The scenic overlook is a must stop and see place! Came here on the way to Ice Castles in Dillon…read more Worth it!

It's hard to review a plain rest stop operated by the state, but here is what I liked and didn't…read morelike about this stop. We pulled off to see if there was a good view of the valley below from the gazebo. Reality is, it's a bit hindered by the hill and vegetation below, so the pull off down the hill is still the best spot for photo ops (see photo). We did get to use the restrooms...they were very stinky! Yes, it is August, and yes they are essentially brick and mortar porta-potties...however, they were obviously not freshly cleaned. Floor was not mopped, no attempt was made to freshen them up for travellers. I would have let it go, was it not for the fact that 2 rangers were sitting around in the gift shop with little to nothing do. So my question is: if you have TWO employees not currently engaged in other activities, what's stopping one of them from grabbing a mop bucket, tossing some PineSol in it and freshening up the restroom? Food for thought... They do have feeders right by the gift shop windows where you can enjoy hummingbirds up-close and personal :) That was a nice perk! They also have several plaques explaining the history as well as the fauna of the area. They also have trails leaving directly the parking lot that seem interesting to scout in the future.

We went to CO to visit family and experience the beautiful outdoors, and a Geological Hike, the…read moreVolcanic Gems Geology Hike, with Dr. Rox was our first excursion on the weekend. Dr. Rox was fantastic. Both my wife and I are teachers, and so we loved how academic the hike was as Dr. Rox would pause and explain the rock cycle, tectonic movement, or the birth of the Rocky Mountains. We were also delighted that our two teenage sons asked a bunch of questions and were obviously engaged in, not only the Geology lesson, but also the local flora and fauna. Dr. Rox answered every question, and, when she didn't know the name of a plant, she pulled out a trusty book and looked it up. She kept things light, but we definitely learned a lot as well. When we reached the end of the hike where the zeolite crystals had grown in the geodes, we climbed all over the rocks finding crystal after crystal. It was certainly an impressive site. We really loved both the scenery and our guide, and I would recommend this hike to anyone with any interested in geology. A big thanks to Dr. Rox for making our hike so fun and educational!

Had a fantastic geology tour with Trail Gems! Our guide Roxana took us around the west Denver area,…read moreup into the mountains and back, and explained the "why" behind the rocky scenery that surrounds us. We got to hammer out some rock specimens, examine different crystal structures up close, and even see dinosaur bones. Definitely recommend for a fun weekend outing.

We had such an amazing time white water rafting with Liquid Descent! Our guide, Kayla, was…read morefantastic. She made us feel safe and comfortable from the very beginning, and gave clear instructions so we always knew what to do. She tailored our ride to how "spicy" we wanted to make it, so since it was our first time rafting, that made us feel great. The trip was the perfect level of excitement for us as beginners. It was fun, thrilling, and adventurous without ever feeling overwhelming. My sons, ages 10 and 13, had an absolute blast and want to plan another trip back. We even got to see a bald eagle along the river, it was phenomenal. The weather was perfect, and the whole experience was incredibly well organized. It's also just under two hours from Denver, making it a great day trip. We really appreciated the free parking, and they kept our car keys safely in the office while we were out on the river. We felt completely comfortable leaving everything else locked in our car. We couldn't have asked for a better first rafting experience. We would absolutely recommend them to anyone, especially families and first-time rafters. Definitely opt for the photo package too - the pictures we received were stunning and memorable. Huge thanks to Kayla and the Liquid Descent team!

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!

Great trip down the Arkansas. Great views and an awesome guide. Would love to see it when the…read morewater is a little higher. GO DIEGO GO!

Rafting::: Had an…read moreabsolute blast with Luke on our half-day gorge extravaganza! ‍ Starting with safety first, Luke quickly realized we were ready for not just a family adventure, but the paddle of a lifetime! From history lessons to hilarious jokes and endless encouragement, Luke felt like just one more member of our crazy family! Even the ride in the van was a hoot, thanks to Josie! He made going over the safety rules checklist fun and easy to remember. Also, Hank, Henry, or was it Harry? Who knows! But the photographer captured all our fun and chaos along the way. This adventure is definitely saved to the top of my list for my next trip out! Zipline::: 1-2-3, ready, zip! Today's afternoon adventure was packed with excitement, featuring hikes with no cactus grabs, Bob's wonderful splits, and Zoe's tree touches, all with a side of zipping through Mongoose Valley! If it weren't for Gabe, we wouldn't have any evidence of our epic adventure! This is a fantastic first-time course, complete with a practice round before you tackle the real deal. And get your bets ready because you'll have the chance to battle it out on the zip line with a person of your choosing. May the odds be ever in your favor! What else can I say but just do it! Take the leap off a wooden stand, soak in the stunning views of the gorge and valley, and enjoy the camaraderie of the zip-on!

Highly recommend The Adventure Company. They worked us in last minute when another rafting company…read morelet us down and cancelled on us less than an hour before our trip. Stone was our guide, and he was very friendly and knew a lot about the area. Despite the lower water, he kept us going down the river when other groups were getting stuck.

Enjoyed a half day rafting tour with Troy and Paige. Water was a little low, but the guides made…read moresure it was a great trip.

