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Set against the brilliant backdrop of the Rocky Mountains, take some to explore the exciting city of Denver time before your welcome meeting at 18.00 hrs. If you're a sports fan head to Mile High City - home to no less than seven professional sports teams offering a year-round sporting calendar. Alternatively, have the real Denver experience and get a taste of some unusual American cuisine, with a Rocky Mountain Oyster. You'll have to Google that one!
Leaving Denver, you stop to admire the dramatic views of the 'Garden of the Gods'; picture brilliant blue skies, snow-capped mountains and fiery red sandstone structures towering above! Then it's time to head to the tallest dunes in North America for some exhilarating sandboarding down the epic dunes of Great Sand Dunes National Park with your tour leader. The centrepiece in a diverse landscape of grassland, aspen forest, alpine lakes, and tundra, this place will leave you breathless - in more ways than one!
This historic frontier mining town has something to offer both the culture vultures and adrenaline junkies. Discover the boutique restaurants, charming galleries and stroll past exquisitely restored Victorian buildings in Downtown Durango before taking in the city's surrounding scenic beauty.
Travel west to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Mesa Verde National Park, located in Montezuma County. See how the Ancestral Puebloans, often referred to as the Anasazi, lived and be in awe of this archaeological masterpiece as you explore the 600 cliff dwellings.
There's no place quite like Telluride in the summer, it's jam-packed with thrilling activities, including downhill mountain biking! Biking is the main draw in Telluride and the San Juan Mountains provide a variety of terrain perfect for riding. From the town of Telluride you can find challenging trails that explore old mining roads and basins high above the Box Canyon. Find the perfect trail for your biking ability, and feel the wind in your hair on an included half day trip through stunning mountain terrain.
Next on the cards is the mighty Black Canyon. Formed by the raging Gunnison River, the canyon was named because of the lack of sunlight that reaches the canyon due to narrow gorge reaching depths of over 600 metres. The canyon is big enough to leave you awe-struck and intimate enough to really explore in depth. Steep, narrow cliffs offer some truly special hiking opportunities so make sure your camera is charged for the day! Unfortunately your leader is unable to guide your hike here due to park regulations.
This beautiful mountain town and is well known for its dining, nightlife and excellent art galleries. This morning you head out to some of the most photographed peaks in Colorado, the Maroon Bells. The Maroon Bells are two peaks in the Elk Mountains, Maroon Peak and North Maroon Peak, separated by a third of a mile and surrounded by pristine national forest and fields of wildflowers. For the best view of the area head to Maroon Lake and see the spectacular mirror image of the mountain peaks in its waters. From here you'll embark on an adrenaline inducing white-rafting trip down the Arkansas River, from Lower Roaring Fork through the Canyon. You'll encounter class III rapids which are perfect for beginners and intermediate rafters alike.
Travel the mighty Trail Ridge Road through some truly spectacular scenery. Eleven miles of this highway travel above treeline with an elevation near 3,505 meters where the park's evergreen forests come to a halt. As the road meanders through the tundra's vastness to its highest point at 3,700 meters, the Trail Ridge Road offers you thrilling views, wildlife sightings and spectacular alpine wildflower exhibitions, all from the comfort of your vehicle. There will be plenty of opportunity to stretch your legs and appreciate the outstanding landscapes.
The wild lands of Rocky Mountain National Park are up next and with a whole day of hiking ahead of you, you're in for a real treat. With some of the best vistas in North America and around 355 miles of hiking trails, you'll hike along picturesque streams, watch elk grazing in the grassland and climb steep mountain terrain. The snowy peaks and mountain lakes of this superb national park will leave you falling head over heels for this incredible area of the USA.
Your magical journey through the Colorado Rockies must come to an end, but before it does you stop for lunch on historic Pearl Street in Boulder. Finish your trip back in sunny Denver.
Accommodation: Hotel included | Meals: Paid locally
This tour ends at our gateway hotel at approximately 17:00 hrs. We recommend booking post tour accommodation if time allows. If you are planning to fly tonight, please do not book a flight that departs before 21:00 hrs.
Last day at your leisure in Denver before heading to the Airport for your departure flight home. Why not visit Denver’s Union Station which is located I the hip lower downtown area and offers multiple dining options and shopping boutiques.
Please call us for departure dates and to get a quote.