. On our way to the airport we will visit the Forney Transportation Museum. The Forney Museum of Transportation is a one-of-a-kind collection of over 600 artifacts relating to historical transportation. It began 60 years ago with a single1921 Kissel, but soon expanded to include vehicles of all kinds. Today it includes not just vehicles, but also buggies, motorcycles, steam locomotives, aircraft, carriages, rail equipment, fire apparatus, public transportation , sleighs, bicycles, toys & models, vintage apparel and much, much more! One of the highlights include Union Pacific 'Big Boy' Steam Locomotive #4005. The Big Boy is the largest steam locomotive in the world. Finally it is time to head for the Denver International Airport for your flights home. We plan to be at the airport no later than 12:00pm.

🍽 breakfast

last day we visit the forney transportation museum in
denver. they have a up big boy on display plus other
railroad related equipment.

last day we visit the forney transportation museum in
denver. they have a up big boy on display plus other
railroad related equipment.

last day we visit the forney transportation museum in
denver. they have a up big boy on display plus other
railroad related equipment.