Geography Trip to West Coast USA

A geography school trip to the USA’s West Coast offers the unforgettable opportunity to explore the Grand Canyon, Death Valley, Yosemite National Park and San Francisco!

Spectacular canyons, volcanic activity, diverse ecosystems, magnificent rivers and sprawling coastal urbanisation are all here for you to explore, giving your students plenty of opportunity to see geography in action.

Combine your trip with some amazing sightseeing options, such as the Golden Gate Bridge, all of which will highlight the human impact on the landscape and the methods employed to try to overcome the environmental challenges in the area.

Suggested Itinerary

Day 1

Morning

Flight to Phoenix

Afternoon

On arrival transfer to your hotel

Evening

Evening mealat accommodation

Day 2

Morning

Travel to the Grand Canyon

Afternoon

Walk along the South Rim to view the millions of years of wind and water erosion that have created the Canyon Continue to Tuba City

Evening

Evening meal and overnight in Tuba City

Day 3

Morning

Travel to Monument Valley to view the desert plain with its gigantic sandstone monolithic structures

Afternoon

Lunch of Navajo specialities followed by a jeep tour with Navajo Indians Arrive Page late afternoon, making stops at Lake Powell and Glen Canyon Dam

Evening

Western meal with live country music show and overnight in Kanab

Day 4

Morning

Beautiful drive crossing the plains to Bryce Canyon to view its pink cliffs

Afternoon

Continue to Las Vegas

Evening

Buffetmeal and overnight in Las Vegas

Day 5

Morning

Travel to the Valley of Fire offering superb multicoloured desert landscapes, strangely eroded rocks and 150 million year old sand dunes

Afternoon

Continue to Lake Mead and visit the Hoover Dam on the famous Colorado River Return to Las Vegas

Evening

Visit the Borax Museum displaying the history of mining in Death Valley Continue to Mammoth Lakes

Day 6

Morning

Leave Las Vegas for Death Valley, approx. 320 ft below sea level Discover Badwater Point, the lowest spot in the valley, Furnace Creek and Stovepipe Sand Dunes

Afternoon

Visit the Borax Museum displaying the history of mining in Death Valley Continue to Mammoth Lakes

Evening

Meal and overnight at Mammoth Lakes

Day 7

Morning

Drive to Yosemite National Park, a clear contrast to the landscape previously visited Discover Half Dome, Yosemite Valley, Bridalveil Falls and Yosemite Falls

Afternoon

Drive down from the mountains across the fertile agricultural lands of Central Valley to San Francisco

Evening

Meal and overnight inSan Francisco

Day 8

Morning

Take a guided tour of San Francisco including the Bay, Chinatown, Union Square and more

Afternoon

Visit Golden Gate Park and the California Academy of Science with its excellent Earthquake Exhibition Photo stop at the Golden Gate Bridge

Evening

Fisherman's Wharf for meal and overnight in San Francisco

Day 9

Morning

Morning at your leisure for a little shopping

Afternoon

Transfer to the airport for your return flight

Evening

Return flight to the UK

Day 10

Morning

Arrive in the UK

8 nights' half-board accommodation
Airport taxes and passenger duty at current rates
Airport transfers in resort
ATOL protected return flights from the UK
Comprehensive travel and medical insurance
Detailed information pack
Free staff place ratio 1:10
Guide available throughout the tour
Itinerary planning service
National Park and California Acadamy of Science entry fees
Vamoos travel app - giving you access to all your trip documents on your phone or tablet
VAT at current rates to tour operators

Curriculum

A Level

Water and carbon cycles
Characteristics of a distinct ecosystem
Biodiversity: flora and fauna adaptations
Hot desert systems and landscapes
Minerals and rocks
Fossils and time
Geomorphic processes
Geomorphology
Geohazards - seismic activity
Glacial landscapes beyond the UK
Glacial erosion, transportation and deposition
Case study of a river catchment
Fieldwork

GCSE

Characteristics of ecosystems
Biodiversity: flora and fauna adaptations
Balance and interrelationships of biomes
Water and carbon cycles
Features of drylands and deserts
Physical processes affecting land formation
Erosion, transportation and deposition
Fluvial landforms
Fieldwork - investigating physical environments
Characteristics of plate boundaries
Effects of tectonic hazards

Key Stage 3

Geological timescales and plate tectonics
Rocks, weathering and soils
Hydrology and coasts

Accommodation

Circus Circus

Circus Circus offers 3,767 guest rooms, including 135 suites, that provide comfortable, affordable accommodation with easy access to all the excitement Las Vegas has to offer. The hotel offers a selection of shops and restaurants including a pizzeria, steak house and Deli.

Hospitality Suite Resort Scottsdale Hotel

Conveniently located at the border of Scottsdale and Tempe, this charming desert getaway continues to give each guest the royal treatment. Each suite offers a fully equipped kitchen along with a telephone, a TV with cable and in room movies. In room coffee, hair dryer, iron & ironing board are also available.

