National Parks of the Northwest (8710)

10 days from Salt Lake City to Calgary

2026 Tour Details View 2025 Tour Details »

Immerse yourself in the beauty and wonder of nature as you travel to four magnificent national parks in two countries, on this National Parks of the Northwest tour. Experience the splendor of Grand Teton National Park with its soaring peaks and pristine lakes. Be amazed by the variety of natural wonders in the world’s oldest national park, Yellowstone. At over two million acres, it is home to the most active and diverse collection of geothermal features and half the world’s active geysers, including the most famous, Old Faithful. Watching it erupt is a sight you won’t soon forget! See thundering Yellowstone Falls at the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone and view abundant wildlife. The park is home to herds of bison, elk, moose, black bear, grizzly bear, fox, and wolves. Discover Glacier National Park, a showcase of melting glaciers, alpine meadows, and sparkling lakes. Take a guided tour in a vintage Red Jammer bus and travel on breathtaking Going-to-the-Sun Road to the top of Logan Pass for spectacular views of the valley below. Enter Canada and stay in Waterton Lakes National Park, one of the most beautiful destinations in the Canadian Rockies with captivating scenes in every direction. Between park visits, stop at Smokejumper’s Visitor Center and learn how brave firefighters parachute into the forests to put out wildfires and visit Earthquake Lake Visitor Center to learn how the strongest earthquake in the Rocky Mountains moved 80 million tons of rock in less than a minute to create the lake. You’ll also visit Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, to learn about the Indigenous people and their relationship with the herds of buffalo that roamed the area. Stunning scenery with majestic mountains, crystal clear lakes, and wonderous wildlife await you on this value-minded adventure!

The world is within reach with everything you need for perfectly affordable touring. Cosmos includes hand-selected accommodations, guided sightseeing, and seamless transportation between destinations—with value-minded travel lovers in mind. Explore with expert Cosmos Tour Directors and Local Guides, and private, first-class, air-conditioned motorcoach with free Wi-Fi (where available). Enhance your free time to explore like a local with your CosmosGO mobile app!

Extend your vacation with departures that connect with our Heart of the Canadian Rockies Tour (8910) or our Western Canada by Rail Tour (8930), both with Alaska cruise options!

Dates & Prices Book Online

800.646.5374

Photo Highlights

Meals

Meals & Itinerary

7 Breakfasts

Notes:

This itinerary enters both the US and Canada.

Extend your vacation with departures that connect with our Heart of the Canadian Rockies Tour (8910) or our Western Canada by Rail Tour (8930), both with/without Alaska cruise options.

Maximum elevation on tour: 9,033 ft.

Itinerary

Day 1 SALT LAKE CITY

Welcome to Salt Lake City! Your Tour Director is on hand from 3pm-6pm to answer any questions.

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Day 2 SALT LAKE CITY–JACKSON

Start the day with a sightseeing tour of Salt Lake City, Utah’s capital, and center of the Mormon religion. Highlights include seeing Temple Square, the Capitol Building and downtown. Then head north to the Wild West town of Jackson. This evening, take a stroll into town and enjoy its wooden sidewalks and streets lined with shops, galleries, and restaurants.

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Breakfast

Day 3 JACKSON–GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK–YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK–WEST YELLOWSTONE

This morning, go with the flow on a fun and scenic optional float trip on the Snake River keeping an eye out for eagles above and for wildlife along the shore. Depart for majestic Grand Teton National Park, rich with scenic vistas and pristine lakes. Visit beautiful Jenny Lake that sits at the base of Cascade Canyon, looking for moose, fox, deer, and black bears along the way. Then drive north to West Yellowstone where you will spend the next two nights. Walk the Fountain Paint Pot Trail to see these curious and colorful hydrothermal wonders there.

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Continental Breakfast

Day 4 WEST YELLOWSTONE. DAY EXCURSION TO YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK

Spend the day exploring all the wonders of Yellowstone National Park, the world’s first national park established in 1872. See world-famous Old Faithful Geyser, Mammoth Hot Springs, and the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. Keep a lookout for the parks abundant wildlife that includes moose, bison, elk, deer, bighorn sheep, wolf, bear, fox, and coyote.

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Continental Breakfast

Day 5 WEST YELLOWSTONE–VIRGINIA CITY–HELENA

Head north to Helena. Stop at Earthquake Lake Visitor Center to learn about the 7.5 earthquake that moved more than eighty million tons of rock in less than a minute and created Earthquake Lake. Then get a taste of the original Old West with a stop in Virginia City, site of the richest placer gold strike in the Rocky Mountains. Continue to Helena and upon arrival visit their beautiful State Capitol.

