Yes! That is what sets Fresh Tracks Hiking apart from everyone else! Your guide will carry professional camera equipment to document your day out with us, and deliver them to you via Google Drive. You focus on the hike, and we focus on getting you memories that will last a lifetime! Expect to receive between 300-500 professional photos of your day out.

I carry two cameras. One is a Canon 5d Mark IV with a 70-200 IS f2.8. The other is a Canon 6D Mark II with a 24-70 f2.8. These are arguably two of Canon’s best cameras and lenses on the market! I can also carry an external flash and tripod if necessary.

All of the tours offered by Fresh Tracks Hiking begin with a pickup at your accommodation between an hour to two hours before sunrise, depending on how far we have to drive. If you are scheduled to hike a 13,000 or 14,000 foot mountain, the pickup time is about midnight to 2 am, depending on which mountain you decide to climb.

The best time to hike in Colorado is at sunrise. Colorado is very famous for hiking, but nobody wants to get up early to enjoy the sunrise. Everybody gets to the trail around 8am-10am, which means packed trails, loud kids, dogs barking, etc. We get there at sunrise to enjoy the hike all by ourselves. The light is soft for great photography, wildlife is most active, the air is cool and crisp, and we end the hike when everyone is starting! On top of this, Colorado is notorious for having thunderstorms pop up out of nowhere. These storms usually happen in the afternoon, around 2 P.M. By that time, we will be well off the trail!

We start our adventure early in the morning and therefore, we recommend that you wear long pants and layer your upper half. This means a t-shirt or tank top on the top, with a long sleeve, light weight shirt that can be taken off as the temperature rises. Running shoes or sneakers should be fine for most hikes, but we recommend hiking boots that offer ankle support for full day hikes or 13/14ers. Please pay attention to the weather news to see what the weather will be like!

• Water
• Snack
• Prescription Medication
• Sunscreen

Most of the half-day hikes are about 3-6 miles, with about a maximum of 1.5 hours of driving each way. You can expect to be back at your accommodation by noon. Most of the full-day hikes are longer, ranging from 3-10 miles, with about 2.5 hours of driving time maximum each way. You can expect to be back at your accommodation in mid-afternoon.

Many guests come from a near-sea level elevation to Colorado and don’t have much time to acclimate.  To help acclimation, we recommend to try to drink at least a gallon of water each day for two days before coming to Colorado and once in Colorado, try to drink at least a half gallon of water before the hike.  On top of this, eating carbohydrates and avoiding alcohol once in Denver will help to acclimate you to Denver’s high elevation.  If you’re booked to hike a 13 or 14,000 foot mountain, start doing as much cardio activity as possible as well as stair climbs at the gym or at home.

We specialize in small group tours, so no group is over four participants. However, we do accommodate larger groups if they supply their own transportation. Any group with more than 4 participants will be a private tour and will need their own way to get to the hike!

If we are expecting inclement weather, we will notify you the night before or the morning of to cancel the tour. However, this rarely happens. Most of the time, the weather is nice early in the morning. In the winter, we have many hikes that occur when it’s snowing. It is your responsibility to monitor the weather and cancel accordingly if you don’t want to go due to some clouds/rain/snow. Colorado weather can be very unpredictable and we cannot guarantee visiting all sights if we think it is not safe to drive.

For a full refund, there is a 24 hour cancellation policy. For a Private Tour, there is a 72 hour cancellation policy.

Safety is our number one priority! The only way to have a good time outdoors is to make sure that safety comes first. For safety equipment, I carry two medial kits, (one with wound management like band-aids, one with everything else, like medication) extra water, rehydrating salts, a first aid book, duct tape, and hiking poles. Why the duct tape and hiking poles? Since we are hiking and accidents or falls can happen, it is easy to make a splint or secure an injury using the two!

In terms of hiking equipment, it depends on the hike. I ALWAYS carry extra water and snacks for everyone. I also carry an extra jacket, hats, gloves, and extra socks. Even in the summer, I carry these extra items. Colorado has unpredictable weather. It could be sunny and 70 degrees one minute and snowing an hour later. On every hike During the wintertime, I carry micro spikes and hiking poles for everyone.

As stated before, safety is the number one priority on any hike. The most important thing to do is to assess and treat each individual situation separately. We will not continue the hike until the correct assessment is made and the situation is under control.

Many of my guests come to Colorado to enjoy the outdoors and enjoy cannabis while hiking.  It is probably the number one question asked by my guests.  While it is legal in Colorado, it is still illegal federally and illegal to enjoy outside private property.  Fresh Tracks Hiking does not promote consumption on trails. We advise that all participants familiarize themselves with the local laws on cannabis consumption. While we cannot condone the use of cannabis, participants consume cannabis at their own risk. Fresh Tracks Hiking will not permit any open flame on the trails.

Another question that is asked is if magic mushrooms can be consumed on the hike.  Recently, Denver decriminalized magic mushrooms.  However, they're still illegal.  Like cannabis, Fresh Tracks Hiking does not promote consumption on trails. We advise that all participants familiarize themselves with the local laws on magic mushroom consumption. While we cannot condone the use of magic mushrooms, participants consume magic mushrooms at their own risk.