Pioneer Trails

Arrive at San Francisco International Airport, pick up your car and proceed into the City by the Bay, beautiful San Francisco.

Afterward, enjoy a wonderful day touring the city and seeing places like Union Square, The Presidio, Golden Gate Bridge, and Fisherman’s Wharf, where you can take a short boat trip to tour infamous Alcatraz Island.

Begin your drive this morning via Castroville to Monterey. Visit Cannery Row (brought to fame by John Steinbeck’s novel) and the quaint village of Carmel. Enjoy stunning views of the rugged coastline and the Pacific Ocean on 17-Mile Drive, then continue to your hotel for your overnight stay.

Today drive along the Pacific Coast Highway, passing San Simeon and Morro Bay to Santa Barbara. Continue toward the cosmopolitan city of Los Angeles and your hotel.

This morning, you will enjoy a comprehensive city tour of Los Angeles including the hip Santa Monica, glamorous Hollywood and posh Beverly Hills. You will be able to stop by the "finish line" of historic Route 66, see an iconic Californian lifeguard tower made famous by "Baywatch", walk on the boulevard of stars and take a great photo of the famous Hollywood sign. The afternoon is yours to explore more on your own or join an optional excursion to Universal Studios where you will learn all about how movies are made.

Today head for Palm Springs, a favorite playground for the stars of the entertainment industry. Palm Springs is known for its golf courses, palm trees, and lavish private homes. Enjoy a desert sunset by the pool of your hotel.

There is time this morning to shop in the exclusive boutiques and shops of Palm Springs before driving to Scottsdale and Phoenix. Phoenix is one of the fastest growing cities in the United States, mainly due to the dry climate and many days of sunshine.

You will have an opportunity for plenty of sightseeing today as you visit the ancient cliff dwellings known as Montezuma Castle. Then continue to the idyllic town of Sedona, nestled among red sandstone buttes and pinnacles, this is a spiritual place and sure to be a highlight.

This morning a short drive takes you to Oak Creek Canyon and Flagstaff, which may look familiar as many scenes have been filmed here for Western movies. Then arrive at the extraordinary Grand Canyon. You have the day to stroll along the South Rim and experience this awesome work of nature, with its plunging gorges – and two kilometers below the rim – the mighty Colorado River.

Today’s drive takes you through Williams on historic route 66 and Kingman to one of the world’s greatest man–made structures, the Hoover Dam, which marks the border between Arizona and Nevada. Continue to Las Vegas, the glittering "Entertainment Capital of the World," open 24–hours a day for nonstop fun and gambling.

A full day at leisure in Las Vegas. Enjoy the shopping, dining and gaming that make Vegas the playground that never sleeps.

Spend the morning at leisure in Las Vegas. Depart at noon for the drive across the Amargosa Desert to Death Valley National Park. At Zabriskie Point you can admire the panoramic view of this seemingly endless, unchanging valley. This evening, head outside for some of the best stargazing in the world.

Today offers a complete contrast in landscape from the desolation of Death Valley, as the drive takes you into the high Sierra Nevada Mountains via Bishop to the Tioga Pass** and Yosemite, one of America’s most scenic national parks. Here, among pine trees, cascade the silvery waters of the Yosemite and Bridalveil Falls. Massive ice–shaped formations rise sharply from the valley floor in the sculptured beauty of El Capitan and Half Dome.

From Yosemite, take a drive west across the state of California and return to San Francisco.

Return your car at the airport before your departure flight.