Day 1: A land of national parks, desert wilderness and green forests await us. We’re off to the Canyon­lands, passing over the western Kansas plains and eastern Colorado. Night in Denver.

2: We drive west along I-70 through the Rocky Mountains toward Grand Junction where we visit the Colorado National Monument, seamed with canyons more than 600-feet deep. Night in Grand Junction.

3: Today we continue west as we follow the Grand River Valley before arriving in Moab, UT. In the afternoon we visit Arches National Park with the greatest concentration of stone arches in the world. Leaving Arches we drive west to Richfield for the night.

4: This is a day to remember as we visit two of our national parks. In the morning we visit Bryce Canyon Nation­al Park with some of the most colorful rocks on the earth’s crust. We take a tram tour in Zion National Park for an unforgettable experience. Wind, water and time have trans­form­ed its earthly elements into awesome canyons. Night in Kanab.

5: Today we travel into Arizona for a visit to Page on the shores of Lake Powell. A boat cruise contrasts the blue water with the stark desert rock formations. The Grand Canyon is next. Nowhere else in the world is there a canyon so deep for so great a distance. The South Rim affords a series of incomparable views. Night in Grand Canyon National Park.

6: This morning we are free to enjoy the beauty of the Grand Canyon. You may choose to rise early to see the dramatic sunrise at the Canyon, ride the shuttle service that allows Canyon views from different locations or simply relax and enjoy the view from our hotel which sits near the rim of the Canyon. In the afternoon we travel to the northeastern Arizona town of Kayenta for the night.

7: Today we travel into southern Utah for an off-road tour in open air vehicles into Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park where isolated monoliths of red sandstone tower 1,000 feet above the valley floor. This afternoon we visit Four Corners Monument where Arizona, Colorado, Utah and New Mexico join. Night in Cortez, CO.

8: A short ride takes us to some of the largest and best cliff dwellings in existence in Mesa Verde National Park. This afternoon we travel north. Night in Montrose.

9: Just east of Montrose we visit the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. The park contains 14 miles of the narrowest portion of the canyon where the distance across at the rim is 1,100 feet and only 40 feet across near the riverbed below. We continue our journey east this afternoon to Colorado Springs for the night.

10: The beauty of the national parks and canyonlands of the southwest are fresh on our minds as we make our way back home.