34 DAY | Bright Lights & Big Parks (finish San Francisco)
This tour visits: USA, Canada
A trip with just the right balance of natural wonders and city-hopping. In Canada
you’ll see Quebec, Montreal and Toronto and get wet and wild at Niagara Falls.
Over the border in the US go from the capital to the ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Capital of the
World’ (Cleveland), hit National Park after National Park and drop your jaw at
The Grand Canyon. You’ll swap the glitz of Vegas for N.America’s largest alpine
lake before taking on the hills of San Francisco. Jam-packed? Hell yeah.
UEBPNS-7
The Bucket List
More Inclusions
Yellowstone National Park
24 breakfasts, 1 lunch & 14 dinners
Party bus in Las Vegas
9 nights accommodation in hostels & 24 nights hotel upgrade
360 Chicago Observatory
Modern air-conditioned coach/mini-coach
Amish farm experience
Guided tours of all major cities
Niagara Voyage to the Falls boat tour
Awesome Trip Leader
Ghost tour of Quebec City
Niagara region wine tasting
Washington DC illumination tour
Mount Rushmore & Crazy Horse Memorials
Badlands & Grand Teton National Parks
Grand Canyon & Monument Valley
Cleveland Rock N Roll Hall of Fame
Trip Itinerary
Day 1 - New York City to Boston, Massachusetts
Batter up! We’re heading to a city immersed in the American Revolution and Independence movement. To sweeten the deal even more, we
hear Boston cream pie is on the must-eat list.
Meals:
-Dinner
Day 2 - Boston
Today is yours for exploring: the optional Fenway Park tour, Sam Adams brewery tour or Boston by bike should quench your thirst.
Meals:
-Breakfast
Optional activities:
-Fenway Park tour
-Sam Adams brewery tour
-Bike tour
Day 3 - Boston to Quebec City, Quebec
Perched on a cliff that towers over the St Lawrence River, Quebec City is old school Europe in the middle of North America. With 400 years of
spine-tingling history to draw upon, tonight’s ghost tour will unleash the darker side of this otherwise seemingly quaint city.
Meals:
-Breakfast
-Dinner
Included today:
-Quebec City ghost tour
Day 4 - Quebec City to Montreal
Get your last fix of Quebec this morning, we're out of here after lunch, and onto Montreal time. Did we mention it has a city underneath the
city? Yeah, you read that right. Tonight check out Blvd St. Laurent for a taste of the famed nightlife.
Meals:
-Breakfast
Day 5 - Montreal
A walking tour to get your bearings before it's over to you. Hike up the mountain that gave Montreal its name or hit up the optional food and
jet boating tours.
Meals:
-Breakfast
Included today:
-Walking tour of the old city
Optional activities:
-Food tour
-Jet boating
Day 6 - Montreal to Toronto, Ontario
Drive day through the Thousand Islands region and along Lake Ontario, and a quick stop in the nation’s capital. Next up: Toronto and breezy
lakes in Canada’s biggest city. Kensington is where the hipsters hang.
Meals:
-Breakfast
-Dinner
Day 7 - Toronto
With 8000 restaurants and counting, it’s hard to imagine anything in Toronto that doesn’t involve food – but the Ice Hockey Hall of Fame, an
optional walking tour and CN Tower will prove you wrong.
Meals:
-Breakfast
Optional activities:
-Walking tour
Day 8 - Toronto to Niagara Falls
Stop for a tipple at a local winery—then it’s off to “The Falls”. Cruise past all 3 sets of falls on our boat tour. Tonight: we’ll let the thunder of
four-million-cubic-feet of water per minute speak for us on our illuminated look-see.
Included today:
-Wine tasting
-Voyage to the Falls boat tour
Meals:
-Breakfast
-Dinner
Day 9 - Niagara Falls to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
With enough seaspray to last until the next encounter with Niagara Falls, we continue on to Pennsylvania - home to Pennsylvania Dutch, the
first computer and former capital of the US. Harrisburg has plenty of museums to keep your heart warm, or if your ears need a good tuning
head downtown for a jazz festival.
Meals:
-Breakfast
Day 10 - Harrisburg to Washington, District of Columbia
Hang on to your horse and buggy, we're in Amish country! Welcome to the simple life, where you'll enjoy a delicious home-cooked lunch at a
traditional Amish farm before it’s off to DC, and tonight’s illumination tour.
