America's Great National Parks

Your journey begins at Chicago Union Station*, where you meet your Tour Manager. We board the Empire Builder, an iconic Amtrak train known for expansive vistas of Midwestern prairies, views of the Rocky Mountains and stunning cityscapes.

Settle in for the overnight trip through the Midwest to Glacier National Park and enjoy the sense of anticipation for the journey ahead. From the soaring mountain peaks and ancient ice sheets of Glacier National Park to the unique sandstone formations of Arches National Park, the West promises spectacular sights and experiences. Overnight train.

*Please note: if you are travelling from the West Coast, you will meet your Tour Manager at the hotel in Glacier National Park on Day 2.

Waking on board this morning, enjoy views of rolling prairies and distant mountains as we travel into the West. Make time to visit the glass-walled Sightseer Lounge for panoramic views of the passing scenery. You can buy a variety of food from the Café Car, including meals, snacks and beverages, and enjoy comfortable seating with a view.

Today, the Empire Builder continues its journey to the iconic Glacier National Park. With more than 25 glaciers, 130 lakes, 200 waterfalls, and more than 1,000 different plant species, the park promises breathtaking wonder.

Arriving in Whitefish, we check in to our hotel*. Settling in to our rooms, we enjoy an evening at leisure and dine independently.

Overnight Whitefish, MT or East Glacier Park, MT.

*Note: on certain departures, we will be staying in East Glacier Park, MT.

In the morning, we enjoy breakfast at our hotel before traveling by coach to the Swiss chalet-style Lake McDonald Lodge, where we have free time to explore and eat lunch independently.

In the afternoon, we board a vintage open-air Red Jammer bus and set out on a breathtaking tour of Glacier National Park. Our route takes us along one of the most scenic roadways in the world, the famed Going-to-the-Sun Road across the Continental Divide. Listening as our guide shares stories and information about the park, we gaze up at the surrounding peaks.

In the afternoon, we return to our lodgings for dinner and a free evening.

Overnight Whitefish, MT or East Glacier Park, MT.

• Breakfast, Dinner

After breakfast at our hotel, we travel by coach to Many Glacier Hotel, where we board a boat for a spectacular cruise across a sparkling glacial lake.

As we sail, look out for wildlife, including bears, moose and the occasional mountain goat on the cliffs. Listen as our guide narrates the journey, sharing stories and information about this incredible part of the park. We return to Many Glacier Lodge for lunch before heading back to our hotel.

With a free afternoon, you might like to explore the town of Whitefish. Sample your way through the local restaurants or peruse art in the galleries and shops that line the streets. Downtown Whitefish is incredibly walkable, with Whitefish Lake City Beach, Whitefish River, and more connected to the bustling district by walking trails. Plenty of hiking trailheads are also nearby, giving you the option of city amenities or nature's bounties.

Overnight Whitefish, MT or East Glacier Park, MT.

• Breakfast, Lunch

Rising for an early breakfast this morning, we travel north by coach to Helena, a picturesque city surrounded by mountains. As a historic Gold Rush town, Helena boasted one of the highest concentrations of millionaires in the world during the late 19th century. We find lunch independently in the city's charming downtown, choosing from a range of cuisines, from classic American to Italian and Mexican.

After lunch, we continue our scenic drive to Yellowstone National Park. Our route takes us through Lewis and Clark country, into Madison Canyon Gorge and past Quake Lake before we arrive at Yellowstone National Park's West Entrance.

We check in to our modern lodge in the park, and you have an evening at leisure to enjoy your surroundings and dine independently.

Overnight Yellowstone National Park, WY.

• Breakfast

After breakfast at our hotel, we set out on a tour of the park's most spectacular sights. Yellowstone has the world's most extensive region of geothermal activity, with thousands of hot springs, geysers and fumaroles dotting the landscape. It's also home to abundant and diverse wildlife, including bison, elk, black bears, wolves and moose.

Today's sightseeing tour showcases some of the park's most renowned sights, including Hayden Valley, an excellent viewpoint for spotting wildlife. We stop at the spectacular Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, and picturesque Artist Point, named for painter Thomas Moran's 1872 sketch of the falls.

Wandering among the colorful Fountain Paint Pots, we conclude the tour at the famous Old Faithful Inn and Geyser Basin. We have time to explore the Old Faithful area and see the famous geyser erupt before returning to our lodge.

