National Park Wonders

Day 1 | Welcome To Jackson

Welcome to Jackson! Home to an array of wildlife and the centre of outdoor adventures, explore Jackson on your own before meeting your Travel Director and fellow travellers for a dinner. Excitement builds as your Travel Director outlines the sites to come in your exploration of US national parks.

Meals: Dinner

Hotel: The Lodge at Jackson Hole

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Day 2 | An Adventure in Grand Teton National Park

Spend the morning connecting with the dazzling natural scenery of Grand Teton National Park. Marvel at the summit peaks of the Teton mountain range and take in the awe-inspiring Jenny Lake. This afternoon, choose to sail into the sky on an aerial tram ride to the peak of Rendezvous Mountain offering 360-degree views of the Tetons, Jackson Hole, the Snake River Valley, and Grand Teton National Park. This evening, opt for a western hoedown featuring a Dutch-oven style dinner with Bar-T 5.

Meals: Breakfast

Hotel: The Lodge at Jackson Hole

OPTIONAL EXPERIENCES:

Bar T 5 Chuckwagon Cookout - Arriving at the Bar T-5, travel by horse-drawn covered wagons as you are swept away from the town of Jackson into beautiful Cache Creek Canyon. Keep your eyes open as you never know who you may encounter on the trail. As you pull into camp you can smell the sweet aroma of a Dutch oven dinner to welcome your arrival. The dinner bell ringing only means one thing, dinner is ready! Enjoy this savoury home-cooked meal as much as you want until we reach the bottom of the pots. After dinner, the Bar T-5 Band takes the stage to entertain you with laughter and great hand-clapping music. Complete your evening with a peaceful wagon ride out of the Canyon, following the setting sun back into Jackson just as the old time cowboys did.

* Please Note: this optional experience is seasonal.

Ride the Jackson Hole Aerial Tramway - The Jackson Hole Aerial Tram in Teton Village is the gateway to your national park experience. Located one mile from the entrance to Grand Teton National Park, the tram takes passengers from the valley to the mountain summits and provides the easiest way to stand at the top of the Teton Range. The Aerial Tram at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort rises 4,139 vertical feet to the summit of Rendezvous Mountain. Take in 360-degree views of the Tetons, Jackson Hole, the Snake River Valley, Grand Teton National Park and the staggering summit of the Grand.

* Please Note: this optional experience is seasonal.

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Day 3 | Delve Into Yellowstone National Park

This morning, you may take an optional float trip down Snake River. Sit back and relax as your expert guide points out the sites and wildlife which may include beaver, cutthroat trout, cliff swallows, pelicans, osprey, and bald eagles. No matter what critters come into view, you’ll surely enjoy the mountain views. We continue our exploration of the great American West as we head to the world's first National Park, Yellowstone. Your encounter with its geothermal wonders will leave you in awe. We stay amidst the colourful pools of hot springs, mud pots and geysers tonight at one of the park’s signature lodges.

Meals: Breakfast

Hotel: National Park Lodges Yellowstone

OPTIONAL EXPERIENCES:

Snake River Float Trip Through Grand Teton National Park - Ready for relaxation? This gentle 10-mile float trip inside Grand Teton National Park covers the most scenic stretch of the Snake River in the Jackson Hole Valley. As you kick back on the gentle waters, learn how the Snake River is a lifeline to the park’s bison, elk, moose, beaver, pronghorn, deer, bear and 300 different species of birds, including osprey and eagles. Your experienced guide offers in-depth information on the geology of the Grand Tetons and the habitats of the local animals.

* Please Note: this optional experience is weather permitting.

** Please Note: this optional experience operates late May – mid September.

*** Please Note: This optional experience requires a signed liability waiver.

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Day 4 | Journey Through Yellowstone National Park

Rise and shine to unlock Yellowstone National Park. Begin by teaming up with local naturalist guides to explore Norris Geyser Basin, the hottest, most acidic and most dynamic geyser basin in Yellowstone on the rim of the Yellowstone volcano. Continue your discovery of the Park with your Travel Director, keeping a keen eye out for bison, grizzlies and elk as you journey through Hayden Valley en route to the rusting walls of Yellowstone’s Grand Canyon. You'll witness Old Faithful's waters arc high into the air as it has done approximately every 90 minutes since the Washburn Expedition discovered it.

