Colorado Sightseer
Anyone can drive past the Rocky Mountains. Colorado Sightseer's active sightseeing and hiking tours take you where you really want to go — out into nature — guiding your every step and providing insights along the way. The company is a local, family-run business, bought and transformed in 2017 by husband-and-wife team Rich and Christin, who wanted a change of pace from their day jobs as a software engineer and a stay-at-home mom. Christin is a fourth-generation Coloradan.
Tours run in small groups of 9–12 guests in touring vans that reach places buses can't go. Guides are mostly Colorado natives or long-term residents, all qualified in First Aid and CPR with regular DOT physicals, and most also hold Wilderness First Aid. The company follows Leave No Trace principles across its national park tours.
All tours depart from Union Station in downtown Denver — meet at the flagpole out front, 17th and Wynkoop Street. The two Rocky Mountain National Park tours and the Peak to Peak tour add pickups in Boulder (Panera Bread, 1855 29th St) and, for RMNP, Estes Park (Town Hall, 170 MacGregor Ave).
Rocky Mountain National Park
Rocky Mountain National Park Tour (Summer–Fall)
Full day, approx. 9½–10 hours · Daily, Memorial Day through mid-October
Eleven miles of driving above timberline on Trail Ridge Road, topping out at 12,183 feet, with a short walk to a waterfall, photo stops and a picnic lunch. Ends with time in Estes Park and an optional stop at the Historic Stanley Hotel. Stops include the Alluvial Fan, Horseshoe Park, Rock Cut, Alpine Visitor Center, Milner Pass and Forest Canyon Overlook.
Rocky Mountain National Park Tour (Winter–Spring)
Full day, approx. 8 hours · Daily, mid-October through Memorial Day
The winter-season counterpart, routed via Boulder and Lyons, with a walk around snow-covered Sprague Lake and elk viewing in Moraine Park. Includes time in Estes Park for lunch, the river walk and the Stanley Hotel.
Guided Hike in Rocky Mountain National Park
Full day, approx. 8 hours · Year-round, weather permitting
A 4–5 mile small-group hike on one of the guide's favourite trails in the park — mountain views, a lake or a waterfall, chosen on the day. Picnic lunch included.
Peaks and summits
Blue Sky Mountain Summit Tour
Full day, approx. 7½–8 hours · Daily, Memorial Day through Labor Day
Up the highest paved road in North America into the Mount Blue Sky Wilderness Area (admission included) — over 12,800 feet at Summit Lake and 14,265 feet at the summit when conditions allow. Bighorn sheep and mountain goats are common. Lunch and shopping in historic Idaho Springs.
Pikes Peak Regional Wonders
Full day, approx. 9 hours · Year-round, Saturdays and Sundays only
The Pikes Peak Highway (admission included) to the 14,115-foot summit, then historic Manitou Springs for mineral spring water, the penny arcade and lunch on your own, finishing at Garden of the Gods and its visitor centre. Passes the United States Air Force Academy.
The Ultimate Mountain Tour to Breckenridge
Full day, approx. 8 hours · Monday–Friday, year-round
Crosses the Continental Divide at nearly 12,000 feet, with Red Rocks, Clear Creek Canyon, historic Georgetown, Loveland Pass and a short hike at Sapphire Point above Lake Dillon. Free time in Breckenridge for the Isak Heartstone troll walk or the gondola; returns through the Eisenhower Tunnel.
Scenic byways and mountain towns
Peak to Peak Scenic Byway and Estes Park
Full day, approx. 7 hours · Daily, year-round
North through Boulder and up Boulder Canyon to Nederland, then along the Peak to Peak Scenic and Historic Byway beneath the Indian Peaks Wilderness, with a stroll at Lily Lake and free time in Estes Park on Elk Horn Avenue and at the Stanley Hotel.
Red Rocks, Evergreen, Echo Lake Tour
Half day, approx. 5 hours · Daily morning and afternoon, year-round
The Denver Mountain Park system — Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre, the mountain town of Evergreen via Bear Creek Canyon, and Echo Lake at 10,600 feet at the base of Mt. Blue Sky. Returns past Genesee Mountain Park, where buffalo and elk are sometimes seen.
Denver, Golden, Lookout Mountain
Half day, approx. 4 hours · Daily morning and afternoon, year-round
Downtown Denver landmarks — Coors Field, the RiNo Art District, Larimer Square, the Performing Arts Complex, Civic Center Park, the State Capitol, the Denver Art Museum and Ball Arena — then the historic town of Golden and the Lariat Loop up Lookout Mountain for views across the plains and the Front Range.
Mining history and winter
Gold Rush Mountain and Mine Tour
Half day, approx. 5 hours · Monday–Friday, year-round
Follows the route of the 1859 Gold Rush up Clear Creek Canyon to the mining town of Central City and its opera house, a ghost town, and a working gold mine where you can try panning. Finishes with a drink or shopping in Georgetown or Idaho Springs.
Hike the Rockies Tour
Half day, approx. 5 hours · Year-round, weather permitting
A guided four-mile forest-trail hike past mountain meadows, creeks and a lake — wildflowers, aspen colour or snow depending on the season, with deer and elk sometimes about. Ends with a drink at the guide's favourite local spot.
Snow Tubing and Hot Springs Mountain Adventure
Full day, approx. 7 hours · Monday–Thursday, late November to mid-April
Snow tubing on groomed lanes at Echo Mountain with summit views and a lodge to warm up in, then a soak in the natural mineral hot springs at Idaho Springs, with lunch in the 19th-century mining district. Driving and reservations handled for you.
