Today we'll depart San Francisco at 7:00 am, passing through the Great Basin Desert on our way to California's capital city, Sacramento. After a brief visit, we will continue on our road trip into Nevada, passing through the city of Reno and finally arriving in Elko, where we'll spend the night. It's a long trip, but the rising hills and mountains, the miles and miles of brush vegetation and desert, and the interesting wildlife we'll see along the way will make it a fun adventure in America's Wild West.

This morning, we will drive into the state of Utah to visit its capital, Salt Lake City. Some friendly Mormon guides will lead us on a tour of Temple Square, home of the Salt Lake Temple, the largest church built by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. From there we will begin another cross-country drive into Wyoming to see Independence Rock, a symbol of the frontier and famous landmark of the Oregon Trail. We will then spend the night in a hotel in Wyoming.

Today we will travel into South Dakota to see Mount Rushmore, the famous monumental sculpture of four renowned United States presidents, Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Roosevelt, carved into the enormous stone face of the Black Hills. We may also visit the nearby Crazy Horse Memorial* to learn about and honor the courage of this Oglala Lakota warrior, an inspiring figure among Native Americans. From here we will travel to Badlands National Park,* whose sharply eroded buttes, pinnacles, and spires are intermixed with the largest protected grass prairie in the United States.

This morning we will begin our day by visiting Devils Tower, the giant volcanic neck rising up 1,267 ft above the plains of the Black Hills. After admiring this natural wonder, we will visit the Little Bighorn Battlefield, where Crazy Horse and his Lakota-Northern Cheyenne and Arapaho force defeated George Armstrong Custer's 7th Cavalry soldiers. Afterwards, we will drive past the nearby Big Horn Mountains on our way to Yellowstone National Park, where we will visit Mud Volcano, a bubbling spring with dark, mud-colored water, the Mammoth Hot Springs, a large complex of hot springs on a multicolored bed of limestone, the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, and Yellowstone Falls. We will spend the night at a lodge in Yellowstone National Park.

Today we will explore Yellowstone National Park, famous for its geothermal features and forests and plains teeming with wildlife such as elk and buffalo. One of Yellowstone's most well known features, the Old Faithful Geyser, shoots boiling water as high as 185 feet in the air at an hourly interval, and the West Thumb Geyser Basin is also worth a visit. Don't forget to see the park's famous hot springs, such as the Grand Prismatic Spring and the Fountain Paint Pot, created by the geothermal activity of the Yellowstone Caldera, or "Supervolcano." From here we will continue our tour, arriving at noon at Grand Teton National Park to view this spectacular snow-topped mountain range and the valley of Jackson Hole, a picturesque wildlife reserve. Continuing on our way through Idaho back into Utah, with a short stop at the city of Idaho Falls, we'll spend the night in Salt Lake City.

This morning we embark on another scenic drive through Nevada, finally stopping at Reno for an evening of fun and entertainment. One of the largest cities in Nevada, Reno, like its famous sister Las Vegas, is known for its casinos and night entertainment. Join us in watching one of the fantastic shows* that the city offers. We will spend the night in Reno.

Today we will travel to the border between Nevada and California, where we will take a boat ride* on the clear waters of Lake Tahoe, the largest alpine lake in North America, seated in the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. After this, we will conclude our tour, stopping again in Sacramento on our way back to the San Francisco Bay Area, arriving around 8:00 pm.

* Optional activity, fee not included in tour price. See "Exclusions" for cost details.