Walking Tours in usa
Canyonlands Hiking
This 15-day tour explores the extraordinary landscapes of the American southwest, including the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon and Monument Valley. The distances between walking areas make the traditional style of Breakaway Adventures self-guided trips with transported luggage unsuitable but the location of the accommodation and walking trails make it ideal for a self-drive, self-guided walking tour. Hotels are often at the gateways to the parks and the trailheads some distance within so a car is the most practical means of accessing the walking. The drives are also of interest and having your own vehicle allows you to stop whenever you like, just as you can when walking, and opens up possibilities for visits off the main tourist drag. Our route notes will tell you about the remote parks and hidden beauty spots along the way. The ‘self-select’ grade of this tour is a new idea made possible by the vast choice of walking trails within the American National Parks; you just choose the walking option to suit.
This adventure starts in Las Vegas where you pick up a rental car (not included) and set off to a city hotel for just one night before heading across the Mojave Desert to the historic village of Springdale at the entrance to Zion National Park. Famed for the deep narrow valley cut through the dark red sandstone, Zion offers walks of varying difficulty. All you need to do is match a route from the detailed notes to your abilities. An early start from Zion will give you a full day for walking in Bryce Canyon a wonderland of rocks with delicate towers of eroded limestone known as ‘hoodoos’. An awesome drive across petrified sand dunes provides far-reaching views across the desert as you approach the unique Capitol Reef National Park. You can stop on route to hike or explore, then walk by the white domes of Navajo Sandstone (that resemble capitol building domes) and rocky cliffs (resembling a reef). Desert roads take you to Canyonlands National Park where you can spend time squeezing through slot canyons or walking under the arches and cliffs before heading on to Moab. A whole day is allocated to the trails of Arches National Park where there are over 2,000 natural sandstone arches, like the world-famous Delicate Arch, as well as many other unusual rock formations.
You may not need your walking boots for the drive from Moab to Mesa Verde National Park, just soak in the scenery as you cruise past the San Juan Mountains in the south western region of Colorado. This part of the Rockies is considered by many to be one of the most beautiful areas of mountain scenery in the U.S. A dip in some hot springs, a ghost town and the Million Dollar Highway eventually gets you to Mesa Verde. Most of a day can be spent walking in this World Heritage site, which protects the 1000 year-old cliff dwellings, before a late afternoon drive to Canyon de Chelly, a remote area where few other visitors manage to stay. This is a Navajo Reservation and we recommend taking a ½ day guided walk ($60 per group) or 3 hr jeep tour ($50), (neither included in the holiday price). This is a great opportunity to learn of the Navajo culture and the Geology of the canyon.
Now just two more canyons to go! First the amazing Antelope slot canyon, a deep narrow and twisting cleft cut into the rock by the winter floodwaters. You can walk here in both the upper and lower canyon and it is a dream location for any budding photographers. Finally arrive to see the sun set from the rim of the Grand Canyon, the climax of the tour. Two days are available for hiking on the South rim of one of the world’s most spectacular natural features before heading back towards the airport and home.
Holiday Options
