Itinerary - Far West 360°: Los Angeles, Las Vegas and the National Parks

Roundtrip flights or transportation to reach the destination are not included in the package, so you can decide from where and when you want to leave! This gives you complete freedom of choice to adjust your travel itinerary to your needs.

Check-in at the hotel in Los Angeles. Beverly Hills will have to wait a little longer: tonight we all get together for our first dinner together (hamburgers or hot dogs?!) and tomorrow we leave for Palm Springs! What better place to start getting to know each other?

Good morning WeRoaders, we are almost there! Our on-the-road is about to begin: after breakfast, we head to the car rental and finally can sit in our cars; the journey will not be long but there's still one question that need an answer: do we have the perfect playlist already?!

This adventure promises incredible views and a sense of wonder and discovery along the way: it will be up to us to decide how many and which stops to make along the way because a true on-the-road is above all freedom!

Once we arrive in Palm Springs, we leave our backpacks at the hotel and head straight to Joshua Tree National Park - a fascinating and unique national park located in southeastern California and known for its striking desert landscapes, iconic Joshua trees, and a wide variety of natural wonders! We're in the Coachella Valley - the name rings a bell, doesn't it? Of course it does, because this valley is home to the world-famous festival and offers incredible views and spots perfect for a photo op in full Coachella Style (watch out for the outfit!).

Today we will grind out miles and miles of pure wonder, are you ready? We better get an early start because while it is true that there are many miles to cover, it is also true that the road will be the real star... and what a road! Does the name Route 66 ring a bell?

We leave Palm Springs and head to Oatman, Arizona - it will take between 3 and 4 hours so get comfortable! In Oatman we will feel like we are in a movie, among donkeys, miners and cowboys! Oatman is a charming, tiny town trapped between the Black Mountains towering over the Mojave Desert: just over half a century ago it was a great strategic base for miners and prospectors, and the atmosphere is still what it used to be so get ready for a real-time jump.

And then, finally, we will drive down the iconic Route 66 until we get to Flagstaff: on the way we can stop in Seligman, known as the birthplace of historic Route 66, full of drive-ins with a unique atmosphere, or at the Hackberry General Store, a gas station later converted into a museum store, themed 66 of course! And if you haven't seen "Cars", now is the time to do so!

Immediately after breakfast, we go to visit one of the most famous parks in the United States, second perhaps only to Yellowstone: the Grand Canyon. The first emotion that overwhelms you when you see the Grand Canyon is pure awe. The vastness of the canyon, the immense depth and the towering multicoloured cliffs make us feel tiny in the face of nature's grandeur. Our starting point will be Mather Point and then move on to Powell Point, a peninsula of rock from which we can observe the major and minor rapids, and hear the roar of the water below us. We have quite a bit of time to discover this incredible park: again, there are plenty of trails to discover and explore - we can descend and go deeper into the canyon, but remember one thing: to get back up we have quite a climb ahead of us!

Another day, another park! But this time we will explore the area in a different way: by jeep, with a guided hike inside Monument Valley, discovering the Navajo culture. Monument Valley is considered sacred by the Navajo people. The towering sandstone hills and mesa are not only geological wonders but are believed to have spiritual significance and are part of the Navajo creation story.

After the hike, we move on to Page, where we will spend the night waiting for another unique wonder: the Antelope Canyon.

Today we can't miss Antelope Canyon, where the sun's rays shine through the canyon walls. This is a world-famous slot canyon, renowned for its beautiful narrow passages and the play of light and shadow on its smooth, carved sandstone walls. Antelope Canyon was formed by millions of years of erosion caused by flash floods and wind. Running water, laden with sand and debris, has gradually carved narrow, winding passages in the Navajo sandstone and is a photographer's paradise - you've charged your camera battery, haven't you?

In the late afternoon, we move on to our final destination: Bryce Canyon! And hear this: we will stay in Bryce for a full two nights - time for some laundry maybe?

Bryce is not really a canyon but more like a series of horseshoe-shaped amphitheatres. The largest, the one we are going to visit, is the Bryce Amphitheater, located in the heart of the area. Everywhere before our eyes we will see hoodoos, deep grooves created by the erosion of water, wind and ice in the rock. We will have a chance to immerse ourselves in this almost fairy-like landscape by taking one of the trails that lead us to the bottom of the valley.

Legend has it that the hoodoos are an ancient Legendary People, turned to stone by the Coyotes as punishment for doing evil deeds - so if we see any rocks moving, don't worry, it's just a bunch of ghosts!

Our final destination today is the famous Zion National Park: cliffs plunging some 3.000 feet, distinctive bright red and white colors, incredible carved rocks flanking hanging valleys, small waterfalls cascading down the high walls... In short, hand to your cameras, there is so much here to imprint in your memory. Will you let this enchanted place steal a piece of your soul?

We will have a chance to explore the park far and wide: there are many trekking routes for all tastes, so let's decide together which one to take. Certainly one of the most famous is the one that leads to the breathtaking view from Angels Landing: you will struggle a bit, but it is worth it. In front of us, the whole valley will open up and we will enjoy a 360-degree perspective on the park!

In Las Vegas, when darkness comes, everything lights up and gives us an unparalleled show! You can't be in the city of sin and not experience a crazy night: we get all dolled up, consider going crazy and renting a limo (which is quite common around here!) and then decide which of the many clubs we want to go to to celebrate!

After a crazy night, we head from Las Vegas to the lowest and hottest point in North America: Death Valley, an expanse of sand alternating with salt flats, hills, canyons and jagged rock formations. The story goes that in this huge desert isolated from everything, in 1849 a group of prospectors died crossing it in an attempt to find a shortcut to the central valleys of California. The tour starts at Furnace Creek, the main center of the valley, and then goes to Zabriskie Point, Dante's View - located at 1,800 feet - Artist Drive, Artist's Palette until you get to Badwater Basin, the salt lake, decreed the lowest point in North America.

For those of us early risers, we can wake up before the sun to admire an incredible sunrise in the middle of... nothingness. Written like that it sounds bad, but we assure you: it is absolutely worth it! We enjoy these last moments of peace before returning to the hustle and bustle of the big metropolis: in fact, we spend most of the day on the road to get to the last leg of this adventure: Los Angeles. We will leave Ridgecrest for Griffith Observatory, just outside Los Angeles, about two and a half hours from where we are. A stop here is a must, to admire the view that opens up before us: the enveloping atmosphere of the "Golden State" will be incredible. We then go to the facility that will host us in LA; we have plenty of time to settle in, have dinner in a typical restaurant and spend the evening in a bar, sampling a good cocktail.

This morning we arrive at the Santa Monica Pier where Route 66 ends, drop off the cars and - and pick up the bikes! We continue to Venice Beach, with its endless white sand beaches, surfers and street performers. During happy hour we enjoy a nice drink along the beach to admire the sun setting over the sea. If not clear, today we indulge in a relaxing day among the beautiful beaches of L.A. to end our American trip in the best possible way, we deserve it!

Time to say goodbye! See you soon in another WeRoad adventure!