The park is designated as an International Dark Sky Park. If the night is clear after the group dinner, return to the park for star gazing. If time permits, drive into Grand Staircase - Escalante National Monument for views of Long Canyon. Continue to the small town of Boulder and visit the Anasazi State Park Museum.
A brief stop to view Fremont petroglyphs in the cliff faces along the Fremont River will be followed by a picnic lunchĭrive back towards Torrey and over Boulder Mountain making several stops for panoramic views across Capitol Reef National Park to the Henry Mountains and southward into northern Arizona. Depending on the road conditions and time we may drive down to Capitol Gorge Trailhead and for a short hike into the gorge (1 mile roundtrip) to view petroglyphs and see Register Rock with names of early explorers. Continue into the park along Slickrock Drive to Capitol Gorge absorbing the landscapes, geology and history of the park. Visit Capitol Reef National Park with brief stops at the visitor center and the old town of Fruita. If time permits, drive to the northern end of Capitol Reef National Park as the striking sun sets for a sensational view into Sulphur Creek Canyon from the Gooseneck Overlook. Picnic lunch at one of the stops.Ĭontinue southward into Torrey along the Fremont River.
Drive west on I-70 with a brief stop at Thompson Springs to view petroglyphs and pictographs on cliff walls.Ĭontinue west on I-70 across the San Rafael Swell, a major dome rising from the desert floor, making several stops for panoramic views to ‘read’ the landscapes and illustrate the links between the rock formations, the history of Native Americans, ranchers, outlaws and mining. Leave Grand Junction hotel after breakfast and drive across the Colorado National Monument, discussing the geology and the history of the Grand Valley with a few short walks and stops for dramatic overviews into the Grand Valley. Participants will gather in the evening at a hotel in Grand Junction for introductions, drinks, dinner and a review of the trip itinerary. We end our journey back in Grand Junction with a visit to a local winery and a good restaurant to reflect on a dramatic trip through time.ĭAY 1: ARRIVAL AT GRAND JUNCTION, COLORADO We will spend a day walking among arches, spires and dinosaur tracks and have the opportunity for a trail ride across settings featured in countless Westerns or a boat trip down the Colorado River. The dramatic but accessible landscapes of nearby Arches and Canyonlands national parks explain why.
Our route continues north along the eastern edge of Utah to Moab, a bustling town that contrasts with sleepy Torrey and Bluff.
Two nights in Bluff, a quiet but historical town that has escaped being over-run by overzealous tourists, give us the opportunity for a Navajo-guide led tour of Monument Valley and a visit to narrow canyons with cliff dwellings and paintings and etchings of long-vanished families and communities. We will then head southeast to Bluff, Utah, stopping to visit cliff dwellings overlooking the Colorado River and learning the history of towns and canyons buried when Lake Powell formed behind the Glen Canyon Dam (and now being slowly re-exposed as the lake level drops). Over two days we will take in extensive vistas of the Colorado Plateau from spectacular clifftops, hike slot canyons of Capitol Reef’s dramatic Waterpocket Fold, visit early Mormon settlements along shady tree-lined streams and drive across Boulder Mountain to learn about Anasazi pueblos. Starting in Grand Junction we will drive west across the flat desert landscape of eastern Utah to Torrey, the frontier town to Capitol Reef National Park. Join two experienced geologists, Russell Davies and Janok Bhattacharya, to learn about the rocks and their influence on the history of the area. Southeastern Utah holds a wealth of fascinating geological and cultural stories. Contact an expert to book your Discovery Tourġ9 September 2023 - 9 days for USD $5,675 - No single supplements
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