Customized Mountain Snowshoeing: Private Group Tour

meeting_point: San Juan National Forest
description: ##About
The mountains can be intimidating at times, especially in the winter! Let our experienced guides do the driving, planning, organizing, instructing, and safety management for your unique group. Experience the awe of these gorgeous snow covered mountains, while your guide(s) boil mountain snow to make you hot cocoa, coffee, or tea while you are out exploring in the wonder. All of our snowshoe tours are customized to meet your group where you are at, and make it an amazing time out in the snowy mountains. Our guides are up to date with local trail and road 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! Snowshoes, poles, snacks, transportation, and warm beverages are provided on all of our snowshoe tours.

More Info

All Snowshoe Tours take place in the San Juan mountains at high elevations (8,000-11,000ft). We use a variety of trails and forests to design the best experience possible for your group. The tour will be designed to take an average fitness-leveled group 1.5 - 2 hours, with usually 45 minutes to one hour of driving time each way from downtown Durango.. 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. These tours are highly customizable, and can focus on more of a winter wander with time to try to build a snowman, or to kick it into a higher gear and winter hike through some incredible terrain. Just let us know what you are looking for and we will do our best to make it a great day out in the mountains. We will have a variety of snacks for you to choose from, small backpacks to put layers and snacks in, and a large water jug to top up your water bottles before we hit the trail. Guides will also have mugs and a variety of warm beverages to choose from to enjoy out in the mountains. 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’s desires and abilities!

Location(s)

We have access to a variety of trail options throughout the San Juan mountains. Given our high desert ecosystem, we often have to travel higher up into the mountains to find good snow. All of the trails are between 8,000 and 11,500ft in elevation. If it is possible to book your tour after you have had a day or two to acclimate to the elevation, that is preferred, but not necessary.

What's Included

• Use of our industry leading MSR snowshoes for adults and Atlas snowshoes for youth
• Use of our adjustable trekking poles with powder baskets to aid in winter travel
• Use of our Osprey Daylite Plus backpacks (20L volume)
• Snacks: Guides will provide a variety of snacks for guests to pack into their daypacks at the trailhead if they would like.
• Hot beverage on the trail: coffee, tea, or hot cocoa
• 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 snowshoeing guide, aware of local dangers and how to mitigate them, experienced in winter driving conditions and practices, and 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

• Winter jacket and a variety of layers
• Appropriate winter footwear and gloves
• Lodging
• Personalized Snacks
• Trip and Medical Insurance
• 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, or anywhere near highway 550 North of town. 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 as well. 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 logical sense.

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 ahead of time 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 snowshoe 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?
  Our 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 pictures. 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

• Winter 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 the speed of movement and varying weather conditions that will likely occur. We recommend bringing a lightweight sweatshirt, and a heavier sweatshirt, and something that is wind/waterproof.
• Warm winter gloves
• Snowpants (a waterproof layer to wear over your regular pants)
• Long underwear (these helps keep your legs warm when you are out in the snow for a longer period of time)
• A warm hat
• Sunglasses
• Sunscreen (yes Sunscreen! It’s wild how easy it is to get burnt on a sunny winter’s day!)
• Your all-time favorite trail snacks
• 1-2 liters of water. 1 liter required, 2 liters is recommended. (We will have a large water jug in the vehicle to top up water bottles at the trailhead.)
• Appropriate footwear: a comfortable high-topped boot that will help keep snow out of your boots and is waterproof. Snowboarding boots work as well.

If you or someone in your group does not own one of the items above feel free to reach out ahead of time and we will check our gear bin to see if we can help out!