Included today:
-Amish Farm experience
-DC Illumination Tour
Meals:
-Breakfast
-Lunch
-Dinner
Day 11 - Washington, DC
Is that the Washington Monument or are you just happy to see me? Be a mall rat of a different kind today, hanging out at the US Capitol
Building, Reflecting Pool and War Memorials in National Mall. DC is the land of memorials, museums and monuments so don your best
hipster specs and carb up on culture. Lead your trivia team to victory when you get home.
Meals:
-Breakfast
Optional activities:
-Hop on/off bus tour
-Bike tour
-Segway tour
Day 12 - Washington, DC to Cleveland, Ohio
Swap the capital for Cleveland, otherwise known as the ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Capital of the World’. When you arrive, challenge your music knowledge
and see some of the greats with a tour of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame. Work your way through Blues and Bluegrass, Gospel and R ‘n’ B and
(of course) Rock ‘n’ Roll, and come out a music aficionado.
Included today:
-Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame
Meals:
-Breakfast
Day 13 - Cleveland to Chicago, Illinois, via Amish Country, Indiana
Shipshewana. Indiana. On your way to The Windy City, stop in Amish Country and see life lived at a slower pace. Then it’s time to switch
things up and hit Chicago. See the city from up high at the 360 Chicago Tower Observatory, and then charge yourself up so you’re ready to
take on the city for tomorrow’s free day. Thrills, spills and lashings of good food await.
Included today:
-360 Chicago Tower Observatory (incl. TILT)
Meals:
-Dinner
Day 14 - Chicago
If you’re feeling brave, take the jet boat out to experience the Great Lakes at 35 MPH, or if spectator sports are more your thing, try the
Wrigley Field tour. Go Cubs go! Whatever you do, make sure you get well acquainted with the city’s famous deep dish pizza and other
Chicagoen treats like jibarito sandwiches and Chicago dogs. Just remember the cardinal rules – poppy seed bun and no ketchup – it’s the way
the locals do it.
Meals:
-Breakfast
Optional activities:
-Jet boat
-Wrigley Field Tour
-Food tour
Day 15 - Chicago to Minneapolis/Bloomington, Minnesota
There are shopping malls and then there are shopping malls. The mall of America is the largest in the USA. Work your way around this city
within a city and shop until you drop (let’s just hope you packed light!). Afterwards there are lots of evening entertainment options to pick
from. One that involves putting your feet up might be advised.
Meals:
-Breakfast
Day 16 - Minneapolis/Bloomington to Mitchell, South Dakota
Today tick something off your bucket list. You can finally say that you’ve been to ‘The World’s Only Corn Palace’. Not only that, you’ll take a
(pun-tastic) tour to hear about the ‘a-maize-ing’ history inside and recent ‘corn-struction’, and take a look at the murals outside on the
observation deck. It’s a place that looks like no other, endearingly odd and wonderfully kooky, it’s a fun stop that’ll stick with you. There’s a
‘corn cam’ if you can’t wait to get there.
Included today:
-Mitchell Corn Palace tour
Meals:
-Breakfast
-Dinner
Day 17 - Mitchell to Mount Rushmore
It’s all good in the Badlands National Park. Once home to sabre-tooth tigers, today it’s all about striking sights and rugged panoramics. Do
you know your buttes from your pinnacles? Can you spot a spire from 20 paces? You will when you walk the trails, learn all about the area,
make the most of the viewpoints and fill your phone with photos. All before making your way to Rapid City, gateway to Mount Rushmore.
Included today:
-Badlands National Park entry
Meals:
-Breakfast
-Dinner
Day 18 - Mount Rushmore
We’ve all seen Mount Rushmore on screen, but it can’t prepare you for getting up close(ish) and personal with the 60ft faces of four US
presidents. Visit the Crazy Horse Memorial to hear about the lives of the North American Indians and the Battle of Little Big Horn. Then
there’s Custer State Park, which spans 71,000 acres, is home to some 1,300 bison and has heaps of historical tales to tell.
Included today:
-Mount Rushmore National Memorial
-Crazy Horse Memorial
-Custer State Park entry
Meals:
-Breakfast
Day 19 - Mount Rushmore to Cody, Wyoming
Welcome to Wyoming and a town that takes its name from William “Buffalo Bill” Cody, the all-American scout, bison-hunter and showman.
It’s the rodeo capital of the world, where you’ll feel you’ve walked into a Western. Rest those cowboy boots before a big day at Yellowstone
tomorrow.
Meals:
-Breakfast
-Dinner
Day 20 - Cody (Yellowstone National Park day trip)
Yellowstone was the world’s first National Park. Understandable when you see ‘Old Faithful’ geyser doing its thing, bubbling mudpots,
waterfalls, canyons and rainbow-making hot springs.
