Colorado Adventure Guides

Professional backcountry outfitter and guide service based out of Summit County, Colorado

Locally owned and operated, we have been providing incredible experiences to the visitors and locals of Summit County and surrounding areas for over 20 years. Our team is made up of individuals who live, work, play, and call this our home. We are a tight-knit crew and at the core our passion has always been to provide intimate and unforgettable experiences to others in the backcountry.

We operate year-round and are your one-stop shop for guided activities and educational courses. Whether you’re a first-timer or a seasoned expert, let us take you on your next unforgettable outdoor adventure!

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Summer Adventures

Colorado Adventure Guides offers a wide variety of guided summer adventures in Summit County, CO. Paddle down one of the most scenic stretches of the Colorado River, turn some dirt up on a mountain bike trail, top out on a local climbing rock crag, enjoy a hike to one of our many alpine lakes, or summit a mountain on one of our guided peak ascents.

Choose your favorite adventure or check out one of our packages for multiple days of fun in Summit County. Our experienced and friendly guides are standing by to show you a good time in the Rocky Mountains!

ACE Packages

RAFTING

ROCK CLIMBING

MOUNTAIN BIKING

PEAK ASCENTS

HIKING

MOUNTAINEERING

Whitewater Rafting

Floating on the river is one the the best ways to experience the beauty of summer in Colorado! We run trips on the mighty Colorado River and the Blue River which is a tributary to the Colorado. We run half day, full day, and multi-day overnight rafting trips, and also have multi-activity packages that you can combine with rock climbing, mountain biking, or hiking: See our ACE Packages!

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Colorado Adventure Guides - Whitewater Rafting

Rock Climbing

Colorado is home to some of the best rock climbing in the country! Our professionally certified guides are experienced with the local climbing zones and can choose the best crag for any given group. Let us help you take your rock climbing skills to the next level or simply try rock climbing for the first time. We offer instructional courses as well as guided half and full-day, single and multi-pitch sessions for all ability levels..

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Mountain Biking

Mountain biking has been one of the fastest up and coming summer activities and our professional guides are here to take you and your biking skills to the next level, or simply just take the guess-work out of your mountain bike adventure and show you some of our favorite rides. Our guides are trained, certified, and experienced in mountain bike instruction and make it their goal to choose the correct terrain for your ability, fitness level, and overall desires.

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Colorado Adventure Guides - Mountain Biking

Peak Ascents

Colorado lies in the heart of the Rocky Mountains and is home to over 500 peaks over 13,000ft! This is the perfect place to experience the exhilaration of cresting the summit of one of those peaks and here in Summit County we have three 14ers: Quandary Peak, Grays Peak, and Torrey’s Peak. Our guided, non-technical ascents provide you a safe and educational adventure for the whole family. We also guide on lesser known 13,000 foot or 12,000 foot mountains. Looking for more technical ascents? Check out our Mountaineering Trips!

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Guided Hikes

One of our oldest and most staple summer activities are our guided hikes. With so may trails to choose from our professional guides are here to share knowledge of mountain history and geography across an impressive portfolio of trails. Explore mountain vistas, aspen groves, timberline lakes, evergreen forests, wildflower-blanketed meadows, and waterfalls. We offer both half day as well as full day hiking options and have trails to fit the whole family’s needs!

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Mountaineering

Looking for something more challenging than a hike? Our mountaineering routes use local network trails to connect to the alpine terrain where the mountaineering route begins. Test yourself with a ridge traverse or scramble with class 3 to 5 options. All of our mountaineering routes are full day (8 hr) to full day plus (8 – 12 hr) excursions. Some of our classic mountaineering objectives include West Ridge of Quandary, the Ten Mile Traverse, and the Black Mountain Ridge Traverse.

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Winter Adventures

Winter in Colorado is a magical time and we want to show you how to experience it the right way, outside of the ski resort! Live life beyond the resort and join us for an unforgettable backcountry ski or snowboarding adventure. Skiing not your thing? We have activities that fit the whole family from mellow snowshoeing to winter peak ascents, we are your home of multiple year-round amazing outdoor activities. Also check out our winter educational courses including AIARE Avalanche Courses and more!

