Travel Dates

Promomann

My husband and I are looking to travel on the America's Canyonland tour in Spring 2015. Can anyone share their feelings for the best time to take this trip. We are leaning towards early May. Also, why are the April 27 and May 11 tours about $500 more per person, although they are already sold out. Thanks in advance for anything you can share.

[Deleted User]

Promomann: Those are small group departures. It's easy to overlook, but there is a pull-down option to screen the available dates for small groups (less than 24 guaranteed). We like the small groups, at least for cultural/exotic tours where hearing the guide narratives as you move along is particularly important. For the Canyonlands tour (which we haven't done, though been there), this probably isn't as important (the landscape is LARGE...plenty of room). As far as I know, they'll still cap the tour at a bus-comfortable number (~40), though that's another advantage for the small groups since the ones we've been on have used the same full-size buses so you can spread out.

Anyway, that's the explanation for the cost difference.

Promomann

Hi Portolan. Thanks for your quick response.. I just looked up the small group and that looks great. We have never done a Tauck tour, let alone a small group but it looks great. Can you recommend a season/month for the Canyonland tour since you have already been there. Thanks

[Deleted User]

We didn't do the tour with Tauck and it has been many years. That part of the Southwest is dry year around so the main issue is temperature. This link to Bryce Canyon National Park gives average temperatures for each month: http://www.nps.gov/brca/planyourvisit/weatheroutlook.htm. Monthly Grand Canyon temperatures are listed at: http://explorethecanyon.com/weather/. I'd avoid the mid-summer (which is probably why the small group departures in July and August are a bit less expensive).

flatlands64

I went on the Canyonlands Tauck tour a few years ago in August. Even though it was hot the parks were cool and beautiful. All the places we stayed had AC but Bryce. We really didn't need it. This is an outdoor trip and we did not have one day of rain. Just beautiful weather. The only place that was truly uncomfortably hot was Senoma and we were there only a few hours. I am a solo traveler and really enjoyed the whole group. Actually, the friendliest group I have traveled with on the three tours I have been on. There were about 30 of us and we all had plenty of room on the bus and wherever we went. This is a beautiful trip and Tauck makes it even better. I am sure if you went in May or the fall it would be cooler.