Six New Tours in Honor of the National Parks Centennial

From stargazing in Yosemite to carriage rides on historic routes in Acadia National Park, six new tours of the U.S. National Parks have unique twists that take them far beyond your average hike in the woods.

They come as the United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA) debuts a “Find Your Dream Vacation” section on its homepage dedicated to the parks, and its members roll out new deals and itineraries all over the country.

Here are a half dozen notable tours:

Trafalagar Tours
One of the nine tours Trafalagar Tours is offering this spring as part of its VIP Insider Experiences is the “Scenic Parks Explorer,” a nine-day tour including trips to Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton National Park, Arches National Park, Mesa Verde National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, Jackson, Denver, Monument Valley, and Las Vegas.

Globus Family of Brands
A whopping 103 days long, Globus’ Centennial Celebration: 100 Days of GoParks! tour takes travelers from Hawaii to Maine. Beginning July 7, 2016, in Honolulu and ending October 17, 2016, in Las Vegas, it is priced at $30,405. A percentage of the proceeds will be donated to the National Park Foundation.

Adventures by Disney
The seven-day Montana: Big Sky & Yellowstone National Park Tour is new for Disney, and designed for those with dreams of being a cowboy. The Disney touch includes horseback riding, fly fishing, zip lining, stargazing, and other outdoor adventures on a dude ranch in Big Sky; hiking in Yellowstone National Park; and visiting Old Faithful. The tours start at $3,919 per adult.

Cox & King’s Southwestern Spa and Healing Immersion
For a healing journey in America’s great outdoors, Cox and king has an eight-day tour described as a “healing and rejuvenating experience” in touch with nature, including a tour of sites by native American sites, the first connect with the outdoors. It includes a privately guided tour of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Taos from a Native American healer, and a hands-on cooking class with a Native American chef and scholar, as well as the natural hot springs of Ojo Caliente. There is a $250 discount for the trip based on double occupancy if traveling by Labor Day.

Austin Adventures
Austin is offering two tours to choose from: a six-day “Oregon-Crater Lake National Park” tour, including river rafting, berry picking, and a dip in a natural hot spring; or the new six-day “Glacier National Park” tour, which hikes all of the great lakes and glaciers in Montana.

In support of the Every Kid in the Park initiative commissioned by the National Parks and the White House, the parks will waive the fee for all fourth graders in 2016. As a member of the NPS Centennial Tour Operator Program, Austin also will donate $2 for every guest booked on one of the trips in 2016 to Tourism Cares, Inc., which is currently involved in the restoration of the parks.

Go Ahead
Go Ahead is introducing five new tours to the National Parks, bringing its total to nine. The 11-day “National Parks: Canadian Rockies, Glacier & Yellowstone” tour, for example, highlights the waterfalls in Yellowstone Park, drives the scenic Going-to-the Sun road in Glacier National Park, and takes travelers to the historic Great Tetons, dating back 10,000 years. Starting price is $2,249; a $200 discount is available for bookings made by March 31, 2016 (promo code: 16USTOA).