The Eight Magnificent, 15 days

**DAY 1 - SATURDAY**  

**Denver**  

Arrive in Denver and transfer on your own to the hotel. The capital of Colorado is a significant financial and commercial center as well as the gateway to the Rocky Mountains, known by many as the "Mile High City" due to its altitude being exactly one mile or 1,609 meters above sea level.

**DAY 2 - SUNDAY**  

**Denver National Park > Rocky Mountain > Cheyenne (221 mi / 355 km)**  

Continental breakfast. We will start the day with a short tour of Denver, including the State Capitol, 16th Street Mall, the Art Museum, and Larimer Square. We will then continue to the Rocky Mountain National Park to enjoy breathtaking views as we ascend the "highway to the sky," Trail Ridge Road, which, at an elevation of 3,650 meters, is the highest paved road in America. We'll continue our route until we reach Cheyenne, the capital of Wyoming, a clear example of iconic images of the Old West: cowboys, rodeos, and railroads.

**DAY 3 - MONDAY**  

**Cheyenne > Fort Laramie > Crazy Horse Memorial > Mount Rushmore > Deadwood (333 mi / 536 km)**  

Continental breakfast. Departing from Cheyenne heading north to visit Fort Laramie, a fur trading post that became a crucial stop for migrants seeking land and fortune on the West Coast. After entering South Dakota, we'll pass through the Black Hills, stopping at the Crazy Horse Memorial, a mountain monument honoring Crazy Horse, Sioux Chief. The sculpture began in 1948 and is still unfinished today, but once completed, it will be the world's largest sculpture. We'll then proceed to another smaller but no less important sculpture: the Mount Rushmore National Memorial. This iconic sculpture features the faces of four U.S. presidents. We'll spend the night in Deadwood, famous for its history during the Gold Rush and as the burial place of Old West figures such as Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane.

**DAY 4 - TUESDAY**  

**Deadwood > Devils Tower National Monument > Bighorn National Forest > Cody (392 mi / 630 km)**  

Continental breakfast. In the morning, we'll return to Wyoming to visit Devils Tower National Monument, a 386-meter rock formation famous among geologists and film enthusiasts after its appearance in "Close Encounters of the Third Kind." Further west is the Bighorn National Forest, which spans the Bighorn Mountains, a spur of the Rocky Mountains located between northern Wyoming and southern Montana. Passing through the mountains, we'll arrive in Cody, named after Colonel William Frederick "Buffalo Bill" Cody.

**DAY 5 - WEDNESDAY**  

**Cody > Yellowstone (99 m / 159 km)**  

Continental breakfast. We'll start the day with a visit to the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, a complex of five museums dedicated to the American West (entrance included). Mid-morning, we'll continue west to the first national park in the United States, Yellowstone, where you'll spend the rest of the day exploring this natural wonder. The park has many special features, such as geysers, mud volcanoes, bald eagles, and herds of bison roaming freely on the prairies.

**DAY 6 - THURSDAY**  

**Yellowstone National Park > Grand Teton > Jackson Hole (80 m / 129 km)**  

Continental breakfast. We'll depart early in the morning to visit Grand Teton National Park, where the snow-covered, jagged peaks of the mountains contrast with the crystal-clear waters of its lakes. Its lush forests are home to antelopes, mules, deer, chipmunks, and colorful blue jays. We'll continue to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, a beautiful valley between the Grand Teton and Gros Ventre mountain ranges. We'll spend the night in Jackson, the town that epitomizes the true Old West.

**DAY 7 - FRIDAY**  

**Jackson Hole > Antelope Island > Salt Lake City (343 m / 552 km)**  

Continental breakfast. We'll continue south through Idaho and Utah until we reach Antelope Island on the Great Salt Lake. This 109-square-kilometer island is the largest of the 10 islands that make up the lake and is famous for its scenic beauty and wildlife, including bison introduced in 1893. Afterward, we'll head to the state capital of Utah, host of the 2002 Winter Olympics, Salt Lake City, where we'll spend the night.

**DAY 8 - SATURDAY**  

**Salt Lake City > Canyonlands > Moab (277 mi / 445 km)**  

Continental breakfast. In the morning, we'll visit the city of Salt Lake City, including the exterior of the State Capitol, the famous Temple Square, and the Tabernacle. At the end of the tour, we'll head south to one of Utah's natural wonders: Canyonlands National Park, preserving a colorful landscape where erosion caused by the Colorado River and its tributaries has created numerous canyons, plateaus, and hills.

