
Let expert guides show you the way to an incredible experience by unlocking the quiet beauty and trademark tranquility during an adventure hike in the hidden tourism gem of
Lake City CO and surrounding Hinsdale County.
For the second straight summer, the
Wild Bunch Desert Guides are bringing their five-star rated adventure tours and homespun hospitality to this wilderness wonderland.
Wild Bunch founder and owner
Laurel Darren has become a fixture in this quaint Colorado community as a “sunbird” escaping the withering heat of her Sonoran Desert home base the last several summers.
Now, her break from the rat race has become a working vacation to allow Laurel to share her passion for people, guiding adventure tours, and hiking the rugged natural beauty of
Lake City CO.
“I have found hiking is the absolute best way to explore the incredible area surrounding Lake City,” Laurel said in announcing the new service in 2022.
“And now I hope to share all I have learned – as well as introduce guests to several of the local guides who showed me the way – so others can enjoy this summer tourist treat as much as I do!”
NOTE: The Lake City CO hikes
DO NOT affect the usual Wild Bunch offerings in Arizona. Those
Phoenix/Scottsdale adventure tours still operate under special summertime hours dictated by the desert’s extreme summer heat. For more information about those
Phoenix/Scottsdale adventure tours or to book online, visit the
Wild Bunch home page.
ALSO: Online booking is unavailable for the special
Lake City, CO summer hikes. To book any of the Lake City CO options, please call or text
309-230-2484 or email Laurel through our
contact form.
Take a Hike on the Wild Side
The Wild Bunch’s summer “satellite office” in Colorado is offering 2-hour hikes four days per week on this rotating schedule:
Tuesdays: Cataract Gulch
Wednesdays: Devils Creek
Fridays: Water Dog
Sundays: Alpine Gulch
NOTE: Unlike the
Phoenix adventure tours offered by the Wild Bunch, the Colorado summer hikes are not
PRIVATE unless you request the tour to be exclusive to you and your family or travel group. A private adventure costs $100 extra for the combined group.
Otherwise, a
Colorado summer hiking tour can number up to 7 guests per guide.
Each booking requires a
2-person minimum at
$100 per guest. Children 10-and-under also may hike at
$75 per child.
For children and guests who are beginners – and may want an easier challenge – Wild Bunch also offers
Lake-to-Lake hikes. This 2-hour hiking option is especially wonderful for families with children because the challenge is very easy with a gentle elevation change and beautiful views.
For more advanced hikers seeking the challenge of a Colorado 14’er – so named because the peaks are 14,000 or more feet above sea level -- the Wild Bunch is insured and permitted to take you on an incredible journey to
Handies Peak.
Please understand you must allow for an all-day experience on this longer and more rigorous
Colorado summer hiking tour. The meeting time is 4 a.m., and the guide fee is $250 per person and requires a minimum of two guests. There is no discount for children and the suggested minimum age for children is 8.
Please allow at least 48-hours advance notice if you would like to enjoy the Handies Peak adventure.
All of the
Lake City CO summer hikes are available from
Thursday, June 1 to
Thursday, Sept. 28.

Except for Handies Peak, all of these Colorado Summer hikes start at 7 a.m., with guests meeting their guide in front of
Cabin Fever Mercantile in Lake City CO.
The store is located at 306 Silver St., Lake City, CO 81235.
Click here for a new tab with a map.
Owned by Wild Bunch gal pal
Tracy Lanktree, the five-star rated store is a destination for both tourists and hikers visiting Lake City so they can “shop the mountain life,” as
Cabin Fever Mercantile likes to say. The specialty shop offers all sorts of hiking gear, as well as Lake City apparel, souvenirs, and homemade gifts native to the mountains.
NOTE: Cabin Fever Mercantile is not a contact for the Wild Bunch hikes; the store simply offers a centralized meeting point to begin your adventure!
After meeting, guests follow their guide in a separate vehicle to the desired trailhead. The Wild Bunch staff
DOES NOT provide transportation.
The 7 a.m. start time is the only time available for the meet-and-follow-to-the-trail option. However, guests can opt to meet their Wild Bunch guides at the trailheads.
All guides are local except Wild Bunch owner Laurel Darren, now a long-time summer transplant in Lake City CO.
All guides are first aid trained and CPR certified. All guides carry spot trackers and other assorted safety equipment on each adventure.
The Wild Bunch provides water, snacks, and other items necessary for a successful adventure including backpacks for guests to borrow to carry any additional items they would like to bring.
June and September are the prime months to see wildflowers blooming on these hikes, especially at Handies. Aspen trees also change color to a rich gold in September, and the sight is specifically wonderful along the Water Dog trail.
Colorado Hiking goes Wild
All of the
Colorado summer hiking tours are insured and permitted through the Bureau of Land Management.
These are the trail options guests can choose from: