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THE GREAT NORTHWEST & ROCKIES
8 days, 7 nights
Overnight
at the Westin Seattle Hotel – Welcome cocktail
reception and private dinner – 7 dinners with
complimentary wine – 6 lunches – 7 full
American breakfasts and optional continental breakfasts – Non-alcoholic
beverages – Professionally guided tours of
Glacier, Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks,
Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center, C.M. Russell
Museum - Comprehensive lecture series – Live
piano music nightly – Deluxe rail accommodations
for five nights – Personal service by rail
car attendant – Farewell cocktail reception
OPTIONAL
TOURS – Glacier
National Park Scenic Hike and Float Trip – Snake
River Scenic Float Trip – Exploring Yellowstone
Hike
DAY 1 – Arrive In Seattle,
Washington
After
independent arrivals at the hotel, we meet for our
private dinner. We take this opportunity to introduce
the train staff and other guests who will be joining
us on our journey. This evening we overnight
at the Westin Seattle Hotel. (D)
DAY 2 – Seattle/Board The American
Orient Express
After
breakfast in the hotel, we travel by motorcoach and
enjoy a morning tour of Seattle, including Pike Place
Market, and a harbor boat cruise with a private lunch. After
our guided tour, we continue to the train station,
where we board the American Orient Express. This
evening, dinner is served in the dining cars as we
take in the natural beauty of Washington State en route
to Glacier National Park. (B,L,D)
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DAY 3 – Glacier National Park
This
morning, we arrive in Glacier National Park. Before
departing on our day’s journey, breakfast is
served on the train. Glacier National Park was
established at the height of romantic train travel,
and we reach this section of the park much as passengers
did in 1913, when the station was built. As part
of our tour, we journey along the Going-To-The-Sun
Highway, considered the most scenic road in the country. The
tour provides many opportunities to photograph wildlife
and glaciers and includes a stop at St. Mary’s
Lake. This evening, we return to the train to
enjoy dinner and overnight en route to Helena, Montana. (B,L,D)
DAY 4 – En Route to Helena,
Montana
Wake
up this morning to the beautiful countryside and enjoy
the amenities of the train as we travel through the
picturesque Flathead Indian Reservation lands on our
way to Helena. Enjoy a lecture and afternoon
tea before dinner is served this evening in the dining
cars. (B,L,D)
DAY 5 – Great Falls, Montana
Breakfast
is served this morning on the train before we depart
on motorcoaches for the C.M. Russell Museum – dedicated
to western artist Charles M. Russell. The museum,
along with an annual art auction, attracts more than
10,000 artists and art collectors each year. After
lunch in an historic home, we stop at the Lewis and
Clark National Historic Trail and Interpretive Center. There
we learn more about the famous expedition. In
the evening we enjoy dinner and overnight en route
to Saint Anthony. (B,L,D)
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DAY 6 – Yellowstone National Park
After
breakfast is served on the train, we board motorcoaches
with our overnight bags and set out to experience Yellowstone
National Park. Wildlife such as black and grizzly
bears, bald eagles and herds of bison and elk inhabit
the two-million acres of protected land at Yellowstone
National Park. The more than 10,000 boiling springs,
mud pots and geysers – including Old Faithful – are
testimonies to the geothermal activity miles below
the earth’s surface. The day is spent exploring
the park with frequent stops for photo opportunities,
lunch and guided tours. After a full day in the
region, we check into a nearby hotel for dinner and
overnight. (B,L,D)
DAY 7 – Grand Teton National
Park, Wyoming
This
morning, we enjoy breakfast at the hotel before boarding
motorcoaches. Fields of buttercups, pine forests
and the delicate stands of aspens decorate the valley
at the base of the serrated Teton Mountains. At
the foot of these mountains lie Jackson and Jenny Lakes – a
favorite site for photographers and sightseers. Centuries
ago, Native Americans hunted the great elk herds that
gathered at the foot of the range – perhaps the
most abrupt and breathtaking in America, with Grand
Teton Mountain rising to 13,770 feet. Today we
spend the day exploring this spectacular region, stopping
for lunch at the Museum of Wildlife Art which overlooks
an elk refuge. Late this afternoon, we transfer
back to the train to enjoy a relaxing evening, complete
with a farewell cocktail reception and dinner. We
overnight on board en route to Salt Lake City. (B,L,D)
DAY 8 – Salt Lake City, Utah
The American
Orient Express adventure ends after breakfast. You
make arrangements to return home, or stay on in Salt
Lake City for further exploration. (B)
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