other travelItinerary based details on this subjectSAMPLE information. to change. Call DO NOT bookITINERARY flights or any 800-462-2848 with any questions. BRYCE, ZION & GRAND CANYON–EPIC NATIONAL PARKS FUN IN THE SOUTHWEST MULTI-ADVENTURE | Casual Hotels | Family—Kids & Teens CYG-M-HC-F-007-20 1/7/2020 other travelItinerary based details on this subjectSAMPLE information. to change. Call DO NOT bookITINERARY flights or any 800-462-2848 with any questions. Parent time, kid time, family time. Each itinerary balances quality time together and apart, with welcome opportunities for This was the best trip ever—it everyone to take a break and recharge—usually impossible on a combined the right amount of family vacation. adult time with family time, exercise and leisure. Given the We bring families closer together through exciting travel five-year difference in our kids' experiences and stimulating adventures that let you interact in ages, combined with our younger ways you'd never encounter back home. son's endless energy, we wanted to find the family vacation that Three experienced Trip Leaders (and as many as five on satisfied all our needs and goals, Camping Trips) take care of all the day-to-day logistics. These and Backroads fulfilled this in inspiring role models interact with excitement every way! and are knowledgeable and enthusiastic motivators for your kids. Janet Myers - Menlo Park, CA A dedicated Kids Adventure Leader orchestrates activities for the entire family, plus an hour or two per day of kids-only fun— Click HERE to read more reviews often focused on local culture or the natural environment. No "canned" activities or tourist throngs. You'll get plenty of fresh air and outdoor activity together while discovering a whole new part of the world—and a whole new side of yourselves. 6 DAYS, 5 NIGHTS Activities designed with the whole family in mind— Click HERE for departure dates and pricing including easier routes to suit kids' abilities and attention spans details and great long options for adults and teens. Multi-vehicle support because we know that families need ACTIVITY LEVELS 1–3 extra support. We use two or three vehicles plus a trailer for See below for details luggage and supplies. More families means more fun and makes the trip enjoyable TO RESERVE YOUR TRIP for everyone. Sign up online HERE or call 800-GO- ACTIVE (462-2848) or 510-527-1555 Open daily 6 a.m.–6 p.m. Pacific time other travelItinerary based details on this subjectSAMPLE information. to change. Call DO NOT bookITINERARY flights or any 800-462-2848 We want to make sure you're on the right trip with any questions. and that you have the best experience possible. Every Backroads trip is unique and this one is no exception. ACCOMMODATIONS, MEALS & SERVICE STANDARDS While the accommodations on this trip reflect the natural surroundings of the national parks and provide unparalleled access to the best activities in the area, they are simpler than is typical of Backroads lodging. Many buildings date back to the turn of the century and have only been minimally renovated, in accordance with park regulations. The Lodge at Bryce Canyon and Grand Canyon Lodge - North Rim have basic guest rooms that are not equipped with televisions or air-conditioning (nights are usually cool due to the high elevation); breakfasts and dinners throughout the week may lack variety and tend toward simple ingredients. Overall, the service standards can seem slow and casual when compared with the hospitality found on other Backroads trips. Please note that internet and cell phone service are extremely limited throughout the parks. INTERPRETIVE GUIDES & HIKING WITHOUT YOUR LEADERS The National Park Service has many regulations on hiking. In Zion National Park they limit where you can hike when accompanied by your Trip Leaders. Your leaders will provide pre-walk briefings, maps and directions so you can explore certain trails on your own. In Bryce Canyon National Park, your leaders can hike with you but can't act as "interpretive guides." They'll also be unable to hike with you in Grand Canyon National Park. Throughout the trip, your leaders will give an orientation to the area's flora, fauna and terrain before your hikes and rides. Thank you for helping us cooperate with each park's regulations. other travel based on this information. formations huddle beneath the watchfulItinerary gazedetails subject ofSAMPLE the to change. Call DO NOT book flights or any Queen Victoria hoodoo. You'll feel at timesITINERARY as if you're 800-462-2848 YOUR FAMILY TRIP walking through a petrified forest—or even on another planet. Keep a lookout for a ridge covered with Our