Creating ‘wow’ moments for travelers is this tour operator’s stock in trade. Now Austin Adventures is rethinking and rewriting the consummate national park adventure.
The award-winning company is offering, new for 2018, a one-of-a-kind, leave-the-driving-to-us tour of Utah embracing five must-see National Parks. This is an opportunity over eight days to not just visit but to deeply explore and hike Canyonlands, Arches, Capitol Reef, Bryce Canyon, and Zion national parks.
“We’ve been running trips in Utah for over three decades but until now doing each park separately,” said Dan Austin, founder and visionary director of Austin Adventures, the world’s leading multisport adventure company for families and adults. “We’ve taken our lead from the State of Utah’s successful Mighty Five ad campaign and responded with one of the most epic and seamless adventures we’ve ever arranged.”
The primary activities while exploring the parks include photography, hiking (up to eight miles a day) and luxuriating in the hospitality of inns that reflect their scenic location, seasoned with a polish unique to the desert West. At each breathtaking vista, the guides share their knowledge of what’s special to the region: unique geology, the movement of settlers through the area as they headed west, pictographs left by early Native Americans on canyon walls, stories of these early people and how a landscape that appears remarkable and often bizarre was sometimes a deadly challenge to early explorers.
Two Mighty Five National Parks trip departures for up to 12 adults each are scheduled June 10-17 and Sept. 9-16, 2018. Based on demand more departures may be added. Private parties and groups may also request their own exclusive departures and may opt to add in such activities as river rafting and mountain biking. The per person double rate of $3,498 ($680 single supplement) includes seven nights accommodation at some of the nation’s finest lodges located in national parks, all meals (except one on-your-own dinner); trained, first-aid certified professional guides supported by knowledgeable local partners; activity-related equipment; private vehicle support (a 15-passenger, air-conditioned van); taxes, most gratuities, and national park entrance and permit fees. The trip begins in Grand Junction, CO (GJT) and ends in St. George, UT (SGU).
“Utah is among the few places in the world that can offer so many different adventures and landscapes in such close proximity to one another,” Austin added. “Even when traveling the short distances between each park the landscape is distinct and spectacular.” Two skilled and experienced guides help point out landmarks and points of distinction while sharing stories along the way.
Canyonlands Inn in Moab, UT, is base camp for two nights while exploring Arches and Canyonlands. Hiking with guides (who also prepare al fresco feasts) over two days in the parks clears up some of the mysteries of how the red rocks and other-worldly rock formations came to be. “The Land of the Sleeping Rainbow” is the Native American name for Capitol Reef National Park distinguished by tilted buttes and jumbled rocks that can be sensed up close on a guided trek. This immersion in a vast desert landscape turns to intimate at Red River Ranch, built on the grand scale of the great western lodges.
At Bryce Canyon National Park guests will walk off bountiful breakfasts served at The Lodge at Bryce Canyon, home for two nights. This is one of the grand dames of the national parks culture, created in the 1920s and despite her years still intact and enjoying fame as a National Historic Landmark. The lodge offers unrivaled access to breathtaking views, world-class hiking trails, and a tranquil wilderness. As the only lodging within the national park, all of the facilities are just steps from the stunning ancient rock formations of the Bryce Amphitheater.
The next day guests transfer into Zion through an entrance guaranteed to invoke awe while winding through the magnificent canyon walls and towering cliffs that make up this majestic park. Here is are two of the top-rated hikes in the world, Angel’s Landing and the Virgin Narrows. Home base in Zion National Park is Zion Lodge set amidst the park’s towering red rock cliffs and surrounded by spectacular 2,000-feet canyon walls.
For details, please see https://www.austinadventures.com/packages/utah-mighty-five-national-parks/. Exhilarating outdoor adventures that blend with cultural interactions are intrinsic to other new itineraries in Africa, Asia, Europe and South America. Austin Adventures’ close-to-home programs continue to embrace the US and Canadian national parks. See: https://www.austinadventures.com/new-2018-departures/
To help plan, Austin Adventures’ 2018 catalog is now out and available upon request. Please order ONLINE or call 1.800.575.1540. For a full roster of 2018 trips, please visit http://www.austinadventures.com, call (800) 575-1540 or email [email protected].
About Austin Adventures
Based in Billings, Montana, Austin Adventures has spent more than 40 years building an international reputation as a top provider of luxury, small group, multisport tours for adults and families to the world’s most captivating destinations. Creative itineraries feature exceptional regional dining, distinctive accommodations, and all-inclusive rates and services. In addition to scheduled group departures, Austin Adventures offers customized trip planning and a money-back satisfaction guarantee.