Plus the place is packed with wildlife, prime for spotting.
Included today:
-Yellowstone National Park entry
Day 21 - Cody to Jackson Hole
Yellowstone will have whet your appetite, so you’ll be ready to take on Grand Teton National Park. Here it’s all alpine terrain, pristine lakes
and more wildlife to marvel. This place is home to black bears, yellow-bellied marmots, and golden eagles, as well as some less colourful but
equally impressive moose and bison. Take it all in before heading to Jackson Hole.
Included today:
-Grand Teton National Park entry
Day 22 - Jackson Hole
With your free day, you could just choose to put your feet up. But when there’s whitewater rafting, horses riding and paragliding to pick from,
why would you? Plus there’s the hiking, mountain biking and kayaking too. This is not the place to sit still. That said, for a relaxed way to see
there area, there is the aerial tram that’ll take you up 4,139 feet and show you the stunning scenery. Treat yourself to a gourmet waffle at the
top.
Meals:
-Breakfast
Optional activities:
-Whitewater rafting
-Horse riding
-Paragliding
Day 23 - Jackson Hole to Salt Lake City, Utah
Feel the rhythm, feel the rhyme, get on up, because it’s bobsled time! If you enjoyed the high-octane activities of Jackson Hole, you can keep
the adrenaline pumping with a stop in Park City, where the alpine events took place for the 2002 Winter Olympics. There’s the Summer
Comet Bobsled, a zipline and the Alpine Slide. Or, take things a bit easier with a walk around the Olympic and ski museums before arriving in
Salt Lake City.
Meals:
-Breakfast
-Dinner
Day 24 - Salt Lake City to Moab
Start the morning with a tour of Temple Square in Salt Lake City and experience Mormon culture firsthand. Then it’s off to the small town
with a big personality, and thousands of miles of red rock scenery. The scenery has something of the Uluru about it, but on an even bigger
scale. Come sunset, head to Dead Horse Point to stand 2000 feet above the Colorado River and see the Canyonlands slip from day to night –
dare you not to feel warm and fuzzy inside.
Included today:
-Temple Square tour
-Sunset at Dead Horse Point
Meals:
-Breakfast
-Dinner
Day 25 - Moab
Arches National Park. There are 2000 weather and water-carved sandstone arches to see. Like finding shapes in clouds, you’ll see bridges,
picture frames, pipe organs and whatever your imagination can conjure up. You could go for a 4-wheel drive tour, try your hand at
canyoneering or skydive to get an unforgettable aerial view of the park. There’s also hiking and mountain biking if you want to really get up
close to Utah’s red rock country.
Meals:
-Breakfast
Optional activities:
-4-wheel drive tour
-Canyoneering
-Skydiving
Day 26 - Moab to Grand Canyon region, Arizona
Yá'át'ééh! Or welcome, to the home of the Navajo. On our way to that big hole in the ground, we’ll pass through Monument Valley and go via
Cameron Native American Trading Post, where you’ll learn the stories of the mesas. We’ll rest up for the night in Flagstaff before hitting the
canyon proper.
Included today:
-Monument Valley Tribal Park entry
Meals:
-Breakfast
-Dinner
Day 27 - Grand Canyon
Take your free day and soak it all in (including billions of years of rock history). If you take the chopper tour, you’ll get a 360° view of the
grandest of canyons. Or stay grounded (and feel smug) by hiking the rim. This is going to be one of those once-in-a-lifetime-type experiences,
however you spend your day.
Meals:
-Breakfast
Optional activities:
-Grand Canyon helicopter tour
Day 28 - Grand Canyon to Las Vegas, Nevada
From red stripes of the Grand Canyon to the Strip in Vegas, via the oh-so-famous Route 66. Arrive to a driving tour of the Strip and go around
the world ‘Vegas-style’, to see the Eiffel Tower, an Egyptian pyramid, the New York City skyline and Venice's St. Mark's Square. Then when sun
sets, board the bus and do what Vegas does best – parties.
Included today:
-Las Vegas party bus
Meals:
-Breakfast
Day 29 - Las Vegas
Anything goes in Vegas. You could go high with a heli-tour over the Strip or ride the High Roller Observation Wheel. If you feel the need for
speed, get your go-karting on. You can even go to a heavy equipment playground and drive a bulldozer around. Just remember to save some
energy for a nightclub crawl amongst the bright lights and sights.
Optional activities:
-Helicopter flight over The Strip
-High Roller Observation Wheel
-Go karting
-Nightclub Crawl
Day 30 - Las Vegas to Lake Tahoe
As the saying goes, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas, so leave it all behind and settle in for the drive to Lake Tahoe. Go from open
desert to the mountains of the Sierra Nevada, to North America’s largest alpine lake. All before dinner.
