8-Day from Denver National Parks of Colorado【Product Code: 9017】

Meet your tour director this afternoon at 1:00 PM at Denver Airport and travel south to Colorado Springs for the first taste of this amazing state! You will tour and explore the Garden of the Gods. Visit its many unique formations as you walk and hike throughout the park. Once finished you will return to Colorado Springs, check into your hotel and enjoy your evening.

Begin the day by elevating your experience of the Colorado Rockies with a historic and scenic ride on the Pikes Peak Cog Railway. Travel from 6,300 feet to just over 14,000 feet above sea level. Experience the sweeping 360-degree views, vistas, and natural beauty of the Pikes Peak region that has drawn generations of explorers and travelers. Next visit Royal Gorge Bridge & Park, where the world's highest suspension bridge towers 1,053 feet above the Arkansas River. Here you will have time to walk out on the bridge, have lunch on your own and explore other sights in the park. Once finished, you will travel into the heart of Colorado for dinner and your overnight stay.

Begin your morning exploring Great Sand Dunes National Park for sightseeing of the tallest dunes in North America, which are the centerpiece in a diverse landscape of grasslands, wetlands, conifer and aspen forests, alpine lakes, and tundra. Once finished, you will get to experience the scenery of the Colorado Rockies as you travel over scenic Wolf Creek Pass before arriving in Pagosa Springs. Soon after, you will explore Chimney Rock National Monument and learn about this hidden gem of Ancestral Puebloan history and join in the fascination of how these Native Americans used the two rock monoliths (Chimney Rock) to chart the moon and recorded the Lunar Standstill that occurs every 18.6 years. End your day with yet another scenic drive that will lead to historic Durango, CO.

Today will be dedicated to exploring Mesa Verde National Park. Visit cliff dwellings built by the Ancestral Pueblo / Anasazi culture that once thrived in the Four Corners region but suddenly disappeared leaving a mystery of what happened to this ancient culture. Mesa Verde is the nation’s largest archeological preserve with 4,000 sites, including 600 cliff dwellings. Start with the Visitors Center which contains a large collection of ancient artifacts. Then a local expert will guide you through the more famous ruins including a stop for lunch on your own. After a wonderful tour of Mesa Verde, return to Durango with the rest of the day free to explore this fun western town on your own.

This morning you will travel over the Million Dollar Highway from Durango to the town of Ouray, known as Little Switzerland of America. Sit back and watch alpine meadows, the beautiful Animas River and the high peaks of the San Juan Mountains, a significant mountain range in the Rocky Mountains, go by. There will be stops for scenic overlooks and hikes along the way.  After passing by the old mining ruins near Red Mountain Pass, with its majestic views of the 14’ers, you will finally wind your way down the mountainside to Ouray, another historic town, for a visit to Box Canyon Falls and other areas. Continue north to Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. This park consists of a deep, steep-walled chasm, carved through Precambrian rock by the Gunnison River. Roads and trails along the north rim have views of the Black Canyon's dramatic drops and the striated cliff walls from Painted Wall Viewpoint. Once finished, you will continue to Grand Junction where you will enjoy a picnic dinner in Colorado National Monument for the evening.

Begin the day traveling east to Glenwood Springs where you will experience some thrilling whitewater rafting!  You will be rafting through spectacular Glenwood Canyon, a beautiful, pristine stretch of water with unbelievable Rocky Mountain scenery and a perfect mix of calm water and whitewater. This trip includes Class II-IV whitewater and the Shoshone Class III-IV rapids, which offer the whitewater enthusiast a two-mile stretch of exciting but not intimidating rapids. This section is one of our favorites, with interesting geology, gorgeous scenery, views of the marvelous engineering resulting in the most expensive portion of interstate highway built (Interstate 70) and, of course, some fun whitewater! You will have a few hours of free time for lunch and an opportunity to soak in the mineral hot springs, the reason for the founding of Glenwood Springs, if you are interested. Then continue through the Colorado Rockies as you travel to Silverthorne to overnight. Evening free for dinner on your own.

Depart Silverthorne for a scenic drive on your way to Grand Lake and the entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park. You will enjoy some hiking and sightseeing along the national park’s famed Trail Ridge Road which crests at over 12,000 feet including many overlooks to experience the subalpine and alpine worlds. It will be an afternoon of mountain roads, wildlife, and breathtaking views. A true Colorado Rocky Mountain High! Explore some hiking trails at the guide’s discretion. In the late afternoon, return to the valleys of the Front Range and join the group for a farewell dinner at a local restaurant as you share your experiences from the past week in Colorado. After dinner you will travel to your hotel near the airport.

Say farewell to Colorado as you head over to Denver International Airport for your flight home. Transfers on your own using the hotel airport shuttle as needed.