Real American Rockies - Customer comments
Travel to the very heart of the American Rockies, experience the real cowboy and indian country amongst quite breathtaking scenery, quite incredible wildlife, truly amazing National Park’s and world renowned National monuments such as Mount Rushmore. You can scroll down to read our customer experiences or click the link below to view this itinerary
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Hi Sarah,
Just to let you know that we got back last week and the tour was FANTASTIC. We got lost a couple of times, but the satnav that we hired got us out of trouble. Yellowstone and the Tetons were mind-blowing and I am already trying to persuade my wife to tackle your Canyonlands tour - albeit with a couple of minor changes.
One of the most impressive things was that there was a glitch with payment on one hotel and your contact in the USA solved it within 15 minutes at 7 o’clock in the morning depending on which time zone he lives in. Problems will always happen. It is the manner in which they are solved that shows which people are professional.
Many thanks
Graham
Dear C.N.A.
We arrived back home just under a week ago, after an absolutely amazing Real American Rockies fly drive tour. We just wanted to drop you a few short lines to say THANK YOU VERY VERY MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!
It was an absolutely awesome trip. From the initial booking process and advice, to the information pack we received prior to departure, we were most impressed. However, that was nothing, once we had sampled the delights of Denver. Oh, and what a wonderful, comprehensive additional information pack we received on arrival at the Sheraton Hotel in Denver. By the end of this trip, we have now visited 20 states in the US, during several trips across the “pond”. This trip, however, totally blew the others clean out of the water. Whilst it was certainly not the cheapest package we have been on, it certainly is the one with the most amazing memories and worth every single penny.
The flights, with BA, from the much criticised Terminal 5, were fantastic, on time and WITH ALL our baggage intact. The hotels were fantastic, especially Sorrell River Ranch (WOW!!!!!!!). The only disappointment was the Far View Lodge, which unfortunately was rather basic with an awful shower or rather lack of. That said, given it’s location 15 miles into the Mesa Verde National Park, I maybe shouldn’t complain too much.
Once again THANK YOU, I’m sure we will use C.N.A. again and would have no hesitation in recommending you to friends and family.
John Dutton.
We would all like to thank you for organising a great holiday for us, it all went without a hitch, apart from the lost handbag which was unforseen. We enjoyed everything, the scenery was breathtaking, the driving easy and relaxing, though I was the only one who enjoyed Skyline Drive the rest had their eyes closed most of the time. We have all seen things, that until this vacation, had only seen in the movies or on TV. Thanks again for an amazing four weeks. Hope to see you again soon
Best Regards
Mick & Sandra,John & Eileen
Dear Kerry/CNA,
Just to report the completion of another successful trip with CNA.
Here are some remarks, which you may use on your website if you care to:
All the arrangements with the hotels and lodges worked perfectly. We especially enjoyed the luxury log cabin at the motel in Jackson Hole.
Alamo car hire put pressure on me to ‘go full size’, arguing with apparent cogency that I didn’t want to be ’stuck behind the semis’ on the long passes for want of power. I thought it might be fun to upgrade, and got a great big lazy Pontiac Grand Prix, immensely good at roaring past the speed limit on the interstates, but liable to grind away at 1,500 rpm on the ascents, and not responsive in ‘Drive’ to a light-footed ‘UK’ style of driving. Still, it worked OK all the way round, and was comfortable. Make sure you know how ‘Cruise Control’ is engaged!
I found the National Geographic ‘Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks Road Guide’ and the equivalent ‘Rocky Mountain’ guides very useful. An ‘essential guide for motorists’ might seem to an outdoor-minded person from the UK a crazy contradiction. But put it this way: you could not fit Yellowstone twice into the whole of Yorkshire, and you have a day and a half for your visit. Reading off what’s beside the road is the best you can do at seeing as much as possible in the time.
Speaking further of Yellowstone, just south of Madison, on the by-road called ‘Firehole Canyon Drive’, we happened across the Firehole River swimming hole. The Firehole is warmed by all the geothermal activity, and, upriver, runs clear and shallow in the sun. The swimming was thrilling - perhaps too thrilling for me - lots of people are there, and it is recognized as an allowed swimming place. But if you intend to work up through the ravine and bob back on the current, a flotation device would be best for younger children (or, in my case, nervous adults).
I’d advise people undertaking this trip that it is worth making a prompt start on Day 13, the drive from Moab to Mesa Verde. It being only 130 miles might encourage a dilatory start to the day, but after the long climb up the Mesa, there will be a long queue signing on for the ranger led visits to the major sites (Long House and either Cliff Palace or Balcony House - but not both). If you are signed into the thrillingly situated Far View Lodge, you are not time restricted, and can sign up for a late visit. But it is conceivable that if you rolled up mid afternoon, all the places might be gone (our visit was high holiday season). These are unforgettable places, and the visit to Balcony House not for those who get nervous on ladders.
You can’t motor up the high Rockies, jump out of the car, and go on a hike:
the altitude hits you, and you lose commitment quickly! In the Arches National Park, and Canyonlands, you really do need to be carrying water - they advise taking at least a quart for the immensely rewarding hike up to Delicate Arch. Beside the trail, you will probably see American trippers who have had far too many giant waffles for breakfast in their lifetimes, and who can no longer get to see their own landscape heritage. A bit of fitness does help.
