24 - 30 Sep 2025
Prices from GBP £4,235.00
A desert adventure: A guided geo-tour of Utah’s landscapes and culture
This small-group Utah vacation package explores un-tamed landscapes from the “deep time” lens of earth history and tells stories of Native Americans, early explorers, miners, outlaws and Mormon settlers
Highlights
- Immerse yourself in iconic western settings – Colorado National Monument, Capitol Reef and Arches national parks, Goosenecks and Dead Horse Point state parks – and let our local expert show you how to “read the rocks”.
- Explore the cliff dwellings and the enigmatic petroglyphs and pictographs of Fremont, Ancestral Puebloan and Native American peoples.
- Visit the Edge of the Cedars Museum in Blanding, an outstanding museum that preserves the artifacts and the history of the prehistoric Native Americans who lived in these canyons.
- Cross the San Juan River into the foreign landscapes of Monument Valley, used for western movies, for a tour from a Navajo guide.
- Travel with expert guide Russell Davies, a geologist with a particular interest on Native American lore, and stay in hotels with dramatic views of Utah’s red rocks.
- The tour begins and ends in Grand Junction, Colorado.
Reviews from Recent Runs
“The tour was just magic!” SM
“Some trips are memorable for the destinations. Others are memorable for the experiences. This tour was both!” KB
Overview
SE Utah holds a wealth of fascinating geological and cultural stories. Join our geo-tour to learn about the rocks and their influence on the history of the area.
Starting in Grand Junction we travel west across the flat desert landscape to Torrey, the gateway to Capitol Reef National Park. We will hike a slot canyon of Capitol Reef’s dramatic Waterpocket Fold, walk to Hickman Bridge (examining a granary and pictographs along the way) and visit early Mormon settlements along shady tree-lined streams.
We will then head southeast to Bluff, a quiet but historical town that has escaped being over-run by overzealous tourists. We will enjoy spectacular views across the Colorado River and learn about towns and canyons buried when Lake Powell formed behind the Glen Canyon Dam. There will be an opportunity to walk narrow canyons with paintings and etchings of long-vanished communities and to view cliff dwellings in the canyon walls. A side trip to Arizona allows for a Navajo-guide led tour of Monument Valley.
Our route continues north to bustling Moab and the accessible landscapes of nearby Arches and Canyonlands national parks. We will walk among arches, spires and dinosaur tracks and have the opportunity for a hike across settings featured in countless Westerns.
We end our journey back in Grand Junction.
Activity Level: Leisurely. Walks are generally less than ¼ mile (½km), with the option of walks of up to 2 miles (3km) on several days (view activity level definitions).
Transport: We will use a comfortable coach suited to the number of attendees.
Accommodation: We will be lodging in hotels with iconic views of red rocks, landscapes and rivers. See our list of hotels in the Need to Know tab.
Weather: Spring and Fall days in southern Utah are generally mild to warm, with cool nights. Rain, and even snow, is always possible.
Other tours you may be interested in
Utah National Parks Tour, 6 nights in April 2025; or
Canadian Badlands and Rocky Mountains Tour, 6 nights in June 2025
Tour Map
Day 1 - Grand Junction to Torrey, Utah
The group will meet in the morning at a location in central Grand Junction for an overview of the tour and then depart for a drive across the Colorado National Monument, discussing the geology and the history of the Grand Valley with a few short walks for dramatic overviews. Drive west with a brief stop at Thompson Springs to view petroglyphs and pictographs on cliff walls.
Continue west across the San Rafael Swell, a major dome rising from the desert floor, making several stops for panoramic views to ‘read’ the landscapes and hear about Native Americans, ranchers, outlaws and mining. Picnic lunch at one of the stops.
Continue southwards into Torrey along the Fremont River.
- Hotel: Capitol Reef Resort, Torrey
- Introductory group dinner, Torrey
Day 2: In and around Capitol Reef National Park
Visit Capitol Reef National Park, beginning with a stimulating walk to the spectacular Hickman Bridge, a large natural arch (1.5 miles / 3km, 400 foot / 120m elevation gain), passing a Fremont pit house and granary ruin along the way. After a brief stop at the park's visitor center we will visit the old town of Fruita, review the area's geology and have a picnic lunch.
We then drive along Slickrock Drive to Capitol Gorge, absorbing the landscapes, geology and history of the park. We will take a short, easy walk into the narrow, impressive gorge (1 mile / 1.6km roundtrip, no elevation change) to view petroglyphs and see Register Rock with names of early explorers.