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Continental Breakfast

Day 6 HELENA–MISSOULA–KALISPELL

Head north to Missoula and visit the Smokejumper’s Visitor Center, home to the largest smokejumper base in the country, to learn about the brave firefighters who risk their lives parachuting into the site of forest fires. Late afternoon arrival in Kalispell.

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Continental Breakfast

Day 7 KALISPELL. DAY TRIP TO GLACIER NATIONAL PARK

Spend the day at gorgeous Glacier National Park. Take a scenic ride aboard a vintage Red Jammer bus and drive one of North America’s most spectacular highways, Going-to-the-Sun Road. Scale 6,664-foot-high Logan Pass and enjoy a wonderland of alpine scenery and breathtaking mountain peaks.

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Breakfast

Day 8 KALISPELL–WATERTON LAKES NATIONAL PARK

Cross into Canada and enter Waterton Lakes National Park where the wilderness of Alberta’s prairies meets the natural beauty of the Canadian Rockies. You’ll overnight in the park, which is brimming with diverse landscapes, crystal clear lakes, cascading waterfalls, and towering mountain peaks. Tonight, things are looking up with an optional Dark Sky Stargazing excursion, if the heavens and weather permit.

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Breakfast

Day 9 WATERTON LAKES NATIONAL PARK–HEAD-SMASHED-IN BUFFALO JUMP–CALGARY

Visit Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and learn about the longtime relationship between the Indigenous People and the vast herds of buffalo that roamed the plains. Arrive in Calgary and take a city tour with highlights that include Stampede Park, the Saddledome, Fort Calgary, and Canada Olympic Park. The remainder of the day is at leisure.

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Day 10 CALGARY

Your vacation ends this morning.

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Tour Director

With COSMOS, there’s no better way to get to know your destination than through the eyes of a Tour Director. We’d like you to meet one of our Tour Directors, who average over a decade of experience and are representative of the type of expert that will be with you on your vacation.

ANDREW MORAN

Escorting tours for more than 20 years

“Born in Salisbury, England, I left England at the age of nine and ended up in Los Angeles. Some of my hobbies include travel, flying (I have my license to fly small, single-engine planes), gardening (growing my own fruits and veggies is awesome), and landscaping (it gives me a chance to learn about different trees and plants). My advice to travelers is to come with an open mind and look forward to learning new things. What makes other places so special is that they're not home!”

Accommodations

Optional Excursions

No matter what you’re into: food, wine, history, art, music or anything else, we give you the freedom to personalize your vacation with optional excursions that speak to your interests.

When you book your excursions with us, you can be assured that every optional excursion that we offer coordinates with the free time that you'll have in your destination, so you'll never have conflicts between included and optional activities. Our team of travel experts carefully selects each optional excursion that we offer to ensure that you receive the highest quality at a great value. Our tried-and-true partners have a finger on the pulse of the city in which they operate so they deliver the very best experiences. We offer experiences you cannot create on your own and because you’re booking with us, we coordinate all your transportation and timing needs.

The following optional excursions are examples only for this vacation. These may or may not be offered, and availability is subject to days of operation and seasonality. Please select a departure date to view optional excursions and pricing for a specific date (due to currency fluctuation, pricing shown is subject to change until purchased). Optional excursions are available for purchase on our MyCosmos site 90 days prior to the tour start date.

Price Ranges

$ ($50 USD and under)
$$ ($51 - $100 USD)
$$$ ($101 - $150 USD)
$$$$ (Over $150)

Waterton Lakes Park

Starry Skies Townsite Stroll Tour

Join the Dark Sky Guides for a short, easy stroll around the Waterton townsite after dark. Offered year-round, this is the perfect tour to get acquainted with our International Dark Sky Park. Participants will: learn about light pollution and what is being done to mitigate it around Waterton; go in search of nocturnal creatures that may be found around town after dark; and learn to identify some of the more noteworthy constellations and night sky objects visible with the naked eye. Please note that telescopes are NOT used on this tour - after all, the best way to stargaze is simply to use your own two eyes!

Price Range: $

The "Starting at" or listed price is based on the lowest price available to book. Price is per passenger based on double occupancy and does not include International airfare; additional fees/charges are not included. If a price is crossed out, the new price includes a limited time promotional offer(s) – please review current promotions or deals for additional information. Some tours require intra-vacation flights (and in some cases intra-vacation segments must be purchased from Cosmos).