This is a big driving holiday (I clocked up 2,856 miles). There’s only one genuinely tedious drive, day 4 once you get heading through Cheyenne and northwards. Very flat, very hot: but we happened into the eatery at Lusk - a truck stop, really: real American life. And this day bucks up at the end as you go into the Black Hills and onto the scenic byway.
The penultimate day’s drive from Mesa Verde to Colorado Springs is of similar length (the route sheet omits the mileage). I’d advise leaving the trip through the Garden of the Gods for the morning of the final day. The Quality Inn is surely on the LEFT of the Garden of the Gods Road when you come off the Interstate 25. On the final morning, we both loved a visit down the Mollie Kathleen gold mine at Cripple Creek (round the back of Pike’s Peak). There’s a fine ‘Dinosaur Resource Center’ at Woodland Park en route west from Colorado - geology is quite a theme in this holiday. Dinosaur bones have been found all over the region, and sometimes the road will have signs naming the formations you are driving by: the drive up the Big Horn Mountains at the start of day 7 takes you through six major geological periods.
We saw so much. These holidays place you midway between being a genuine traveler and being a holidaymaker. The more you put in, the more you get out. They are demanding - those places are so big, you drive a long way even once you are inside a National Park. But then you’ve always got a hotel and air-con and a pool to arrive at and recuperate.
Roy
Roger
Just deleting this old e-mail when I realised that we hadnt written to you to say that we had a quite splendid holiday. Your itinery was excellent and all the accommodation at least as good as we expected and frequently better. Will certainly use you if we decide to visit the USA again and are about to give friends your details Cheers John
Morning Roger
Have just returned from my fly drive holiday and just wanted to say how pleased we were with all the aspects of the holiday from the itenery to the hotels we stayed in and all the information and maps sent to us. If I was to go on this type of holiday again I would definitely choose your company again.
Thank you for all your help
Anne
Dear Roger,
We arrived back last week from a fantastic trip and would like to thank you for arranging this for us. We have memories of wonderful scenery that will last a lifetime,.
I think you will be interested in a couple of points we made so that we could let you know about them when you book this holiday for others in the future.
The only real problem we encountered was on our second night when we arrived at the Holiday Inn in Estes Park. They had no record of our booking on their computer system. The staff were extremely polite and sympathetic but unfortunately they just had one room left and it was a very smelly smoking room so we had to use that. We made a telephone call to our friends in Torrington Wy. who we were meeting the next day and we were not charged for this call as means of apology. However, they did try to say that usually the fault for this sort of thing lay with the tour company rather than with them. ( We were not so sure).
After a great time with our friends visiting Mt Rushmore, the Badlands and spending time on a ranch in Sheridan we started out on our own. We visited the Cody Museum and left at 5p.m. to drive to Yellowstone which would have been fine if we had read your directions properly. However we got it wrong and ended up aiming for the North East entrance. We left Cody on the 120 and then turned left on the 296 which is a scenic highway. This was the best mistake we made. It took us four hours to drive to Yellowstone but if future visitors would prefer more scenery and less time in the museum then do tell them to drive the 296. ( “Wow ” type scenery around every hairpin bend!)
We didn’t visit Salt Lake City because it was so hot so we drove south from Jackson to Pinedale and spent a very pleasant night at the Best Western there. They were very helpful suggesting a very good lakeside restaurant and also booking an extra night at Vernal for us. Pinedale was a very nice little town with good little gift shops but not busy or touristy.
All your instructions and suggestions for places to visit were extremely helpful and we were so glad that we had the extra stop at Gunnison otherwise we would never have seen the Black Canyon.
The only other problems we had was a very slow check in at Jackson ( they said they can’t get cleaning staff so rooms were not ready by 3p.m.) the heat which no one can do anything about and the B.A. flight delays both ends which seem to be par for the course these days.. We visited Fort Laramie with our friends and the temperature was 107 and very similar in Utah.
Thanks again for a memorable trip,
Barbara and Jim (Southampton)
Just a line to thank you for organising our American holiday for us. We had an amazing time and the itinerary was perfect. Unfortunately we were turned back at Rocky Mountain National Park on the first day due to snow on the high peak trail, but we visited everywhere else on the list. We particularly enjoyed Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse Monument which they started carving 50 years ago, a great experience. Of all the states we visited Utah was the one we liked the best. It has so much variety and the Canyonlands were just beautiful. Once again thank you for your help.
Pete
We got back from a great trip to Denver on Sunday. To confirm the comment I picked up on your website - SatNav from Hertz was outstanding - what a blessing when trying to find hotels!
Thank you for the brilliant suggestion of arriving and staying at an Airport Hotel and getting the car the next day. All worked well - we were very pleased with the quality provided. Our stay at Grand Lake was in what might be described as a lower bracket of hotels but looking around the town there weren’t a lot of other options! Special mentions for that indefinable “we felt good here” were earned by Holiday Inn Estes Park and BW Inn at Jackson Hole. Estes park as a town gets a poor write-up in our guidebook; we found a clean, orderly, beautifully located town that did not match the guide at all.
No firm plans yet for next year but rest assured that when our thoughts turn to the US again we’ll be back. Many thanks again - a satisfied customer
Peter