**DAY 9 - SUNDAY**  

**Moab > Arches National Park > Colorado National Monument > Montrose (184 mi / 296 km)**  

Continental breakfast. We'll continue to the magnificent Arches National Park, where we'll encounter a symphony of colors and shapes that are a true wonder of nature. Afterward, we'll head west, returning to Colorado to visit the Colorado National Monument, preserving one of the grandest landscapes of the American West. We'll enjoy the incredible scenery of Rim Rock Drive, a 23-mile scenic road where we might see bighorn sheep and different eagles, with the red rock canyons in the background. Overnight in the town of Montrose.

**DAY 10 - MONDAY**  

**Montrose > Black Canyon of the Gunnison > Ouray > Silverton > Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad > Durango > Cortez (178 mi / 286 km)**  

Continental breakfast. We'll start the day by visiting Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, known for its narrow and deep canyon carved over millions of years by the Gunnison River. The park gets its name because some areas of the canyon receive only 33 minutes of sunlight per day. Next, we'll drive along the famous "Million Dollar Highway," one of Colorado's most scenic routes, from Montrose to Silverton. We'll stop in the incredible town of Ouray, nestled among some of the most imposing mountains and canyons in the Rocky Mountains, often referred to as the "Switzerland of America." In the early afternoon, we'll reach the mining town of Silverton to board the historic Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad to Durango. We'll take a trip back in time on this steam locomotive traveling along the original tracks dating back to the late 19th century, accessing extraordinary landscapes that cannot be reached by car. Upon arrival in Durango, we'll board the bus again to reach Cortez, where we'll spend the night.

**DAY 11 - TUESDAY**  

**Cortez > Mesa Verde National Park > Gallup > Albuquerque

 (307 m / 493 km)**  

Continental breakfast. Departing from Cortez to visit Mesa Verde National Park, the former home of the Ancestral Pueblo Indians. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, this park contains over 600 cliff dwellings carved into the cliffs of canyons. We'll continue south to New Mexico, stopping in Gallup, a town located on historic Route 66 and home to the legendary El Rancho Hotel and Motel, where notable cinema stars like John Wayne, Ronald Reagan, Humphrey Bogart, and many others stayed. In the afternoon, we'll head west on Route 66 toward Albuquerque.

**DAY 12 - WEDNESDAY**  

**Albuquerque > Petroglyph National Monument > Turquoise Trail > Santa Fe (85 mi / 137 km)**  

Continental breakfast. We'll start the morning with a city tour, including Nob Hill and Old Albuquerque. Next, we'll visit the Petroglyph National Monument, one of the largest petroglyph sites in North America, with drawings and symbols carved into volcanic rocks by Native Americans and Spanish settlers between 400 and 700 years ago. From here, we'll continue to the Turquoise Trail, a 50-mile scenic road connecting Albuquerque and Santa Fe through hills, overlooking mountains, and picturesque mining towns. Following the trail, we'll travel north to Madrid, a former ghost town that has now become a thriving enclave of artists. At the end of the Turquoise Trail, we'll reach the historic city of Santa Fe.

**DAY 13 - THURSDAY**  

**Santa Fe > Taos > Great Sand Dunes National Park > Pueblo (325 mi / 523 km)**  

Continental breakfast. We'll follow the Rio Grande Gorge north to the Taos region, a thriving artist community. We'll visit the village of Taos, one of the oldest communities in the United States and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We'll explore its unique way of life that has remained unchanged for almost ten centuries. We'll then continue south to the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, a fascinating place with 48 square kilometers of sand surrounded by mountain ranges; here, we find the tallest dunes in North America, reaching a height of 230 meters. We'll arrive in Pueblo where we'll spend the night.

**DAY 14 - FRIDAY**  

**Pueblo > Garden of the Gods Park > Breckenridge > Denver (235 mi / 378 km)**  

Continental breakfast. We'll continue north to appreciate the majestic scenery of the Garden of the Gods Park: a garden of giant rocks and imposing red sandstone formations sculpted by rain and wind over millions of years, with the snow-covered peaks of Pikes Peak as a backdrop. We'll enjoy panoramic views of the mountains until we reach Breckenridge, a famous ski resort with wonderfully preserved Victorian houses. We'll then head to Denver.

**DAY 15 - SATURDAY**  

**Denver**  

Continental breakfast. End of the circuit.