Overnight Yellowstone National Park, WY.

• Breakfast

After a leisurely breakfast, we board a coach for a day of scenic drives. As we travel out of Yellowstone, we stop for a photo at the famed Lewis Falls. Measuring 200 feet wide and 43 feet high, the spectacular falls are a perfect place for a photo.

From here, we set off for Grand Teton National Park, a beautiful area known for towering mountains, sparkling lakes and an abundance of wildlife. Arriving at Jackson Lake Lodge, a grand, historic lodge now home to a luxury hotel and restaurant, you have free time to explore or eat lunch.

In the afternoon, we continue to our hotel in Jackson, where we check in before a free evening to relax and unwind. Overnight Jackson, WY.

• Breakfast

Heading out by coach after breakfast, we make our way to the Snake River in Grand Teton National Park. Famous as an ideal route for scenic, unhurried float trips, the Snake River is also a wildlife haven, home to moose, deer, elk, bison and bald eagles.

Floating on a large inflatable boat with an expert guide, we wind through the valley on the sparkling river, enjoying the stunning scenery and watching out for wildlife. As we sail, our guide shares information on Grand Teton National Park and Jackson Hole's wildlife, history and geology.

Returning to Jackson in the afternoon, you're free to explore the city on your own. Overnight Jackson, WY.

• Breakfast

In the morning, we travel by coach to Salt Lake City, stopping at the National Oregon/California Trail Center in Montpelier, Idaho.

Located at what was once the rest stop for pioneers traveling the Oregon Trail, this interpretive center gives you the opportunity to step back in time and experience pioneer life in the 1850s, including a simulated wagon train. We enjoy a special chuckwagon lunch featuring classic Western cuisine before continuing our journey.

Arriving in Salt Lake City in the evening, we check in to our central hotel before an evening at leisure. Dining independently, you can choose from a wide range of cuisines. Overnight Salt Lake City, UT.

• Breakfast

Enjoy a leisurely start to the day to sleep in or linger over morning coffee. Later this morning, we embark on the scenic drive from Salt Lake City to Moab, a picturesque city situated along the Colorado River and the gateway to two renowned national parks.

Our route takes us through the grasslands of the San Rafael Valley. We stop in Spanish Fork for free time, and you can choose to eat lunch independently before we continue to Moab.

In the evening, we check in to our hotel with stunning views of Moab's famous red rocks and enjoy an evening at leisure. Overnight Moab, UT.

• Breakfast

After breakfast, we embark on a guided tour of Arches National Park, home to more than 2,100 rock formations of varying sizes and colors.

Featuring a landscape like a movie set, Arches is one of the West's most beautiful and popular national parks. This remarkable desertscape is home to the world's largest concentration of sandstone arches, and the burnished red rocks appear plucked from another world when illuminated by the sun. Highlights of the park include Delicate Arch, the free-standing arch that is the symbol of Utah, and Landscape Arch, the world's longest natural arch.

In the afternoon, you're free to explore scenery around Moab and the Colorado River Red Rocks. Overnight Moab, UT.

• Breakfast

Today's excursion takes us to Canyonlands National Park for another spectacular day of scenery. This national park showcases colorful canyons, mesas, and buttes along the Colorado River.

Our day continues with a visit to Dead Horse Point State Park, a vast landscape of canyons and woodland. Opened in 1959, Dead Horse Point is home to mule deer, coyotes and Hopi chipmunks. With a lack of water and extreme temperatures, many of the park's plants have a waxy coating to reduce evaporation. Dead Horse Point is a narrow peninsula of rock above steep sandstone cliffs, and according to legend, it was once used by cowboys as a corral. Today, it offers stunning views from 2,000 feet above the Colorado River.

In the afternoon, we travel to Grand Junction, where we check in to our central hotel and enjoy dinner. Overnight Grand Junction, CO.

• Breakfast, Dinner

On this tour of the West, we discovered five breathtaking parklands: Glacier, Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Arches, and Canyonlands. We journeyed through incredible scenery, floated down the Snake River, drove along Going-to-the-Sun road in an open-top bus and cruised across sparkling Swiftcurrent Lake.

Your tour concludes this morning as we transfer to Grand Junction Amtrak Station or Grand Junction Airport, where you can catch a train or a flight home.

• Breakfast