National Park Hopping

The Real Deal: Seven nights' accommodations, transportation, guided tours, and 13 meals for $995 per person

When: Depart Jul. 13, 15, 18, 25; Aug. 17, 26, 29; Sept. 5, 7, 9, 12, 16, 19, 21, 26, 2006

Details: Breakfast daily and some lunches and dinners are included. Based on double occupancy; triple occupancy is $976 per person and single is $1,395. Hotel taxes and fees are an additional $119 per person ($115 for triple and $139 for single occupancy). Groups are limited to a maximum of 46 people

Book By: No deadline, but availability is limited, so book as soon as possible

Contact: Caravan Tours, 800/227-2826, caravantours.com

The escorted tour begins with an evening orientation in Rapid City and the next day's visits to Mt. Rushmore National Monument, Crazy Horse Memorial, the Indian Museum of North America, and a drive through the Black Hills to the old mining town of Deadwood. The following day starts with a drive through Wyoming and Montana and stops at Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument and the town of Billings. Up next are the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, the Plains Indian Museum, and the Whitney Gallery of Western Art, plus a drive across the Continental Divide and into Yellowstone Park.

The second half of the trip covers a full-day tour of Yellowstone's upper and lower loops, including Old Faithful Geyser, Yellowstone Falls and Mammoth Hot Springs. There are also visits to Grand Teton National Park, Jenny Lake, and nearby Jackson Hole. On the final day, you'll head south through Bridger-Teton National Forest into Idaho and towards Salt Lake City, where you'll see Temple Square and the Mormon Tabernacle.

Admission fees for the parks, monuments, and museums--which could easily top $100 per person--are all included.

Accommodations: Two nights at the Radisson Rapid City; one night at the Sheraton Billings; two nights at either the historic Old Faithful Inn or Grant Village, both lodges at Yellowstone; one night at the Inn at Jackson Hole; and one night at the Hilton Salt Lake City.

Caravan Tours are very popular, particularly during the peak summer season of family travel, and they tend to sell out quickly. Other eight-day tours priced at $995 include a trip to the Grand Canyon, Sedona, Bryce and Zion and a tour to Yosemite and the California coast. 

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