Color Country Escape

Day 1 – Welcome to Mesquite!

From our departure points this morning we’ll travel by deluxe motorcoach through the Mojave Desert to Mesquite, Nevada making several rest stops and a stop for lunch on your own along the way. Late this afternoon we’ll arrive at our upscale casino resort where we’ll enjoy a three-night stay in upgraded, recently renovated hotel rooms. The most luxurious rooms in Mesquite, they blend stylish, contemporary décor with exceptional amenities including cultured marble shower, a pillow top mattress and designer furnishings. Enjoy the balance of the evening at leisure to take advantage of the outdoor swimming pool and spa, on-site restaurant and non-stop gaming action in the casino which features an exciting variety of new video reel, video poker, and progressive slot machines as well as a wide selection of table games featuring favorites like Blackjack, Craps, Roulette, Pai Gow Poker and more.

Day 2 – Zion National Park

Following an included breakfast, we’ll travel through the spectacular Virgin River Gorge and into Utah’s Dixie Country. Later this morning we’ll arrive in Zion National Park, featuring a dramatic landscape of sculptured canyons and soaring cliffs. We’ll visit the Zion National Park Visitor Center and then board the Zion Canyon Shuttle and continue into Zion Canyon – an incredible slot canyon that is 15 miles long and up to 2,640 feet deep. As we travel along Zion Canyon Scenic Drive, we’ll marvel at the massive sandstone cliffs of cream, pink and red that soar into a brilliant blue sky. We’ll enjoy time at leisure for lunch on your own at the Zion Park Lodge, and stop at the Temple of Sinawava where you can take a short stroll along the banks of the Virgin River. We return to our Mesquite resort later in the day with the balance of the evening at leisure. (Breakfast)

Day 3 – Bryce Canyon & Zion National Parks

After an included breakfast we’ll travel north to Bryce Canyon National Park (elevation 8,000 feet). Here we’ll enjoy an included lunch, stop at the Bryce Canyon National Park Visitor Center and visit several viewpoints to admire the spectacular geological formations and brilliant colors. Gazing down upon Bryce Amphitheater we’ll see thousands of red, orange, and white “hoodoos” (irregular columns of rock) – in fact Bryce Canyon National Park is home to the largest concentration of hoodoos found anywhere on Earth. The towering columns, narrow fins, and natural bridges seem to deny all reason or explanation, leaving our jaws agape in wondrous incredulity. This afternoon we continue south into Zion National Park and travel along the spectacular Zion-Mount Carmel Highway. This mind-blowing road features swirling, otherworldly rock formations, mounds, towers, hoodoos, and hilltops. Layered strata of rusty red, orange, cream, yellow and brown color the landscape that is dotted with desert pines, sagebrush, and wildflowers. We’ll first pass through the colorful Checkerboard Mesa – sandstone hills with an unusual crack pattern that resemble a grid much like you would see on a checkerboard. We’ll continue through the historic Zion-Mt. Carmel Tunnel. Constructed in the 1920s, this true engineering marvel is over 5,000 feet long and rather narrow, allowing our motorcoach to just barely fit. We return to our Mesquite resort this evening. (Breakfast, Lunch)

Day 4 – Valley of Fire State Park, Journey Home

Following an included breakfast, we’ll travel south and enter Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada’s oldest, largest and perhaps most magnificent state park. The park derives its name from the spectacular bright red Aztec sandstone formations that appear to be on fire when reflecting the sun’s rays. These other- worldly shaped rocks formed over the course of 150 million years through a complicated process of geological uplifting, faulting, and erosion. Since 300 BCE, Valley of Fire has been home to numerous prehistoric civilizations including the Ancestral Pueblo. You’ll see proof of this in the 3,000 year old petroglyphs visible near where we’ll enjoy an included picnic lunch. We’ll continue south towards Southern California making several rest stops along the way. We return to our departure points this evening with amazing memories of the colorful hues of Utah’s Color Country. (Breakfast, Lunch)

This tour may be different than other Good Times Travel tours you have joined. In order to offer a single- hotel stay in Mesquite and a reasonable price, we must travel considerable distances to reach the national parks on days 2 and 3. This tour is ideal for those guests that appreciate a single-hotel stay but don’t mind longer motorcoach rides. Those looking to stay closer to the national parks and use multiple hotels should consider other national park tours that we offer.

While we make every effort to operate our tours as outlined in the itinerary, we ask for your patience, understanding and flexibility and to retain a sense of adventure while traveling with us. Situations may arise that necessitate changes to the itinerary. Should we need to adjust the itinerary either prior to or while on tour, these changes will be communicated to you and only done when absolutely necessary.