AAA Traveler - Spring 2019 - 29

morph into shades of orange, rose and red with
the sun's passing rays.
Nearby, Canyonlands National Park is defined in
part by the forces of the Colorado and Green rivers. The
powerful waterways chisel patterns into the vast red rock
mesa at Canyonlands' Island in the Sky, a broad expanse
that rests on sheer sandstone cliffs over 1,000 feet sandstone
above the surrounding terrain.
In Utah's southwest corner, Zion National Park's cliff
faces of cream, pink and salmon rock stand against a
brilliant blue sky. Soak in the grandeur of Zion's towering
Court of the Patriarchs and Emerald Pools, and shimmy
through Zion's legendary slot canyons before heading
out the next day to Utah's Bryce Canyon National Park.
It's famous for encompassing the largest concentration of
weathered, irregular rock pinnacles, or hoodoos, found
anywhere on the planet. Expansive swaths of hoodoos make
up the Aquarius Plateau and Thor's Hammer formations,
each comprised of slender, impossibly-balanced columns of
creamy-orange rock and visible at observation points such
as Sunrise, Sunset and Inspiration points. Your national
park tour wraps up its Utah leg in beautiful Salt Lake City,
with free time to explore Utah's capital city.

The Beauty of Yellowstone
From Utah, you'll travel north for a visit to America's
original national park, Yellowstone. A magical world of
boiling mud pots, hissing fumaroles, steaming springs and
spouting geysers hints at the extent of thermal activity lying
just beneath visitors' feet. In fact, Yellowstone is so rich
in exotic thermal features that 19th-century Americans
dismissed early explorers' accounts as the tales of madmen.
Amtrak Vacations' "Grand National Parks Discovery
on the California Zephyr" tour takes travelers to the most
popular of Yellowstone's natural attractions. Stand
with visitors from around the world to marvel
at the powerful spray of Old Faithful.
Admire the otherworldly colors of
the Grand Prismatic Spring,
and watch the slow
and steady
progress

of a grazing bison herd in the fertile Hayden Valley. Your
Yellowstone National Park guide will explain the geology
behind the region's natural phenomena and can help you
spot elusive wildlife.

San Francisco and Yosemite
An overnight Amtrak Vacations journey carries visitors
to the Pacific coast for a day of urban exploration in what
is perhaps California's loveliest city: San Francisco. Take a
walk across the city's famed Golden Gate Bridge, or visit
the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Travel by ferry
out to Alcatraz Island or visit the resident sea lion colony on
Fisherman's Wharf.
After a day of city pleasures, it's off to Yosemite for a final
national park visit. Yosemite National Park holds a special
place in the hearts of Californians and lovers of America's
national parks. John Muir's playground and the inspiration
for photographers and wilderness enthusiasts, Yosemite was
awarded national park status in 1890.
Extraordinary snow-capped mountains and towering
waterfalls still inspire visitors today. See the best of Yosemite's
natural beauty, stopping at overlooks to photograph the
vaulted nearly 5,000-foot Half Dome, Yosemite Falls and the
towering 3,000-foot El Capitan, one of the world's largest
granite monolith. Admire the beauty of mountain
meadows dotted with wildflowers. And linger
as the sun sets to take in the brilliance
of a starlit sky, a final send-off
to your national park
adventure.

Ready to ride the rails to our national
parks? Call your AAA Travel Agent at
800-750-5386 and book your expedition!
Yellowstone National Park

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AAA Traveler - Spring 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AAA Traveler - Spring 2019
