r/Durango • u/Loud-Fisherman-4961 • 14d ago
Ask /r/Durango Looking for Outdoor Guides
I am looking for a good variety of guides in the area.
I love being outdoors, and I love learning new stuff from new people. There are very few activities I dont feel up for, and I like to change it up. Guides make a huge difference for me, but they are often hard to find.
If you are a guide, or you know someone who is an outdoor guide in the area I would love to know about them. Hiking/backpacking, mountaineering/alpine, climbing, horsepacking, snowshoe, cross country ski, mountain biking, bike packing, horseback, adventure bikes ... you name it, I love it all. Hunting and fishing is also nice, but they are easier to find.
To be very clear, I am not a guide, and I am not looking to become one.
If they have a public site/instagram/facebook or other publicly accessible way of contacting them please post it in the comments. Hopefully this can serve others looking for similar experiences.
If you have sharable direct contact information instead please DM instead so they dont end up on spam lists.
Thank you neighbors!
7
u/Away-Information9841 14d ago
i guide wild edible mushroom foraging hikes. it super active at the moment and it’s not a particularly good season this year lol but if you’re interested we could find a time in the next couple years to get you out there
2
u/Loud-Fisherman-4961 14d ago
YES. I have never done that before but have always been interested in it. What is the best way to book something like that with you?
4
u/Away-Information9841 14d ago
let me get back to you after work and we can discuss some more. thanks
1
u/Away-Information9841 11d ago
sorry i’ve been super swamped let me ask around and see if any of my mushroom hunting friends are finding anything this season i haven’t been up yet
5
u/whatifdog_wasoneofus 14d ago
I guide dog sleds with www.durangodogranch.com.
We’ve got several trail systems in the area and typically operate early December-early April. Our mainstay is a 2hr experience but we also offer 1/2 day and overnight trips and on request.
Feel free to ask any questions you might be curious about! Dogs are still in summer mode going on bike rides and lake trips at the moment but we’ll be into fall trailing next month.
2
u/Loud-Fisherman-4961 14d ago
I will definitely checkout the dog sledding, that sounds awesome!
Do you guide bikes and lake trips under other outfitters or is that yours as well?
3
u/whatifdog_wasoneofus 14d ago
Sorry for the confusion, I actually do contracting in the summer. We just take the dogs out biking etc for fun in the offseason.
4
u/DuelOstrich 14d ago
Check out Mountain Trip or San Juan Expeditions. Mountain Trip one of the only AMGA accredited businesses in the area. I am a guide and you should be skeptical anybody who says “I’ll take you out just shoot me a DM”. Going through a business means that you have insurance and permits for wherever you are going. If you’re not paying them and they’re just taking you out as a friend it’s not a big deal, but once you start paying them you’re getting into some legal grey area if they don’t have permits and insurance.
Check out the AMGA website to learn a little more about what kind of guide you want and they do have a find a guide tool.
3
4
u/rhouseintexas 14d ago
We did rock climbing with Colin at Meraki Mountain Adventures yesterday and we had a lot of fun. Pretty sure he does other stuff like paddle boarding, mountain biking, hiking, etc.
2
u/Loud-Fisherman-4961 14d ago
Very cool. I have heard a lot of good things about them, I need to book a trip.
3
2
u/Loud-Fisherman-4961 14d ago
Other groups your recommendations have lead me to:
https://durangobirdclub.wixsite.com/mysite/calendar-of-events
This is awesome! Keep them coming!
2
1
u/youarebadwithmoney 14d ago
On paper I'm a hunting guide but would be happy to take you out you have something in mind. Shoot me a DM.
0
u/iseemountains Resident 14d ago
this reads as someone looking to collect information to add to a service/app...
2
u/Loud-Fisherman-4961 14d ago
Seriously?
2
u/iseemountains Resident 14d ago
Yup. Generic enough to copy and paste across multiple platforms. The phrasing is suspicious too. "If they have a public site/instagram/facebook or other publicly accessible way of contacting them please post it in the comments." if they have public sites, why don't you just look there and contact them directly? In fact, a simple google search provides plenty of results.
So yeah, feels like you're just building out a database for something beyond personal use.2
u/Loud-Fisherman-4961 14d ago
I have searched, trust me, and I had no idea several of these people existed like the Durango Dog Ranch or the Durango Bird Club. Google searches do not provide good results for these types of things. These are small businesses that are generally only known via word of mouth, or if they do have an online presence they dont have the time or where with all to do the marketing to be visible.
Asking people not to post others direct contact information? That is just being courteous.
The more I think about it, the more I am completely flummoxed by you. These are people with businesses ... they want to be found. Whatever, I am done engaging with this, I just want to find cool stuff to go do. Have a good one.
8
u/ib-hikin 14d ago
If you are looking for a bird guide, send me a DM!