Extended Exploratory Day Hike in Durango, Colorado

Pricing

Solo - $185 Small Group (2-3) - $120/person Large Group (4-6) - $115/person

Duration

3 - 3.5 Hours

About

With so many amazing trails to explore in the Durango area, it can be a little overwhelming to figure out what is best for your group and how to keep everyone safe. Let us do the planning and execution, and you just focus on the foot work. Our guides are up to date with local trail conditions, variances within areas, and know how to make a well-rounded experience for all. Let us know your group's desires and fitness levels and we will take you to the best trails to match the experience you are looking for. All of our guides are trained in wilderness medicine (WFR certified) and have your safety as their number one priority from start to finish, with the size of your smile as a close second!

More Info

All Extended Exploratory Day Hike Tours take place in the greater Durango area. We use a variety of nearby trails to design the best experience possible for your group. Looking for the best view of town and want to hike through a high-mountain desert ecosystem? Rather be deep in the ponderosa forest winding up, down, and all around?

Let us know what sounds best to you, and we will design a hike for your group that caters to your desires and fitness levels. No matter what you choose, you can plan on enjoying a delicious lunch with an awesome view! The hike will be designed to take an average fitness-leveled group 3-3.5 hours. Guides are usually able to make changes to the route as needed, but they do their best to plan a unique route specific to the group ahead of time. Please do not hesitate to call or email us with any questions before booking this tour. We are happy to answer all of your questions and make sure you end up on the best tour that fits your group well!

Location(s)

We have access to a variety of trail options including Horse Gulch, Overend Mountain Park, Twin Buttes, and Dalla Mountain Park. All of these trails are between 6,600 and 7,400ft in elevation, which for many traveling from out of town is great for acclimatization compared to the high elevation trails around 10,000ft! This makes for a great adventure earlier on in your trip before you go exploring in the big mountains nearby.

What's Included

• Use of our Osprey Daylite Plus backpacks (20L volume)
• Use of our adjustable trekking poles
• Snacks: Guides will provide a variety of snacks for guests to pack into their daypacks at the trailhead if they would like.
• Lunch: Gourmet Sandwich & Chips from Durango Natural Foods, utilizing predominantly local and organic ingredients on locally made organic sourdough. Please let us know ahead of time of any food allergies and dietary restrictions. Vegan/Vegetarian/GF options available
• Transportation to and from your lodging (within 5 miles of Durango’s city center) or an established meeting location
• A medically trained and well experienced hiking guide, aware of local dangers and how to mitigate them, who is excited to share their passion for the outdoors with you; as well as their favorite places to eat in town!

What's Not Included

• Rain jacket and a variety of layers
• Appropriate footwear
• Lodging
• Personalized Snacks
• Trip and Medical Insurance
• Water bottles/water bladders (ability to carry 1 liter is required)
• Guide Gratuity

Transportation/Pick-Up Locations

Meraki guides are happy to pick you up from your place of lodging, as long as it is within 5 miles of Durango’s city center. If you are staying farther outside of town we will establish a spot to meet and transport you from there, or we can meet at the trailhead. If you are booking a “Mixed Group Tour”, please recognize your guide will be making multiple stops to pick up and drop off guests. Please be on time with your set pick up time to avoid delaying the entire tour. Guides will drop off guests in the order that makes the most sense to them.

FAQs

• Do I need to have good physical fitness to do this tour? You do not need to be in ‘good physical fitness’ to do this tour. This tour is highly modifiable and your guide will do their best to plan out a route that matches your level of fitness and desired experience. For this reason and others, it is very important that you fill out the health profile section of the Registration Form with complete accuracy. Not doing so may put yourself, others in the group, and/or the guide at risk of serious injury or even death. Please provide all pertinent health information and let us design a tour that fits you well. You just need to have enough physical fitness to carry a light backpack and walk for the duration of the tour, with multiple breaks along the way.

• Is there a minimum age required to do this tour? There is not a minimum age to do this tour. If you are planning to bring your little ones who may hike much slower and need more breaks than your average adult, please book a private tour and your guide will be happy to move at the pace of your family’s needs. If you are not booking a private tour, we ask that all guests be at least 5 years old and are able to hike for the entire duration of the tour. Please reach out to us if you have any questions or concerns about the appropriateness of bringing your child. Any guest under the age of 18 needs to be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.

• How does tipping work with these tours? Guides put a lot of work into preparing your tour, running it safely, and doing their best to make your smile large and send you home with great memories; and then clean and store gear. Gratuity is not expected, but it is greatly appreciated. If you thought your guide did a great job keeping you safe, teaching you about the area and accommodating your needs, gratuities usually range between 15-20% of the tour price.

What to Bring

• Rain Jacket (even if the weather calls for pure sunshine, that isn’t always accurate and it can change quickly here)
• A variety of clothing layers to adjust to speed of movement and varying weather conditions that will likely occur. Athletic clothing is preferred.
• A hat to protect from the intense Colorado sun
• Sunglasses
• Long sleeve sunshirt (not required, but definitely recommended for this environment)
• Sunscreen
• Your all-time favorite trail snacks
• 2 liters of water (2, 1-liter bottles, one larger water bladder, one huge water bottle; we don’t care how you pack it, but each client needs to have 2 liters of water with them at the start of the tour. We will have a large water jug in the vehicle to top up water bottles at the trailhead.)
• Appropriate footwear: Most of the trails we explore have a wide variety of terrain and exposure to cacti. For this reason we highly recommend closed-toed shoes/hiking boots, and footwear with quality traction. (Flip-flops are not allowed and sandals are discouraged)