Return to Torrey, stopping along the way to admire spectacular Fremont petroglyphs along the Fremont River. If the night is clear after dinner, return to the park for star gazing. The park is designated as an International Dark Sky Park.
- Hotel: Capitol Reef Resort, Torrey
- Free evening for dinner
Day 3: Torrey to Bluff, Utah
Leave our Torrey hotel following breakfast and drive east to Hanksville and then southward past the Henry Mountains to the Colorado River. Stops will include key geological and archeological sites, such as petroglyphs exposed near springs, and panoramic views of Lake Powell.
Continue to Blanding making several stops to view prehistoric ruins along the roadside and abandoned ruins at the end of a short trail. Turning south on UT 191 at Blanding leads across the flat plains into Bluff.
- Hotel: Bluff Dwelling Resort and Spa, Bluff
- Group dinner outdoors at the hotel with a view of the red rocks
Day 4: Around Bluff
Morning free to enjoy the hotel spa, explore the town of Bluff and Bluff Fort, or participate in an optional morning tour with choices of the Wolfman Panel, Monarch Cave (with 3 miles of moderate hiking) or a drive across the Valley of the Gods and up the Moki Dugway to the Muley Point Overlook. Many of these areas are now protected in the boundaries of the Bears Ears National Monument. We can arrange a tour with a local guide.
After lunch, we drive to Gooseneck State Park for spectacular views of the meanders in the San Juan River, and then on to the Navajo Tribal Park in Monument Valley, known for its rock spires as backdrops to westerns, for a tour from a Navajo guide.
Dinner at the View Restaurant in Monument Valley before returning to Bluff.
- Hotel: Bluff Dwelling Resort and Spa, Bluff
- Group dinner in Monument Valley
Day 5: Bluff to Moab
We begin with a stop at a renowned site of petroglyphs along the San Juan River and then head to Blanding and the Edge of the Cedars Museum, adjacent to rebuilt ruins and kivas. Our visit will include a back-room tour to see many artifacts not normally on display.
We then continue northward towards Canyonlands National Park to a spring in the valley adjacent to Newspaper Rock, a cliff panel with pictographs that represent different Native tribes over a thousand years. This is one of the most dramatic assemblages of petroglyphs discovered and is now protected as part of the Bears Ears National Monument. Picnic lunch.
Free afternoon in Moab to visit the visitor center, shops and have dinner in town on your own.
- Hotel: Fairfield Inn and Suites, Moab
- Free evening for dinner
Day 6: Around Moab
Breakfast in the hotel and early departure for Arches National Park.
Morning and picnic lunch in the park, where we will elaborate on the fascinating 300-million-year history of the rocks – a story of ancient seas, deep burial of the rocks and later uplift back to the surface. Our expert will reveal how the origin of the different rock layers helps create the spectacular arches and discuss controversies about their evolution. We will view some of the park’s many arches up close. Our visit will include a short walk to the Delicate Arch viewing point (1/2 mile / .8km).
Drive north to Dead Horse Point State Park, with dramatic views of the Colorado River and Canyonlands National Park. Stops to see classic Fremont petroglyphs along the river and dinosaur tracks.
- Hotel: Fairfield Inn and Suites, Moab
- Final group dinner
Day 7: Moab to Grand Junction
.jpeg "The Colorado River and Fisher Towers near Castle Valley, Utah, with the La Sal Mountains in the background.")
Leisurely morning at the hotel to enjoy the sunrise along the cliff faces and the peaceful views of the river. For early risers, a walk into red-rock country can be arranged before the 11 AM checkout.
Return to Grand Junction along the river road through Cisco, a ghost town, onto I-70. In Fruita, Colorado, take a short hike along a trail to an active dinosaur quarry.
Tour ends; participants can be delivered to a downtown hotel to continue their exploration of the American West or to the Grand Junction airport.
Note: this provisional itinerary is subject to change as specific locations and accommodations release more information regarding access for 2025.
Single Supplement
Double room for single occupancy is £615 / $818.
Activity Level
The activity level is rated as LEISURELY, requiring an average level of fitness (view activity level definitions).
Most stops will require walks of less than ¼ mile (1/2km), but days 2, 3 and 5 will include walks of up to 1 ½ miles (2km) with modest elevation gains (up to 400 ft / 120m). Some walks will take place on irregular surfaces, so sturdy footwear is required. The activity level will be described at each stop and participants can decide whether to participate.
Spring and Fall days are generally mild to warm (18–28°C/65–82°F) with cool nights (10–18°C/50–65°F). However, changeable conditions should be anticipated, with rain or snow possible, and a wind- and waterproof jacket is recommended. Tour elevations are between 4000–6000 ft (1200–1800 m).