Family Trips for Kids & Teens are designed for bristlecone pine, some of the oldest living organisms on kids 9–19. For answers to frequently asked with any questions. earth, which thrive in this barren environment. From questions about Family Trips, visit Queen's Garden, join the Navajo Loop Trail and trek backroads.com/familytrips or call one of our Trip through Wall Street, an impressive slot canyon with Consultants at 800-462-2848 (or 510-527-1555). overhanging walls that are only 10 feet apart in some places. To end the hike, tackle a steep climb up to the rim at Sunset Point. Take some time this afternoon to settle in at Lodge at DAY 1 Bryce Canyon, a rustic property located in a lush pine forest a short walk from the canyon rim. After dinner, a On the first day of the trip, meet your Backroads Trip starlit stroll may be the perfect way to cap off your Leaders (the folks in Backroads T-shirts) at 8:30 a.m. in evening. Lodging: Lodge at Bryce Canyon the lobby of the Desert Garden Inn (435-688-7477) located at 1450 South Hilton Drive in St. George, Utah. Please arrive dressed in your hiking clothes and bring your luggage and a daypack with your rain gear and anything else you may want for today's hike (your luggage will be transported to our first night's accommodations). SHUTTLE TO BRYCE CANYON NATIONAL PARK 3 Hours WALKING & HIKING OPTIONS: Queen's Garden/Navajo Loop: 3 Miles (600' elevation gain) Peek-a-Boo Loop: 6.5 Miles (1,400') Welcome to canyon country! We begin our Southwest adventure by traveling from the desert landscape outside St. George to the higher elevations of the green Sevier DAY 2 River Valley. As we drive through Red Canyon, you'll get a preview of the unique rock formations of Bryce Canyon BIKING OPTIONS: National Park. Red Canyon Bike Path Route: 9 Miles* (200' elevation gain) Red Canyon Route: 19 Miles (400') We get acquainted over a picnic lunch and then head out Bryce Route: 37 Miles (1,700') on our first hike, which offers a great introduction to the park as well as spectacular views. The park's namesake, SHUTTLE TO GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK 3 Mormon settler Ebenezer Bryce, deemed this stunning Hours region "a hell of a place to lose a cow." One glance into TRANSEPT TRAIL WALK 1.5 Miles (100') the amphitheater's maze of spires, hoodoos, windows, walls and pinnacles, and you'll know exactly what he *with shuttle meant. For a look at some of Bryce's most famous hoodoos, hike into the canyon, where whimsically shaped rock 4 other travel based on this information. on the back of a mule. Meanwhile, adultsItinerary can details descend subjectSAMPLE to change. into This morning your Backroads Trip Leaders fit your bike and Call DO NOT book flights or any the canyon on foot via the North Kaibab Trail.ITINERARY This out- give a brief talk on biking techniques and safety. Adults 800-462-2848 begin today's ride on their own, joining up with the kids at and-back trek takes you as far as 5 miles into the canyon. Red Canyon for a picturesque spin along an undulating If you and your family are up for more hiking this bike path through this surreal landscape. (Please note afternoon, follow the secluded Widforss Trail with any for questions. an that kids must be at least 7 years old to ride a bike on this astounding view across the canyon of the majestic San trip.) Francisco Peaks towering above the South Rim. Arguably After the ride, we're off to visit one of the seven natural the park's best plateau hike, it offers forested views and wonders of the world, the Grand Canyon. As we cross wide-open vistas. This trail also features excellent into Arizona, look for the Kaibab Plateau rising ahead in interpretive markers. (Please note that due to park the distance. We ascend several thousand feet onto the regulations, Backroads leaders are not allowed to give plateau before the highway dead-ends dramatically at guided hikes within Grand Canyon National Park; if you the rim of the Grand Canyon. Over 6 million years ago the choose to hike, you will be on your own.) Colorado River started carving out this vast gorge, In the afternoon, if you don't want to hike, you can eventually exposing rocks that are more than 2 billion choose to join your Trip Leaders for a winding, years old. The canyon stretches 277 miles and ranges in picturesque drive out to Point Imperial, the highest point width from 4 to 18 miles. Just 10 miles from the South Rim on the Rim at 8,803 feet. Walk out to the edge for views as the bird flies, the North Rim seems a world away. of The Painted Desert and the eastern end of the Grand Because it is less developed and more remote, the North Canyon.