Riverside Cruisin': Mixed Group Tour

Not necessarily! This is one of our most accessible tours and can be adjusted to match a wide range of fitness levels. Your guide will do their best to create a comfortable experience that aligns with your needs and goals, whether you're an experienced rider or just getting back on a bike.

That said, it’s important that you’re able to bike at a relaxed pace while carrying a light daypack, with breaks along the way. To help us prepare the best possible experience—and ensure everyone’s safety—please fill out the health profile section of your registration form completely and accurately. The more we know, the better we can tailor the ride to fit you.

The Animas River Trail is an iconic Durango experience. You will find locals of all ages and abilities utilizing sections of this trail to get some movement in and enjoy the sights and sounds of the river. It’s a relatively flat, paved trail, no big hills, but it does have a slight incline most the way when headed North, and a slight decline most the way back South. It gets a little bumpy and rough in spots, but overall it is a nice paved trail

This tour takes place on the Animas River Trail in Durango, with a stop downtown for ice cream at Cream Bean Berry. It is a paved multi-use trail, with some bumpy sections, but overall good quality trail. The trail is around 6,500ft 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 day earlier on in your trip before you go exploring in the big mountains nearby.

Feel free to bring your own bike if you have it with you, otherwise we partner with 2nd Avenue Sports for all of our rental needs at a very reasonable price (not included in the tour price). They will have the right bike adjusted to your height and weight ahead of time, and Meraki will pick up the bikes and helmets before the tour.

At checkout, you'll be able to select a full suspension or townie bike, but all you'll need for this tour is the townie bike.

All of our guides are longtime bicyclists, who can help adjust your bike to be more comfortable or fix a flat tire on the fly. They 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!

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.

Tours will operate rain or shine, as long as our guides deem the conditions are safe.

Private Tour vs. Mixed Group Tour

• Private Tours are tailored specifically to your group’s interests, fitness level, and pace. Your guide can make real-time adjustments to the route, and there’s no need to accommodate other groups’ pickup or drop-off locations. It’s a personalized, seamless experience from start to finish—perfect for families, special occasions, or anyone wanting a custom adventure.
• Mixed Group Tours are a shared experience with other adventurers. They’re a great way to meet like-minded people and are more budget-friendly. However, the itinerary and pace are set to suit the whole group.

We love offering both options, but we generally recommend Private Tours for the best flexibility and overall experience.

Meraki’s 6:1 Guest to Guide ratio allows us to provide proper care and attention to each guest and support them in pushing their unique limits. For those looking for an exceptionally chill experience it also allows us to lavish in good stories and top food recommendations.

All Meraki guides have an active Wilderness First Responder medical certification. This 80-hour wilderness medical course covers a wide variety of situations and issues that could happen in the outdoors and how to manage them professionally. Our rock climbing guides are also certified by the Professional Climbing Guides Institute. All Meraki guides carry a comprehensive first aid kit, as well as a Garmin inReach satellite communication device for when cell service is spotty.

The essential fuel of a good adventure! We pride ourselves on having good (mostly organic) food and good snacks on our trips. Any tour that is over 3 hours in length will have a mostly organic with local ingredients, gourmet sandwich from our Durango Natural Foods Co-op. We care about the quality of nutrition that goes into our bodies, and we share that same standard for our guests. Be sure to check the inclusions and exclusions above for what's included in your tour.

Yes! Solo travelers are always welcome. You can join one of our mixed group tours, which are a fun and social way to experience the outdoors with other like-minded adventurers.

Prefer a more personalized experience? You can also book a private tour as a solo guest, with one-on-one attention from your guide. Either way, we’re happy to accommodate and help you make the most of your time outside!