Transport
We will travel in a comfortable air-conditioned vehicle suited to the number of attendees.
The Tour Includes/Excludes
The Tour Includes:
- The services of your tour expert, who will be with the group throughout the tour, providing pre-visit briefings, walking seminars and available to answer questions.
- A tour manager, who will attend to logistical matters, oversee the group’s health and safety and assist participants with their queries.
- All transportation costs from the start to the end of the tour, including the services of a professional coach driver.
- All accommodation costs for the nights stated, assuming double occupancy rooms. Single occupancy rooms are available for a surcharge. See Single Supplement in "Need to Know" tab.
- All breakfasts, lunches and dinners, except for the dinner in Torrey on Day 2 and Moab on Day 5.
- Entry fees, local guide fees and activity fees, where arranged as part of the tour.
- Most gratuities and all service charges
The Tour Excludes:
- Travel insurance: Guests should carry their own health and travel insurance.
- Alcoholic drinks with meals are not included.
- Optional activities as described in the tour itinerary or extra activities that are not described in the itinerary.
- Personal expenditures, including bar bills, laundry bills, and the cost of meals on two free evenings.
- Transportation to the start venue or from the end venue of the tour (air fares are not included).
- Passport and visa fees.
Alternate Activities
Our tour leader is happy to provide suggestions for alternative activities for guests who prefer not to participate in certain parts of the tour walks or visits, or group dinners.
Accommodation
Nights 1 and 2: Capitol Reef Resort, Torrey, Utah
Located at the doorstep of Capitol Reef National Park, with stunning sightseeing and gorgeous mountain views.
Nights 3 and 4: Bluff Dwelling Resort and Spa, Bluff, Utah
Bluff’s newest hotel is nestled among the majesty and solitude of hundred-million-year-old sandstone cliffs, where history whispers ancient legends from ancestral Puebloan-inspired dwellings.
Nights 5 and 6: Fairfield Inn and Suites, Moab, Utah
This newly-renovated property is the closest hotel to Arches National Park. Its comfortable rooms offer dramatic views of the park and of the Colorado River.
Note: If required for reasons beyond our control, GeoCultura reserves the right to substitute alternate accommodations. All attempts will be made to substitute hotels of equal quality.
Deposit and Payment Terms
Deposit: A deposit of 10% of the tour price is due upon registration for a tour.
Final payment: Full payment is due 60 days before a tour begins, or upon registration if within the 60-day window.
Cancellation by participant: A participant may cancel a registration after securing a confirmed place on a tour for any reason. The following refund terms will apply:
- Greater than 60 days before tour begins: Any monies paid plus half of the deposit will be refunded
- 30 to 59 days before tour begins: 35% of tour price will be refunded
- 15 to 29 days before tour begins: 25% of tour price will be refunded
- Within 14 days of tour or during the tour: No monies will be refunded
Cancellation by GeoCultura: GeoCultura reserves the right to cancel any tour due to low enrolment, inability to run the tour or concerns about the safety, health or welfare of participants. If a tour is cancelled before it begins, all monies paid will be refunded (including any deposit).
Please refer to our Terms and Conditions page for additional details.
Russell Davies
Russell Davies splits his time between homes in Dallas, Texas, and Grand Junction, Colorado. He developed an interest in the rocks around Moab, Utah, over 30 years ago and has been leading geological field trips to the area ever since. More recently, he has developed an interest in and knowledge of local history and archeology.
Russell is recently retired but consults for a worldwide range of clients and leads technical training courses. He has published papers on the structural geology of areas around the globe, including on the deformation of rocks across the Colorado Plateau.
Russell finds time each year to explore the high desert plateau and deep canyons of SE Utah, searching for ruins, rock art and new hiking trails and unraveling geological mysteries, making geology more of an avocation than a vocation. In his spare time he reads, hikes, bakes bread and rock crawls in a jeep.
The town of Grand Junction, a good place to begin exploring Colorado National Monument, the Grand Mesa and points beyond.
A room with a view, Capitol Reef Resort (Source: Capitol Reef Resort).
The trail to Hickman Bridge offers hikers an easy, spectacularly scenic trek up to this large natural arch.
The Hite Crossing Bridge over the Colorado River informally marks the upstream limit of Lake Powell.
John Ford’s Point, featured in many of his movies, overlooks a vast expanse of Monument Valley’s desert and sky.
A view of Castle Valley near Moab from La Sal Mountain.
House of Fire, named for its color under certain light, is an Anasazi cliff house near Blanding, Utah.
Iconic colors along the banks of the Colorado River.
