We went on the beginner rafting with Adam today. He was very friendly and knowledgeable about the…read morearea and a very experienced rafter. Due to the recent heavy rainfall and snow melt the rafting seemed more intermediate than beginner but we were fine with that since we had all been rafting before. We all had a lot of fun and Adam let us know we could get a discount for going again since we live in CO- we might try the intermediate in the future Definitely recommend wearing a swimsuit underneath the wetsuit and also bringing a rain jacket - these items saved me! Also recommend bringing water shoes if you own any- (they have some for rent too) since water is very cold and your lower body will get soaked

What an unforgettable experience! Everyone is super nice and knowledgeable. Scooty was funny and…read moremade this a wonderful time. I was super close to backing out last minute with my anxiety kicking in. But with his confidence and encouraging words I got on. And boy I am so glad! I will forever remember this! I didn't want it to end! I'm ready for my next whitewater rafting! For a first timer or experienced I highly recommend them!

With nine months of experience in riding these buses several times a week, I can safely say that…read moretheir bus service is terrible, unreliable and not living up to the expectations which riders have. Their scheduling and routing scheme seems to undergo some massive change every few months, and the service only gets worse with each change. If a single cloud rolls across the sky or a single drop of water falls on the road, the bus stops running. These buses are equipped with automatic tire chains (you can clearly see them on the bottom of the bus) so there shouldn't be any excuse for weather related delays, but they happen all the time. Some days, even when the sky is clear and the day is warm, they just randomly cancel routes with no explanation other than "issues beyond our control." Absolutely no notice is provided on their website or anywhere else when service is cancelled. It is up to you to figure out for yourself why your bus never showed up and how you are going to get to work/home on your own. During the time I've been using this service, I've made two complaints against them with the Colorado Public Utilities Comission (PUC). Both complaints discovered violations which resulted in Ramblin' Express being served with a fine. But instead of making their service better so people won't have a reason to complain about them, the company seems to be retaliating by making their service even worse and less convenient. First, they totally eliminated the bus stop that was only about a mile from my home. Now I have to drive much further to get to the next closest stop. And from there I still expect to spend another hour on the bus! Next, they changed their routes so that instead of a bus departing every hour, they only departed every two hours. I had to have my employer adjust my schedule because this made it impossible for me to get to work on time. Well apparently their two hour scheme didn't work out, so they eventually scrapped that and reverted back to the every hour departures. But naturally there is some horrific catch, which is that they merged the Lakewood and Aurora routes into one route! Now, Aurora residents get to spend an extra hour on the bus each way (in addition to the hour it already took), and Lakewood residents have to be crammed in like sardines on an overcrowded bus that is already full before it even gets to our stop. Every time you think this company can't make your commute to work even more nightmarish, they find a way.

This company runs their drivers beyond ragged.. they change their drivers' schedules last minute,…read moreand drag shifts out for up to 16 hours at a time or more. Furthermore, they require their drivers to carry unlimited data and phone plans on smartphones without any compensation. And as often as these buses break down, they leave their drivers and passengers stranded for hours at a time.. As fancy and first class as they claim to be, the smell these buses permeate is very unpleasant. Don't even bother trying to contact customer service for anything other than hurry up and buy something, or get rushed off of the phone.

I can't say enough good things about our experience with Liquid Descent. My daughter and I signed…read moreup for the beginner rafting trip... and while she was excited... I was terrified. I was so nervous walking in, but from the moment we arrived, every single staff member made us feel welcomed, safe, and supported. Our guide, Koa, was the perfect balance of fun, kind, and incredibly skilled. He guided us through the rapids with such confidence and ease while also making sure everyone felt safe and included. He checked in on us several times throughout and made sure we were having fun, asked us if we wanted to "spice it up" a bit or keep it mellow and just really let us know this was "our" trip and he's cater to what we wanted. I quickly found myself letting go of fear and enjoying the moment... something I didn't expect would happen. Koa's energy was contagious, and his calm, respectful nature made us feel like we were in the best hands possible. At one point on the river, another rafting company had a mishap and we had to pull over and wait for them to recover and get their riders back into the raft safely. Koa explained what had happened with total grace - no judgment, no gossip - just a calm and respectful explanation. He also spoke so kindly of his own coworkers and even the owner of Liquid Descent. You could tell he genuinely cares about the rafting community and takes pride in his work and LOVES his Liquid Descent family! Every employee we encountered was friendly, encouraging, and helpful - from getting us fitted with helmets and life jackets to cheering us on as we headed out. As someone who started out nervous, that kind of supportive vibe made a huge difference. They encouraged me, and they helped me push past my comfort zone in the best way possible. What a GREAT memory! We will remember this day not only for the thrill of the rapids, but for the kindness and heart of the people who guided us through it! If you are considering rafting in Colorado, go with Liquid Descent. I'm so glad we did!

