Chicago To The Golden Gate

Today we will enjoy a short tour of the city's highlights including Lake Shore Drive, the Magnificent Mile and Navy Pier. The Windy City's stunning high rise architecture and one of the world's tallest buildings, the Willis Tower (admission not included), provide a dramatic backdrop for this cultural and financial centre. The rest of the day is at leisure.

Travel through Midwest farm country abundant in corn fields, wheat fields and dairy farms. Then we cross the mighty Mississippi River and travel into the state of Iowa to arrive just as Lewis & Clark did 200 years ago on the banks of the Missouri River. Overnight in Sioux Falls.

Travel westward through the grasslands of South Dakota and onwards to Badlands National Park, once home to the buffalo and antelope, and filled with strange shaped and colorful rock formations. Then we continue to the Black Hills, sacred to the Plains Indians and home to Mount Rushmore, an enormous monument to four great American presidents: Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Roosevelt.

Enter the "Equality State," Wyoming, which has twelve mountain ranges intermixed with deserts and rolling grasslands, and continue to Cody for the night. If overnight in Cody is not possible due to weather or adverse road conditions in Yellowstone, overnight will be in Billings/ Livingston, Montana.

Drive past the mountains in Wyoming to Yellowstone, America's first National Park, and enjoy a sightseeing tour of this immense geothermal wonderland including: geysers, waterfalls, wildlife and canyons. Highlights will include Yellowstone Lake, Old Faithful, Yellowstone Canyon's majestic falls, and the beautiful Hayden Valley.

Travel through Grand Teton National Park (weather permitting) and see awesome mountain peaks towering over 13,000 ft. (4,000 meters). Visit the Snake River Outlook and try your eye at capturing the stunning landscape made famous by Ansel Adam's iconic shot. This prairie land is home to wild buffalo (Tatonka!), moose and elk. Later, arrive in Utah, known for the Mormon Community, and take a short tour of its capital, Salt Lake City. The followers of Brigham Young built one of the best-planned cities in the country. See the State Capital building and visit famed Temple Square and the Tabernacle before arriving at the hotel for the evening. May we suggest dinner at the Rooftop Restaurant for panoramic views of Temple Square (optional).

Continue today to spectacular Bryce Canyon, where a tour through a multi-coloured world of sandstone spires and pinnacles, "hoodoos", will dazzle the eye. This evening, weather permitting, be sure to gaze upon the spectacular night sky filled with sparkling stars & brilliant constellations.

Depart Bryce Canyon this morning and journey to stunning Lake Powell, where crystal blue water laps against towering red-rock canyon walls. Lake Powell is the second largest man-made lake in America, and one in a series of lakes formed by the damming of the Colorado River. Then visit colossal Grand Canyon National Park, one of the seven great natural wonders of the world. Stop at the East Rim to fully experience this mile-deep canyon's plunging gorges, rising spires, extinct volcanoes and, below the rim, the winding Colorado River. Overnight in Flagstaff, a famed stop on Historic Route 66.

This morning depart Flagstaff and travel on to Las Vegas, the dazzling "Entertainment Capital of the World". Along the way, pass through Seligman, a town built along the famed Route 66 that looks as if it were frozen in time sixty years ago. The remainder of the day is at leisure for you to explore the famous Las Vegas Strip.

Travel to Los Angeles via the Mojave Desert, home of the world's tallest thermometer, at 134 feet (41 meters) high. Clusters of unique Joshua trees dot the mountainous landscape. Upon arrival in Los Angeles you will enjoy a tour through the City of Angels including star studded Hollywood, Sunset Strip and parts of Beverly Hills, before reaching your hotel.

Today we suggest an optional full-day tour visiting the world's largest movie studio and theme park: Universal Studios, where Hollywood puts you so close you can hear the cameras rolling. Get an inside look at the sets and uncover the behind the scenes secrets of legendary films or perhaps, for the more adventurous, take one of the Studio's feature rides including Jurassic Park and Revenge of the Mummy. A universe of excitement awaits in one of California's premier attractions.

Leave Los Angeles in the morning and travel north through one of California's favourite vacation spots, Santa Barbara, where palm-lined walkways border white sandy beaches. The city is famous for its mission and Spanish heritage. Along the way, see an iconic California lifeguard tower made famous in "Baywatch". Then, continue north to the charming town of Solvang.

Today we make our way north to Carmel, home of actor/director Clint Eastwood. Enjoy browsing the shops and galleries of this famous artists’ colony. Traveling further north, visit Monterey’s Old Fisherman’s Wharf. Stroll the Pier to Cannery Row, brought to fame by John Steinbeck’s novel. In the afternoon pass the fertile valleys of Castroville and Santa Clara enroute to San Francisco, the “City by the Bay.” Tour concludes upon arrival at the hotel.