Meals: Breakfast

Hotel: National Park Lodges Yellowstone

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Day 5 | Get A Taste Of The Wild West

Head to the infamous town of Cody, named after the iconic William "Buffalo Bill" Cody. Gain insights into the history of the American West at the Buffalo Bill Centre of the West and delve into the history of the cowboy, the role of the firearm in the early days, and the culture of the Plains Indians. This evening, enjoy a Be My Guest experience as you dine at the historic Billings Depot, featuring a hyper-local pairing of food and mixed cocktails. Meet Allen Hodges, owner and founder of Undammed Distilling Co. for a one-of-a-kind culinary experience.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Hotel: DoubleTree by Hilton Billings

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Day 6 | Journey to Rapid City

Head through the windswept prairies of the American frontier starting with a visit to Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument before continuing into the Black Hills of South Dakota. You'll admire the looming fortress of Devils Tower, a geological monolith that seems to rise upright out of the prairie and learn why it's considered sacred to local Native American tribes. Afterwards journey to Rapid City, where you'll have your overnight stay.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Hotel: The Rushmore

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Day 7 | Explore Rapid City

Today is your first full day in Rapid City to do as you please. Relax at your hotel or opt for one of our exciting Optional Experiences. Choose to visit Badlands National Park with your Travel Director exploring some of the 244,000 acres of sharply eroded buttes, pinnacles and spires amongst the largest protected mixed grass prairie in America. You’ll even make a stop at the famous Wall Drug Store, one of the top roadside attractions in the country. Later, you may opt to see a different side of Mount Rushmore and enjoy a ranger talk at an outdoor amphitheatre for a moving patriotic program and sculpture lighting ceremony as the evening culminates in the slow exposure of light until the monument is fully illuminated. (seasonal)

Meals: Breakfast

Hotel: The Rushmore

OPTIONAL EXPERIENCES:

Badlands National Park Excursion - A hidden gem in the national park system, the beauty of the Badlands landscape is like no other. Badlands National Park preserves 244,000 acres of sharply eroded buttes, pinnacles and spires blended with the largest protected mixed grass prairie in America. Sightseers as well as scientists are attracted to the area for its beauty and the opportunity to peek into an ancient world. No trip to the Badlands would be complete without a stop at famous Wall Drug. An establishment which became known for offering free ice water to thirsty travellers in the 1930s is today one of the top roadside attractions in the country.

Mount Rushmore Evening Lighting Ceremony - Mount Rushmore springs to life as you join a Park Ranger in an outdoor amphitheatre for a moving patriotic program and sculpture lighting ceremony. You’ll start with listening to a short inspirational talk, focusing on the presidents, patriotism and the nation’s history, followed by a 20-minute film, “Freedom: America’s Lasting Legacy.” Watch in wonder as the evening culminates in the slow exposure of light, gradually illuminating the four presidents faces against the backdrop of the Black Hills dark sky (seasonal).

* This optional experience operates seasonally from late May to September.

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Day 8 | Hear the History of the Black Hills

Travel through the Black Hills to pay tribute to Crazy Horse, the largest mountain carving in the world, peering at the immortalized face of the famed war chief of the Lakota people etched from the granite rock of the Black Hills. We continue to Mount Rushmore featuring the enormous carvings of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln dramatically etched into the granite rock face. On tonight’s MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience, meet with cultural ambassador Stephen Yellowhawk for dinner over stories about the history of his tribe and how he came to learn the traditional dances.

Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Hotel: The Rushmore

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Day 9 | Farewell Rapid City

After breakfast, bid farewell to your traveling companions and transfer to Rapid City Regional Airport at your leisure. Or, extend your stay in Rapid City.

Meals: Breakfast