9-Nights America's Great Desert National Parks End Tucson

9 nights from: $3,475

America's Great Desert National Parks End Tucson
Chart a course through the deserts of America, basking in the photographer's dream of Death Valley, Badwater Basin’s salt flats, iconic Joshua Tree National Park and Red Rock Canyon’s towering cliffs. Find yourself tucking into gastronomic delights and learning about dates with a local farmer.


Dining Summary

• 1 Welcome Reception (WR)
• 9 Breakfast (B)
• 4 Dinner (D)

• Palm Springs: Visit the Naked Dates Organic Date Farm in the Bard Valley. On arrival, guests will be treated to a date farm tour. The farm tour give guests a first-hand and in-depth look at what it takes to grow and harvest this delicious fruit. Our guests will receive not only an education on date farming, but a much better appreciation for the dedication and hard work it takes to get the dates from the farm to our customer's kitchen tables. Guests will be hosted by owners Kase Limmeroth and Misty Mastin, and special guest Leslie McClendon from Visit Yuma tourism board.

• Las Vegas: Get a glimpse of Las Vegas from the sky as you hop on the High Roller, North America's tallest observation wheel standing 550 feet tall. The 30-minute ride offers breathtaking, 360-degree views of the glittering lights and neon of the Strip below.
• Red Rock Canyon: Admire the towering red cliffs and sandstone peaks of the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area.
• Death Valley: You’ll truly feel the solitude and vastness of Death Valley today as you head out on a guided tour of the park’s most famous sites. You’ll discover the unique geological features of Death Valley, a land of sand dunes and volcanic craters, intriguing weather-patterns, and the highest-recorded temperatures in the United States.
• Los Angeles: Calico is an old West mining town that has been around since 1881 and was abandoned in the mid-1890s after silver lost its value. The town that once gave miners a good living lost its hustle and became a "ghost town." Walter Knott purchased Calico in the 1950’s architecturally restoring all but the five original buildings to look as they did in the 1880’s. Calico received State Historical Landmark 782 and in 2005 was proclaimed by then Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to be California’s Silver Rush Ghost Town.
• Palm Springs: Enjoy a celebrity and lifestyle tour of Palm Springs shedding light on the city's unique mid-century architecture, featuring an amazing collection of custom homes.
• Palm Springs: Take the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway along cliffs of Chino Canyon right to the top of the mountain. Pause to enjoy the fantastic views of the valley below.
• Palm Springs: Welcome to the first operating wind farm in Southern California! The Palm Springs Windmill Tours take you on a journey in which you will learn about wind energy, how wind turbines work and the history of the wind farm. Your expert guide describes the inner workings of wind turbines and their contributions to our energy grid. From the novice participant to engineer-types, everyone will leave the tour with a better understanding of how this renewable energy is fast becoming part of our energy solution.
• Joshua Tree National Park: Visit Joshua Tree National Park, which shares the name of the iconic desert plant. The twisted branches and jagged leaves of the Joshua Tree is like something out of a fairy tale. Learn how two distinct ecosystems, the Mojave and the Colorado deserts come together in Joshua Tree. Many animals, such as the desert tortoise, the jackrabbit and the desert bighorn sheep, call this vast wilderness home. With a keen eye, perhaps spot some yourself.
• Yuma: Visit The Yuma Territorial Prison, a living museum of the Old West with structures over a century old, you will be transported to the past. Now one of the territory’s most recognizable historic landmarks.
• Saguaro National Park: Celebrate the symbol of America’s west at Saguaro National Park. Learn how this national park strives to protect the giant saguaro, America's largest species of cacti.

• Tucson: Take a walking tour of Mission Garden, a living agricultural museum of Sonoran Desert-adapted heritage fruit trees, traditional local heirloom crops and edible native plants. Mission Garden is the birthplace of Tucson, where archaeologists have documented 4,100 years of continuous cultivation. You'll discover some of the over a dozen distinct multi-cultural, ethno-agricultural heritage plots, each representing one of the many ethnic groups that farmed the Tucson Basin over the last four millennia as you learn about Tucson’s history and gardening in the Sonoran Desert. End at the Garden Shop where you’ll be treated to a tasting of seasonal fruit (or edible plant, or vegetable).

• : Visit Las Vegas, Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area and Coachella Valley Yuma Territorial Prison and Calico Ghost Town and Palm Springs Windmill Energy Farm
• : Explore Palm Springs and Tucson
• : Discover some of the desert National Parks of the US including Death Valley National Park, Joshua Tree National Park and Saguaro National Park
• : See Las Vegas from above from the Highroller

• : An expert Travel Director and professional Driver
• : Cherry-picked hotels, all tried and trusted
• : All porterage and restaurant gratuities
• : All hotel tips, charges and local taxes
• : Breakfast daily and up to half of your evening meals
• : Must-see sightseeing and surprise extras
• : Audio headsets for flexible sightseeing
• : All transport and transfers shown
• : Luxury air-conditioned coach with Wi-Fi in most countries or alternative transportation (such as rail journeys)
• : Optional Experiences and free timeSee more packages & deals for Western USA

Joshua Tree National Park is located just south of the town of Joshua Tree and 140 mi/225 km east of Los Angeles. With trees that look like they jumped from the pages of a Dr. Seuss children's book, the beautiful park is also a rock climbers' oasis—with desert, mountains and wilderness. Free Joshua Tree Travel Vacation Package Quote

Joshua Tree Travel Travel Agents

Sherri Brown

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After a quick visit to the Oasis Visitor's Center at Twentynine Palms or the Visitor's Center at Joshua Tree, drive to Jumbo Rocks to view the various rock formations and Skull Rock. Or meander through Cholla Cactus Garden and the thorny Ocotillo Patch.

On clear days, which are pretty common, the panorama from Keys View extends beyond Salton Sea to Mexico. There are 12 self-guided nature walks in the park and ranger-guided tours are offered by reservation, including to Key's Ranch, a historic homestead. Permits are available for backcountry camping.

The park is busiest in the winter, most notably with rock climbers. Summer in the park can be challenging during the day because of the extreme temperatures. There are no restaurants, hotels, gas stations or stores in the park, so prepare before you go. There are nine rudimentary campgrounds in the park, but only two of them (Black Rock and Cottonwood) have running water and flush toilets. There are no showers or other modern amenities in any of the campsites. Wildflower season is late February, and spring is a great time for bird-watching. http://www.nps.gov/jotr/index.htm.