First time rafters, and LD and their amazing crew delivered! Class III/IV rapids out of the Idaho…read moreSprings area - highly recommended! Ask for Ben, our guide. He was awesome!!! Hack - go on one of the early rafts, like the 8:30 or 9:00, easier parking and often the weather is nicer!

We enjoyed a family reunion of 20 family members on the Arkansas River this morning. Browns is a…read morevery well organized company who provided a 9 mile rafting tour which included a number of 2 and 3 rapids. All the family members from the ages of 9 years old to 81 were happily satisfied by this river rafting experience. Our guide Chris provided excellent information about the river and history of this historic mining area. If you find yourself interested in rafting some waves in Colorado I highly recommend this company in Buena Vista, CO.

Our group of 7 (ages 6-47) did the 1/2 day private trip with Jeremy. 10+/10 recommend!! Jeremy was…read morea great guide - full of information, an encouraging teacher, and just overall FUN! We have decided that the next time we will have to do a full day!! The booking process was easy, the communication was good, and the day of went smoothly. Definitely will return to Brown's Canyon Rafting!

Sometimes things just work out for a reason…read more I originally booked my hot air balloon ride with another local company (who kept my friend and I in suspense about whether or not we actually had a reservation because they were waiting to see if more people would book their tour). We found Adventures Out West on Viator and were not only able to book with them right away, but also get an immediate confirmation for our reservation. The only frustrating thing is that when booking through Viator, it requires a minimum of 2 people in order to book the reservation. I'm normally a solo traveler but fortunately I had a friend who wanted to do this excursion as well... But something to keep in mind if you are a solo traveler. You may want to reach out to the company directly to see if you can book as a party of one. The meeting place is about an hour drive from Denver. My friend and I left before dawn and made it to the meeting point by sunrise. Everybody on the team was friendly, energetic and welcoming even at such an ungodly hour. On the ride over to the departure site, they gave us a quick overview of what to expect as well as a safety briefing then we waited for them to unpack and inflate the balloon. After about 45 minutes we were ready to go. I am glad that I did this trip with a friend because it's close quarters in the basket. The basket has several compartments that each hold two people, bus compartments for the fuel tanks and another for the pilot. It's barely enough space in the compartment to turn around, so if you're going by yourself you're going to get to know a stranger VERY well by the end of the ride. The ride itself was absolutely wonderful. It was a calm, breathtaking glide across Colorado Springs. We drifted over the Colorado Springs Airport and got to watch an airplane take off right in front of us. We were about 2,000 ft up, so we were also able to see some of the local wildlife running around as we floated. It was a beautifully peaceful ride. The ground team was supposed to meet us at our landing site but unfortunately they got stuck in a ditch (we could see them from the air). They radioed the pilot of the hot air balloon (T-Dogg) to let him know what was going on and he handled the experience like the consummate professional. Our 40-60 minute ride ended up being almost 2 hours while T-Dogg figured out where to land. He kept us informed of the situation, let us know what his plan was, and never at any time did we feel uncomfortable or unsafe. Ultimately we ended up landing in the driveway of the Pikes Peak outdoor gun club. It was an adventure for everyone involved, as members drove around our massive hot air balloon to enter or exit the venue, snapping pictures and video as they went. The landing was astonishingly gentle. I expected a much more jarring experience but we touched down so softly, then gently bounced a few inches off the ground before coming to a full stop. Another testament to T-Dogg's skill as a pilot. Unfortunately the ground crew was unable to get themselves unstuck, so the staff were able to coordinate ground transportation from another vehicle in their fleet: A modified Jeep that thankfully had space for all of us. We ride by the ditch where the ground team was stuck, picked up all of our items and then headed back to the meeting point where we were welcomed back with some wonderful refreshments including mini muffins and cinnamon rolls, fruit and cheese, as well as a champagne toast, which is an integral part of the hot air balloon experience so you don't want to miss that. This has been a bucket list item for me for a while and I cannot imagine having a better experience than I did with Adventures Out West.