Meals:
-Dinner
Day 31 - Lake Tahoe
You have the largest freshwater lake in the US as your playground. Take in the fresh air and spend your free day in your own way. You can
get out on the lake with a boat tour, or dip into it with a swim, or take your pick of watersports. Then again, you could stay dry and stretch
your legs with a hike or mountain bike ride to see the lake from on high.
Optional activities:
-Lake Tahoe boat tour
Day 32 - Lake Tahoe to San Francisco, California
Hello San Fran! As you take a city tour of SF you’ll stroll the Golden Gate Bridge, spot ‘The Rock’ that is Alcatraz and hit up North Beach and
Chinatown. No tour would be complete without having a honking welcome from the sea lions of Fisherman’s Wharf, and no day should end
without a sunset catamaran cruise.
Included today:
-San Francisco sightseeing tour
Meals:
-Dinner
Optional activities:
-Sunset sailing cruise
Day 33 - San Francisco
Trolley rides, revisiting the 60’s in Haight Ashbury, pitting yourself against the incline of Lombard Street, today, you’re free to roam. If you’re
looking to hop over to Alcatraz to hear the stories of Al Capone and the other notorious inmates, be sure to book well in advance.
Day 34 - San Francisco
Our time together might be over, but we're betting you're not ready to say goodbye. Stick around in the “Frisco” and explore the city deeper
with a flower in your hair.
Accommodation
Hostel Plus trips host our most eclectic types of accommodation. While modern hostels make up the majority of your overnights, you may
also stay in hotels (free upgrade – yeah!) or lodges. The ‘More Inclusions’ section details what type of accommodation will be used for
overnight stops on your trip. The number of people to a room on Hostel Plus trips will vary. In hostels you will sleep in multi-share rooms
and share with between 3 and 7 others, while in hotels you will be in twin-share rooms. Lodges sleep 2 people to a room, with 2 rooms per
suite. Please note: When staying on a Hostel Plus trip, multi-share accommodation follows a single-sex policy.
Optional Activities
On all trips we have arranged extra activities that we think will enhance your travel experience, but you have a choice as to whether or not
you will participate. These are not included in the cost of your trip. They are usually organised on a group participation basis and should be
taken into consideration when budgeting your spending money.
None of the Optional Activities on your trip are operated by Topdeck, nor do they form part of your contract with Topdeck for your trip.
Topdeck arranges the activity as an agent of the local supplier. Should you participate in any Optional Activities your contract will be with the
local supplier and their conditions will apply.
Please note: while we make every effort to keep these prices as accurate and up-to-date as possible, they are subject to change and in rare
circumstances the actual price may vary slightly to what is published here.
Boston, MA
Fenway Park Tour $18
Sam Adams Brewery Tour $2 donation
Bike Tour $55
Washington, DC
Hop-on/off Bus Tour $35-$59
Bike and Segway Tours Bikes : $40 - $70
Montreal, QC
Food Tour $55
Jet Boating $67
Toronto, ON
Walking Tour $27/$43
Washington, DC
Bike and Segway Tours Bikes : $40 - $70
Hop-on/off Bus Tour $35-$59
Chicago, IL
Food tours $35-$55
Wrigley Field tour $25
Jet boat thrill ride $35
Architecture cruise $40
Jackson Hole, WY
Whitewater rafting TBA
Horse riding TBA
Paragliding TBA
Moab, UT
4WD tour TBA
Skydiving TBA
Canyoneering TBA
Grand Canyon NP
Helicopter Flight 25min = $254 ; 50min = $284
Las Vegas, NV
Go Karts $25/race $60 (4 races)
Club Crawl $35+
High Roller Observation Wheel $27 - $40
Helicopter flight over The Strip $124
Lake Tahoe, NV
Lake Tahoe boat cruise TBA
San Francisco, CA
Sunset Sail $45-$55
Meals
Your included meals are detailed in the 'More Inclusions' section of this document.
Please note that drinks are not included with meals, except at breakfast where coffee, tea and/or juice may be included. If you wish to
purchase drinks at dinner you may do so at your own expense.
If you have any dietary requirements we will make every effort to cater to your specific needs as long as you advise your travel agent or
Topdeck Trip Consultant when you book. But please be aware that although we will do everything in our power to arrange it, we cannot
guarantee that every restaurant we use will be able to cater to all dietary needs. We cannot cater for tastes or dislikes, as most of our
included evening meals feature a set menu.