Day 1: Home - Denver, Colorado

Adventure awaits as we explore the towering peaks and rolling meadows of Colorado and Utah. This tour (which features four national parks) opens in the “Mile High City” of Denver where you will gather for a welcome dinner with your fellow travellers. (D)

Day 2: Denver - Rocky Mountain National Park - Denver

Today we travel through Boulder, a scenic university town known for its iconic landmark, the striking, reddish-brown foothills known as the Flatirons. We’ll stop in Estes Park, a mountain resort town and home of the Stanley Hotel, the inspiration for Stephen King’s The Shining. Our adventure in Rocky Mountain National Park starts on the Trail Ridge Road, the highest paved, continuous highway in North America. It’s a drive that should be on everybody’s bucket list. At Rainbow Curve you’ll marvel at the majestic mountains that stand in contrast to deep, rugged canyons. Later, return to Denver for a free evening in this dynamic city. (B)

Day 3: Denver - Rocky Mountain National Park - Grand Junction

The spectacular Rocky Mountains are your travelling companion as we drive from Denver to Grand Junction, passing through many of Colorado’s famous ski resorts. Our journey also takes us to one of the grand landscapes of the American West – Colorado National  Monument. Continue along the Rim Rock to see a colourful panorama of deep, sheer-sided canyons and high rock towers. Gather for dinner at a favourite local hangout in Grand Junction, a town that attracts outdoorsmen, foodies and all manner of free spirits. (B. D)

Day 4: Arches National Park - Canyonlands National Park - Grand Junction

Today, one amazing park follows another! In Arches National Park, see the world’s largest concentration of natural sandstone arches. Next up is Canyonlands National Park, a vast landscape of gorges carved by the mighty Colorado River. We top off the day at the Island in the Sky mesa resting on sheer sandstone cliff s over 1,000 feet above the surrounding terrain. (B)

Day 5: Grand Junction - Silverton - Durango

Head south to Silverton, a former silver mining town and now a National Historic Landmark. Hidden high in the San Juan Mountains, this town blends spectacular scenery, Victorian charm and historic architecture. Then it’s “all aboard” the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. This 1881 coal-fired, steam-powered locomotive made its name hauling silver and gold ore from the San Juan Mountains, but you will soon realise it is the view that is its most precious asset. (B)

Day 6: Durango - Mesa Verde National Park

An incredible day awaits in Mesa Verde National Park, home of the ancient Ancestral Puebloan civilisation. Today, it’s your choice! Join a local guide on a drive through the park making several photo stops including views of the famous Spruce Tree House, one of Mesa Verde’s best preserved cliff dwellings -OR- if you are feeling more adventurous, join a National Park Ranger on a short hike down the canyon into the Cliff Palace dwelling site; as you walk, soak in views of the valley along with some of the 600 homes carved along the cliffs. This evening,  experience an Old West adventure filled with traditional cowboy cuisine and entertainment. (B, D)

Day 7: Durango - Colorado Springs

Sit back and relax during a scenic ride to Colorado Springs. En route, marvel at the landscape as we make our way from the San Juan National Forest and across Wolf Creek Pass, a section of the Continental Divide that would take pioneers two to three weeks to cross. Continue on through the Rio Grande National Forest, a vast expanse of wilderness named for the 1,800 miles of Rio Grande River that cuts through the forest. Your day concludes in Colorado Springs, an artistic and cultural hub. (B)

Day 8: Colorado Springs - Canon City - Colorado Springs

Depart for Canon City, home of the Royal Gorge Route Railroad. Get ready for a memorable train ride that follows the tumbling Arkansas River deep within the soaring 1000-foot granite cliffs of Colorado’s grandest canyon. Later, travel to the Garden of the Gods to take in the view of towering sandstone formations that dot the landscape set in the backdrop of majestic Pikes Peak. Tonight, join your fellow travellers for a farewell dinner and celebrate your adventure. (B, D)

Day 9: Colorado Springs Tour Ends

Your tour ends in Colorado Springs (B)

Collette brochure price from £2249

Travel 55 discount price from £2092

Telephone Collette Holidays on 0800 804 8700 and quote Travel 55 code NYC2

What's Included In Your Tour

Culinary Experience

• MEALS: 12 meals (8 Breakfasts & 4 Dinners)
• Experience an Old West adventure complete with cowboy cuisine.

Accommodation

• Days 1, 2 Sheraton Downtown or Westin Denver Downtown, Denver
• Days 3, 4 Doubletree Hotel, Grand Junction
• Days 5, 6 Strater Hotel, Durango
• Days 7, 8 Embassy Suites by Hilton or Drury Inn & Suites, Colorado Springs