Pioneer Adventures of the Old West

Howdy folks. Saddle up for a ride from Phoenix to Scottsdale, spending the afternoon at leisure before your journey kicks off with an evening shindig to meet your new travelling pardners.

Your trek through America's fascinating frontier history takes families through the Sonoran Desert. Stampede through the luminous orange and red landscapes of Sedona for your choice sightseeing, traversing Red Rock Country by jeep or Red Rock Magic Trolley. Then on through Oak Creek Canyon to the historic railroad town of Williams, to enjoy a slap-up Be My Guest dinner hosted by the mayor, John Moore.

Cut dirt and board your caboose to the Grand Canyon passing the vanilla-scented Ponderosa Pines and through the Kaibab National Forest-tales of Old West legends brought back to life as they travel with you along the rugged landscapes now home to elk, mule deer and pronghorn antelope. Hundreds of miles of rusty red stone layers carved deep within the earth's crust by the Colorado River flow along the full extent of the Grand Canyon, one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. Walk the rim and learn from a Local Specialist how this extraordinary feat of nature developed over the past 40 million years.

Start your historic passage to Navajo country with a mesmerising sunrise over the Grand Canyon, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and jaw-dropping views along the South Rim as you trace the Desert View Drive route toward Cameron Trading Post in search of traditional Native American arts, crafts and jewellery. In an open-air vehicle, bounce along the imposing mesas and buttes rising up between the big blue Utah sky and expansive red floor of Monument Valley, once favoured by movie director John Ford as the movie home of the Wild West, toward a lakeside resort tucked into the red rock at the scenic family holiday hotspot of Lake Powell.

Today belongs to the 21st century and is yours to roam the range with your kin, but if you're at a loose end, choose to take an optional float down the Colorado River, cruise on Lake Power to Antelope Canyon, or spend the day learning how to wakeboard, kayak or zip around Lake Powell on a ski tube.* Even cowboys need a day off now and then.

Polish those chaps for a ride toward Zion Canyon, tracing yet another great natural triumph by park shuttle or on foot. Bundle up your brood for a quick hike to the Emerald Pools-waterfalls and the lush landscape are a veritable oasis for pioneers traversing the desert just days before. Drive the scenic Mount Carmel Highway admiring the sweeping views of waterfalls and slick rocks, watching out for more spectacular formations like the Great Arch of Zion and the distinctive Checkerboard Mesa. The red-orange-pink hued hoodoos of Bryce Canyon are your final stop for today.

Take your seat in an ampitheatre of tall sandstone spires-the same vantage point Paiute Indians used to admire the colourful carvings of Mother Nature by day, by night, winter and summer centuries ago. Explore the rim of Bryce Canyon, riddled with fairytale castles, cathedrals, meandering trails and secret hideaways, yours to explore before spending the afternoon at leisure to blaze your own trail. And so our adventure through the Old West comes to an end. It's time to get all gussied up for a Western Farewell hoedown filled with good food and fun.

Hoodoos to our back and high-living lies ahead as we depart on the last leg of our journey to Las Vegas, through the scenic Virgin River Gorge. A transfer will take you to Las Vegas International Airport, or if you're extending you stay, to the Paris Las Vegas. Y'all come back now, y'hear?