Such a wonderful experience!!! We did the white water rafting and our guide was wonderful! He took…read morethe time to give us information and history. Great family fun! We will definitely be back. After our white water rafting we came back and had lunch at the food truck. Food and beer was great. AAA+++

Awesome day rafting! Sam was a great guide so ask for him if you can! Everyone there was super…read morehelpful so make sure you choose RMOC for your day on the water.

Came in from Wichita, KS celebrating a friend's bachelor party. We we were split up into two groups…read moreof four per raft. It was an excellent time!! The guides were amazing, the river was rapid, and there were some spots to get out of the raft and jump in. The photographer made us all look good too which is a bonus. Don't miss out on this experience with Raft Masters!

We went rafting on some class III and IV rapids today with raftmasters and it was a fantastic…read moreexperience. It felt well organized and safe but also very fun and all I could hope for. John-o was our guide and he was great. He did a good job reteaching us the basics and knew the river quite well. Outside of that, he had some good geological knowledge and dad jokes as well. My buddy's wife couldn't come at the last second and they gave me a gift certificate which was cool as we thought he wouldn't get anything. The only thing I didn't love is there isn't anything to drink once you step on the bus so I would have brought some water but still highly recommend them.

Small groups, great views, bad jokes. Do all river guides…read moretell bad jokes? That bridge is really for "elk migration"? Well, we fell for that one, but still... Dane and fellow guides took great care of us. The Brown's Canyon ride was great fun, and stunningly beautiful. We had three children with our family of five, and the 1/2 day Brown's Canyon ride was a blast for all even our youngest, age 6. Thanks for a great time. Bill P.S. I thought it was a good deal, too, for an exhausting, exciting day of nature and thrills.

We had a great time! Our guide was Aaron and he was amazing! Tour was family friendly and a lot of…read morefun!

WOW what a time. My…read morefriend and I signed up with this company to take us on a 2 day extreme class IV/V Overnight rafting trip on the Arkansas river. We both have experience with this company from rafting the Upper Salt River in AZ. Unfortunately the water levels didn't cooperate but, the rafting company modified the itinerary to give us the best possible adventure possible. Day upper upper Browns Canyon which led to class I've and the use of duckies. Operation am not a fan but, half of our group loved them. We were then driven 1.5 hours away for our dinner and tent camping (3 miles from our put in). Ryan and Eric our guides cooked a great meal and catered to the group. We awakened to a mist and heavy fog, which we were served pancakes and sausages for a warm breakfast, and let's not forget hot coffee. We then departed at 8:30 for our trip down the Royal Gorge were we hit class in rapids, lots of class 3s, great geology, good company, lots of fun and a great experience. Ryan our lead guide and Eric did a great job for 2 days of providing us a great experience and memories. You have many choices but from a personal experience this is the best company to deal with. We are already planning next year's multi day trip.

We "dodged a bullet" with this company. They called us less than an hour before our trip to cancel,…read morenot because of dangerous conditions, but because another group canceled, and they didn't want to take 3 of us out. No integrity and no remorse for ruining our trip. Fast forward, we found an amazing company that agreed to work us in the same day and, after speaking to several people in the area, it is well known that Wilderness Aware Rafting has less experienced guides and get stuck in the river holding up "traffic" most days. Literally no one locally has anything nice to say. In hindsight, I am glad we didn't go with them.

Absolutely gorgeous basic camping spots. Peaceful, beautiful with literally 360 degree views of…read morelake and mountains. Clean restrooms, very convenient and clean shower facilities & laundry at office building. A few caveats: many of the spots have no shade, you may want to check first. The lake doesn't allow swimming. The Marina only rents pontoons and fishing boats (we wished we had brought or could rent a kayak) -- also, water pumps are pretty sparse, bring water or jugs to fill.

Great views, weird neighbors, and bring quarters!…read more We stayed on the non-marina side because someone said the fishing was better over there. Spoiler: it wasn't. Pretty sure the fish took a vacation. Or maybe they just hate us. Getting to the other side of the reservoir felt like a side quest in an off-brand video game -- bumpy roads, no idea how far we were actually going, but somehow it took forever. Definitely earned our snacks that day. We were off-grid RVing and used solar -- plenty of sunshine (yay Colorado!), and the panels worked great. Bathrooms were drop toilets (two in our loop), surprisingly clean for what they are -- rustic but not revolting. We drove to the shower house and THANK GOODNESS we had cash because it was $1 for 4 minutes, and you bet we were in there with a full stack of quarters like it was 1995 at the arcade. Clean showers. Flush toilets. Glorious. Some quirks: - Our fire ring looked like it hosted a frat party the night before. Lots of ash, trash, and mystery items. - Patrol truck drove by once at 8:30pm and then vanished into the night like a park ranger ninja. - Two entire families camped in the parking lot overnight. With kids. Just chilling. Not in sites. Just... existing there. We're heading back soon but staying on the marina side, because we enjoy actual campsites and the illusion of order. ‍ Overall: beautiful location, lots of sun, potential for fish (maybe), and absolutely bring quarters if you enjoy hygiene.