Tour Itinerary Day 01 - Denver Arrival
Arrive in Denver, pick up your rental car, and transfer independently to your hotel. Depending on your time of arrival, enjoy a visit to the Denver Art Museum, the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, or the
Denver Botanic Gardens.
Hotel: Hotel VQ or similar
Day 02 - Denver - Colorado Springs
Driving Distance: 80 mi./129 km.
This morning at 08:00 hours you will be met by your representative and be provided with a welcome kit which includes
driving instructions, vouchers, maps, and brochures of the places you
are about to visit. Continue south to Colorado Springs and take a free
tour of the U.S. Air Force Academy or perhaps take the Cog Railway
to the summit of Pikes Peak (14,110 ft./4,300 m.). Tour the majestic
Garden of the Gods Park then shop in the National Historic Districts
of Manitou Springs and Old Colorado City. Hike nearby waterfalls and
caves. Complete the evening with a real chuck-wagon dinner and
western stage show at the Flying W Ranch.
Hotel: Quality Inn & Suites Garden of the Gods or similar
Day 03 - Colorado Springs - Cripple Creek & Victor - Colorado Springs
Driving distance: 34 mi./54 km.
Enjoy this full day trip with an optional jeep tour on the back roads
to the historic gold mining towns of Cripple Creek & Victor. Activities
abound: take a scenic ride on the Narrow Gauge Railroad, tour the
Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine, stroll historic streets, try your hand at
gambling, visit the Historic District Mining Museum, take a Ghost Walk
Tour or visit the new Heritage Centre.
Day 04 - Colorado Springs - Canon City - Alamosa
Driving Distance: 201 mi./324 km.
Travel southwest to Canon City, home of the spectacular Royal Gorge
Canyon of the Arkansas River. Spanning a quarter mile across the
Gorge is the World's Highest Suspension Bridge. Option of white
water rafting or riding the historic Royal Gorge Route Railroad before
heading south to Alamosa which is surrounded by the scenic Sangre
de Cristo Mountains and its National Wildlife Refuge, a haven for
migratory birds and other wildlife.
Hotel: Best Western Alamosa Inn or similar
Day 05 - Alamosa - Taos
Driving Distance: 120 mi./193 km.
Today visit a treasure of visual, geological, and biological surprises:
the Great Sand Dunes National Park-a high mountain valley flanked
by some of the highest peaks in the Rocky Mountains. In the
afternoon, travel to Taos, New Mexico. Taos Pueblo is the only living
Native American community designated both a World Heritage Site
and a National Historic Landmark which has been continuously
inhabited for over 1000 years. Artists produce handcrafted wares
using techniques passed down through generations, including
buckskin moccasins and drums, sculptures, paintings, jewelry and
pottery. Stroll the historic Plaza in the evening.
Hotel: Quality Inn Taos or similar
Day 06 - Taos - Santa Fe
Driving Distance: 176 mi./283 km.
Continue south along the historic Santa Fe Trail. Between 1821 and
1880, the trail was a commercial highway between Missouri and Santa
Fe, an international highway used by Mexican and American traders,
and a national road connecting the United States to its new territories.
A short distance away, Pecos National Historical Park preserves
12,000 years of history including the ancient pueblo of Pecos, two
Spanish Colonial Missions, Santa Fe Trail sites, the 20th century ranch
history of Forked Lightning Ranch, and the site of a Civil War Battle.
Afterward, follow the trail to New Mexico's historic and cultural capital,
Santa Fe.
Hotel: La Quinta Inn or similar
Day 07 - Santa Fe
Enjoy a leisurely day starting at the Plaza downtown. See Saint
Francis Cathedral, the Palace of the Governors, Museum of Fine
Art, the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum, Loretto Chapel, and San Miguel
Mission, the nation's oldest church. Visit fascinating galleries, shops
and restaurants.
Day 08 - Santa Fe - Northern Pueblos - Albuquerque
Driving Distance: 75 mi./121 km.
Travel southwest to Albuquerque. Between Santa Fe and Albuquerque
along the Rio Grande River, visit one of the seven Indian Pueblos.
Believed to be descendants of the Ancestral Puebloan people
(Anasazi), these Pueblos include Tesuque, Pojoaque, Nambe, San
Ildefonso, Santa Clara, San Juan and Picuris. In the afternoon, visit
Petroglyph National Monument, featuring images carved by Rio
Grande peoples for more than 12,000 years. In the evening, enjoy the
heart of Albuquerque's heritage at Old Town. Some of the old homes
are still standing and many have been renovated into businesses.
Hotel: Red Roof Inn & Suites Midtown or similar
Day 09 - Albuquerque - Chaco Culture N.P. - Farmington
Driving distance: 220 mi./354 km.
Leaving Albuquerque, embark northwest on a spiritual journey through
the Four Corners area. Our first stop is Chaco Culture National
Historical Park. Chaco is remarkable for its monumental public and
ceremonial buildings and its distinctive architecture. It was a hub
of ceremony, and trade for the prehistoric Four Corners area. Late
afternoon, visit Aztec Ruins National Monument. The Monument
preserves structures and artifacts of Ancestral Pueblo people from the
1100s through the 1200s.
Hotel: Holiday Inn Durango or similar
Day 10 - Farmington - Mesa Verde - Monument Valley
Driving Distance: 241 mi./288 km.
Continue north and explore Mesa Verde National Park. These past
cultures reflect more than 700 years of history. From approximately
A.D. 600 through A.D. 1300, people lived and flourished in
communities throughout the area. The cliff dwellings represent the last
75 to 100 years of occupation at Mesa Verde. Afterward, visit Four
Corners Monument located on the Navajo Nation. Four Corners is
the only place in the United States where four states - Arizona, New
Mexico, Utah and Colorado - intersect at a single point.
Hotel: Holiday Inn Kayenta or similar
Day 11 - Monument Valley - Navajo Tribal Park - Arches - Moab
Driving distance : 155 mi./249 km.
This morning, tour Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park. Sacred to the
Navajo, Monument Valley boasts sandstone masterpieces towering
400 to 1,000 feet high. Early this afternoon, visit Goosenecks State
Park and Sand Island Recreation Area. Kokopelli, the humpbacked
flute player of ancient Pueblo mythology, is represented by several
figures in the petroglyphs.
Hotel: River Canyon Lodge or similar
Day 12 - Moab - Grand Junction
Driving Distance: 113 mi./182 km.
Leave Moab, and follow the spectacular canyons of the Colorado
River to Grand Junction. Overlooking the Colorado River, Colorado
National Monument features sheer-walled canyons, towering
monoliths, and colorful formations. Rim Rock Drive offers 23 miles of
breathtaking panoramic views and numerous overlooks. Then tour
Colorado's Wine Country; the fertile soils and moderate climate of the
Grand Valley provide the perfect environment for growing fruit and
grapes.
Hotel: Grand Vista Hotel or similar
Day 13 - Grand Junction - Glenwood Springs - Vail - Denver
Driving distance: 243 mi./391 km.
Take a leisurely drive east to Denver through the colorful vistas of
Glenwood Canyon. Later, enjoy the afternoon at Glenwood Hot
Springs or take in the natural underground steam baths of the
Yampah Vapor Caves. Take a tour of Glenwood Caverns, or enjoy
a whitewater raft trip on the Colorado River. As an option, take
an afternoon trip to the resort town of Aspen. Stop at the quaint
mountain town of Vail or visit the Factory Outlet Shops in Silverthorne
before driving through the Eisenhower Tunnel.
Hotel: Hotel VQ or similar
Day 14 - Denver Departure
Return the car at the Denver airport before your departure |