This is a review of the Garden of the Gods Foothills jeep tour. Walked in the Garden of the Gods…read moreVisitor Center and was offered this tour. Since we had the time, we said might as well try it. It was the end of February. Even though it was winter, that day was nice and temperature was not too cold. However, there were parts of the tour where the wind was strong and constantly hitting your face. If you're not wearing sunglasses or anything to protect your eyes, it would be difficult to appreciate the sights, not to mention the wind chill. Glad I brought my gloves. The seats were heated and there's a wool blanket available. The first part of the tour was Garden of the Gods. There were 10 people on this tour. We went around the Garden of the Gods and our tour guide showed us several features and shared interesting facts/stories throughout. We stopped a few times at the Garden of the Gods but you would not stop to go down and have pictures/selfies taken. This was disappointing to me; it would have been better if we did. After this part, only 4 of us remained for the foothills part of the tour. We passed through Cheyenne Canyon and went up to Helen Hunt Falls where we stopped, went down and had some opportunity to take photos and get close to the falls. After this, we went further into the railroad tunnels. The entire tour including the Garden of the Gods one took about 2 hours. Though the view was gorgeous up there, the second part of the tour was underwhelming to me. The Garden of the Gods was beautiful but you could do a tour on your own, take your sweet time, stop, go down, and take your own pictures. Overall, the tour was okay; I do not think it's worth the $100 though.

We took this ride at the same time last year. It was so enjoyable we booked it again this year…read more Greeted by Tini the owner is a great way to start the day she has the coffee, rolls, yogurt and fruit ready for you. Shawn and Harvey were our guides and they were most excellent! From the guides local knowledge to the stories of Pikes Peak history we couldn't have had a better time. The leaves were starting to change which enhanced the beauty of the mountainside. The 4 of us were below average in biking experience. The guys fitted our bikes, helmets gave us a quick safety briefing and provided gloves, caps and vests for us to wear. It is clear they have been in the touring business for years as Every detail is taken care of for their clients. Next time we are going on the Gold Camp Road tour. Thanks for ending the ride with lunch and a glass of wine!!

Words cannot describe the amazing experience we had at Challenge Unlimited. The experience of…read morebiking down Pines Peak is absolutely worth the money. From the top: Challenge Unlimited served a pretty decent breakfast. You read "continental breakfast" and think some crappy day old baked goods and bad coffee. Not in here... Bagels, different cream cheese, fresh bananas, regular coffee and keurig coffees, plus more. The staff is friendly and willing to accommodate the ride based on the skill level of the group. When going down hill there were a few of us who liked speed and the front can was definitely going fast so we could go faster. You make several stops along the way to take pics, relax, and catch your breath. In the end, you ride down to The Wines of Colorado where you have some basic lunch. Had an absolute blast! I highly recommend it to anyone.

We had so much fun on our tour last weekend! Scott was an amazing tour guide, with so much to say…read moreabout the history of the area and especially the geology and fossils. Our jeep was covered with a cloth roof, bit it gets mighty dusty and hot inside, so plan accordingly and bring hats, sunscreen and water. Since it is a 4wd tour, it is very jostling, so be prepared. This was definitely an excellent tour and we will try one of their other options next tine we're in Canon City.

Great staff! Very organized! Great ride . Drivers are…read morewonderful . It's nice to be driven around and enjoy the views.

Well this was a nice experience. Went to Caves of the Wind located on the top of a mountain. There…read morewere cave tours, a gift shop, photos of our tour, and activities like the wall climb and obstacle course. The staff was very nice and they also have food available for purchase.

The center itself is great but we paid $300 for 4 people for an hour and a half keep tour that…read morestated it was off-road and we would get stories about the mountain. All we did was go down main roads and our tour guide was half deaf and just have us movie reviews. Terrible experience

This off-roading experience out near the Pikes Peak Forest was absolutely amazing! The staff was…read moresuper friendly from start to finish, and our driver, Skylar, was awesome--knowledgeable, fun, and made the whole ride even better. We rode in a six-seater UTV and had some of the best views I've ever seen, including incredible sights of Pikes Peak. Being out there really puts things into perspective. It was sad to see parts of the forest still recovering from a human-caused fire that happened years ago, but it also made the experience more meaningful to witness the resilience of nature firsthand. I had an amazing time--truly one of those experiences you don't forget. I would 100% do this again. Next time, though, I'd probably book it in the summer because it was pretty cold and my feet were frozen . Totally worth it, though! Highly recommend if you're looking for adventure, great views, and a fun crew.

Gideon was so great and very helpful with suggestions on routes for us to take. This was the…read morehighlight of our trip. We enjoyed the self guided UTV trip so much. We really recommend this for anyone looking to adventure out and have a great time. We did the 4 hour self guided tour and it was just the perfect amount of time! Incredible views!