Northern Escape

• Overview
• Itinerary & Map
• Highlights & Optional Excursions
• Dates & Rates

Featuring: Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, California

Print Itinerary Itinerary & Map

1. Day Chicago to Madison

   University town, USA... Welcome to America's friendly heartland! First stop - Milwaukee, Wisconsin, home to the nation's largest beer brewers. We'll stop in Milwaukee with free time for those interested in a brewery tour; then it's on to Madison, a cosmopolitan university town. Hotel

2. Day Madison to Sioux Falls

   Crossing the heartland… Catch the pulse of America's Midwest with a drive through Minnesota's beautiful farmlands before arriving in South Dakota, home to the nation's largest buffalo herds. We make our home tonight in Sioux Falls. Hotel (B,D)

3. Day Sioux Falls to Mt. Rushmore

   You'll feel like you've landed on the moon when you journey through Badlands National Park. Take in this fascinating landscape with its colorful buttes, pinnacles, and spires carved out of the Great Plains. We make our home in Deadwood/Lead, once the stomping grounds for some of the "Wild West's" most notorious rough and shady characters. Hotel (B,D)

4. Day Mt. Rushmore

   Sacred heroes of America... It took fourteen years to carve the faces of four American presidents into the cliffs of South Dakota's Black Hills. Our next stop is at the Crazy Horse Memorial, a shrine to the heroic Great Sioux warrior. Hotel (B)

5. Day Mt. Rushmore to Cody

   Howdy, Cowboy! Put on your cowboy hats as we head to Cody, Wyoming, named after western legend, Buffalo Bill Cody. On the way, we'll check out Devil's Tower National Monument, made famous by the movie, "Close Encounters of the Third Kind." Whoop it up tonight at the optional rodeo (seasonal). Hotel (B)

6. Day Cody to Yellowstone

   Before entering Yellowstone, America's largest national park, step back into the Old West by visiting the Buffalo Bill Museum or take an optional white water rafting trip to explore the Shoshone River where pioneers and Plains Indians once traveled. Hotel (B)

7. Day Yellowstone National Park

   There she blows! Watch America's most famous geyser, Old Faithful, blow its stack. We've got the entire day to explore Yellowstone's fantastic waterfalls, mud pots, hot springs, and abundant wildlife. Hotel (B,D)

8. Day Yellowstone to Salt Lake City

   Only in America... The scenery is spectacular today as we head south by the Teton Range with its stunning mountain landscape. We stop in quaint Jackson Hole, Wyoming for lunch before we cross the border into Utah and arrive in its capital, Salt Lake City, home to the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. Check out the impressive golden spires that tower over Temple Square. Hotel (B)

9. Day Salt Lake City to Kanab via Bryce Canyon National Park

   Oooh, aaah... Utah is gorgeous. Before leaving Salt Lake City you'll have an opportunity to fly over beautiful Park City in a hot air balloon. Then we are off to Bryce Canyon National Park, where the bizarre shaped canyons and spires called "hoodoos" explode with dazzling colors that will blow your mind. We make our home in the town of Kanab. Hotel (B,D)

10. Day Grand Canyon National Park

    A world wonder... We'll take a day trip to one of the seven natural wonders of the world - Grand Canyon. The remote and breathtaking North Rim is less visited, which translates into peace and tranquility - a perfect way to experience this national treasure. Hotel (B)

11. Day Kanab to Las Vegas via Zion National Park

    On to Sin City! Before hitting the bright lights of Las Vegas we'll experience the soaring cliffs, sculptured canyons, and dramatic landscapes of Zion National Park.You'll have the opportunity to do a horseback ride before heading to Las Vegas. Prepare for a sensory experience like no other as we drive the famous Vegas "Strip." You won't believe your eyes at this electric wonderland! After the light show at Fremont Street, party on at an optional Las Vegas show. Hotel (B,D)

12. Day Las Vegas

    Vegas, Baby! Only in Las Vegas can you visit most of the world's largest hotels and casinos in one day, gamble while you swim, catapult 327 meters (1,081 feet) up in the air from the top of the Stratosphere Hotel, feel like you are in Venice, Egypt, New York, Ancient Rome, and Paris all at the same time, and party like a rock star 24 hours a day! Get out there and do it all - or just lie by the pool and relax. Tonight, party on at one of Las Vegas's premier hot spots! Hotel

13. Day Las Vegas to Los Angeles (Anaheim)

    Goodbye! It's not over quite yet! On our way back to Anaheim you can shop 'til you drop at the outlet stores. Start planning your next Contiki tour, your day at Disney, or a reunion with your new friends before the tour's end late this afternoon. (B)