Quality Inn Navajo Nation

Experience the sights, sounds and history of the Navajo Nation Reservation at the Quality Inn Navajo Nation hotel in Tuba City, Arizona, minutes from Dinosaur Tracks, Diné College and the Explore Navajo Interactive Monument. The historic Tuba Trading Post is next door to the property. Stop by the on-site Hogan’s Restaurant for a selection of Mexican, American and local cuisine.All guest rooms feature a cable television, hairdryer, iron and board.

Royal Inn and Suites

Welcome to the Royal Inn Kanab, Utah centrally located between southern Utah's most popular national parks and other scenic destinations, Kanab is the perfect base for any visit to the great southwest; Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Grand Canyon North Rim, Lake Powell are an easy drive from Kanab.All guest rooms have coffee makers, hair dryers, irons & ironing boards and cable television, some rooms come equipped with microwaves and refrigerators.

Sierra Nevada Lodge

This rustic resort offers comfortably appointed Lodge rooms and resort amenities at good value. Each Lodge Queen/Queen room includes a full en-suite, TV with Cable, hairdryer, coffee maker, refridgerator and microwave.

The Embassy Hotel

The Embassy Hotel offers 84 spacious, clean and comfortable rooms each with private bathrooms, a TV and a telephone. In addition, this hotel is well known for its excellent personal service and great rates. Continental breakfast is complimentary for all guests.

Tour highlights

Explore the Grand Canyon

Possibly the most famous natural attraction in the US, the Grand Canyon is possibly one of the best places in the world to learn about the effects of erosion. Here, two billion years of the Earth’s geological history is laid bare, thanks to the erosive power of the Colorado River and its tributaries. This is a truly spectacular visit that will impress upon your students how the study of geography can help them to understand the incredible world around them.

Did you know?

The Grand Canyon is huge! It measures 277 miles in length and at its stretches 18 miles across at its widest point!

Explore Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon is a collection of natural amphitheatres and is most famous for its spectacular array of hoodoos! Despite its name, Bryce Canyon isn’t actually a canyon, because it wasn’t formed by the erosion caused by a central stream. It was, in fact, carved out by headward erosion. Of course, this means it’s the perfect place to learn more about different types of erosion and their effects on the landscape, particularly if you combine your visit to Bryce Canyon with a stop at the Grand Canyon.

Did you know?

Bryce Canyon is named after Mormon pioneer Ebenezer Bryce. It’s said that he stumbled into the main amphitheatre of the canyon when looking for lost cattle – after that, the locals referred to it as ‘Bryce’s Canyon’ and the name stuck!

Explore Yosemite National Park

Hike and study the landscape of Yosemite National Park with a choice of three areas to focus on – life sciences and ecology, watershed studies, earth science and geology, cultural history or current environmental issues. Located in the western Sierra Nevada and designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984, Yosemite National Park is world famous for its spectacular scenery including waterfalls, giant sequoias, mountains, glaciers and meadows. Yosemite was key to the development of the USA’s national park system, thanks to the movement to protect it from development which led to President Abraham Lincoln signing the Yosemite Grant in 1864.

Did you know?

Almost 95% of Yosemite National Park is designated wilderness and boasts an incredible biological diversity – the park is home to over 250 species of vertebrates.

Educational Activities

Bryce Canyon National Park

Bryce Canyon National Park is a spectacular sight and not to be missed on any trip to Utah.

California Academy of Science

The California Academy of Sciences, located in Golden Gate Park San Francisco, contains an Aquarium, the world’s deepest Philippine Coral

Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon is the most famous natural attraction in the USA.

NatureBridge Yosemite

NatureBridge Yosemite gives your students the opportunity to immerse themselves in nature, among the stunning surroundings of Yosemite National Park.

Cultural Activities

Alcatraz Cruises

To this day, Alcatraz is best known as one of the world's most legendary prisons.

Golden Gate Bridge

The best way to see and enjoy the bridge is to drive to either side, park your vehicle and then

Supporting you every step of the way

Creating your perfect trip

Your quote will be put together by an experienced Tour Adviser who’ll be an expert in the subject area and will know the destination really well too. They’ll work with you to create a trip to suit your group’s needs and meet your learning objectives.

Launching your trip to parents and students

The next step is to get your trip approved and then get students signed up to it. Our ‘Trip Launch Pack’ will help you with this step. This is full of resources (all free to download) designed to make your life easier at this crucial point in the trip planning process.

After you’ve booked

Once you’ve booked, your dedicated Itinerary Coordinator will start work on the finer details. They’ll make sure your itinerary makes the most of your time and they’ll take on most of the admin tasks for your trip (freeing you up to do what you do best – teach).

Support while you’re away

From lost property to properly lost, we’ll always be on the end of the phone while you’re out on the trip. You’ll get a final info pack before you go, as well as access to all your trip documents via the Vamoos app.

After your trip

We’ll ask you for feedback, so we can improve our service. Let’s start planning your next trip too, so parents have plenty of time to pay (and so it’s less stressful for you). And don’t forget to head to our resources hub to continue the learning back in the classroom.