AVALANCHE EDUCATION

BACKCOUNTRY NORDIC SKI

PEAK ASCENTS

ICE CLIMBING

BACKCOUNTRY SPLITBOARD

SNOWSHOE

BACKCOUNTRY SKI

HUT TRIPS

BACKCOUNTRY SKI

Escape the resort crowds and earn your turns on a backcountry skiing adventure in Summit County. Not an expert skier? Never skied in the backcountry? No problem! We’ll provide the gear and the guide to start building your skills.

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BACKCOUNTRY SPLITBOARD

Our experienced and professional guides will teach uphill and downhill riding technique, risk management, and talk you through decision-making in the backcountry. Bring your own gear or take advantage of our rental packages to get fully equipped with alpine touring boots, boards, bindings, avalanche beacon, shovels, and probes.

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AVALANCHE EDUCATION

What makes our educational experiences unique? Not only are our courses taught by our certified guides and instructors, each course is also concepted and designed by them. This means that your instructor has put their passion into creating the best possible learning experience for you.

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ICE CLIMBING

Our professionally trained guides are experienced with the local climbing zones and can choose the best area for a given group. From beginners swinging ice tools for the first time to advanced climbers seeking expert instruction, experience a day of ice climbing in the mountains of Summit County. We offer half and full-day, single and multi-pitch, guided sessions for all ability levels.

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PEAK ASCENTS

Summiting a peak in the snow requires careful planning and route finding. Our guides have years of experience climbing our mountains year round. Whether you choose to climb one of our more modest local peaks or want to tackle a 14er, we have you covered.

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SNOWSHOE

Exploring Summit County’s backcountry routes on pillow-soft powder in winter is scenic, peaceful, and will make you feel like you have the mountains all to yourself. Snowshoeing is easy to learn, fun for everyone, and can be a great high energy cardio workout.

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HUT TRIPS

Has your Winter hut trip been cancelled or are you looking to get one on the books? Colorado Adventure Guides is the official guide partner of Summit Huts and has unique access to get you into a hut this winter! Explore your options below.

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The Experience

Andrew B

Anne and Justin were extremely informative and taught in a way that was easy to learn and applied it to real life scenarios. Abe offered great customer service and cooked up some filling meals during the hut trip. I highly recommend the professional and experienced team from Colorado Adventure (...)

Jen N

Our guide Justin was fantastic. We are new to cold weather hiking and he sent informative and prompt emails that spelled out clearly what gear we needed to bring to be comfortable. Before we started he reviewed our goals for the hike and adjusted as we went along. During the hike he made many (...)

Kristy G

Anne was amazing!! She was incredibly knowledgable, If only I could just pack her in my backpack and take her with me on all my future back country trips! I am so grateful I got to do my Avi 1 with her, Dave and Abe, can't wait to get out there this winter to practice what we learned!

Jill L

The Intro to Splitboarding course with Justin Ibarra was tailored to my needs as a new splitboarder. I learned new techniques and knowledge that I look forward to using when I get my Avy 1 certification this season. I highly recommend this course to anyone who's new to the backcountry.

David C

An outstanding course taught by consummate professionals in a fantastic location!

Ruthie S

Had a great time during the Avi1 course lead by Ann. The whole CO Adventure Guides crew was knowledgeable, professional and fun! I'm currently at home studying the material and checking out all the great resources they shared. Excited to keep the education going! Thanks for a great experience!

Felicia M

Abe & Anne & the Colorado Adventure Guides team were awesome! They were professional, knowledgeable, fun, kept us engaged and learning. I'd highly recommend this local company for your outdoor experience!

David K

My experience with Colorado Adventure Guides was outstanding. The guides were first rate - they had an excellent knowledge base, tailored the route and pace to my experience and were enthusiastic, encouraging, and had a great sense of humor. Working with them was essential for me to have a saf (...)

Jesse S

Abe Pacharz made our hike unique. Instead of following the commonly used trailhead he created a hike up the other side of the mountain. Much of which we blazed our own trail. Abe knew the history of the area and shared with us many interesting stories about the terrain around us. Abe's clearly (...)

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Colorado Adventure Guides

Summer Adventures

Winter Adventures

The Experience

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