Guided Fly Fishing Expeditions on Vail’s Piney River

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Piney River Guided Fishing Trip

Here at Sage Outdoor Adventures, we are extremely proud to have exclusive access to the famed Piney River near Vail for guided fly fishing trips!

About the Piney River

Sage is the sole fly fishing outfitter on the Piney Valley Ranch, and it’s only available to our guests. We offer fully guided fly fishing adventures to this pristine alpine stream, tucked away in Vail’s spectacular Colorado backcountry.

The Piney River is a classic, Colorado wilderness gem. With its headwaters at Piney Lake at the foot of the rugged Gore Range, this freestone river tumbles through a roadless wilderness canyon for 25 miles until its confluence with the Colorado River. 

Fly Fishing the Piney River in Colorado

As the Piney River approaches its confluence with the Colorado River, it flows right through the Piney Valley Ranch, a sprawling, 30,000-acre mountain paradise. Guests of Sage Outdoor Adventures have exclusive access to a stretch of water, which has never been available to the public.

How Sage Received Exclusive Access to Fish the Piney River

The team at Sage Outdoor Adventures was able to secure this premier fishing lease thanks to a longstanding relationship with the owners of Piney Valley Ranch, who previously owned Castle Peak Ranch. Castle Peak is where we offer ATV tours, snowmobiling, and horseback riding. There were several reputable fly fishing businesses knocking on the door for the Piney River lease. But after seven years of working together at Castle Peak, and knowing first-hand the quality of Sage operations, the owners chose to sign with Sage.

Vail Colorado Fly Fishing Trips

What to Expect on our Guided Fly Fishing Trips

We offer half-day and full-day trips to this remote, private stretch of the Piney River. Trips will include side-by-side ATVs to navigate the ranch and high-end fly fishing gear. Full-day trips also include a streamside lunch.

The ranch will be limited to very few fishing guests each day to maintain a high quality experience. As with everything we do, our guides place a high priority on the quality of the fishing, the undisturbed wilderness experience, and the quality of guest service.

Guided Fly Fishing Trips in Colorado

The exclusive fishing lease on the Piney Valley Ranch also includes a premier section of private water on the Eagle River. This will allow us to offer premium half-day trips just a few minutes from Vail and Beaver Creek.

In addition to these new private waters, Sage Outdoor Adventures will continue to offer guided float trips on the Eagle and Colorado Rivers.

If you’d like to learn more, please visit our Fly Fishing Page. If you’d like to chat with us in more detail or check availability, you can call us at 970-476-3700 or contact us online. 

Guided Fly Fishing on the Piney River

 

Viewing Colorado’s Spectacular Aspen Tree Displays

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Changing Aspens in Colorado

Each September, the Colorado high country erupts in color, as mountainsides covered in aspen groves turn a brilliant gold and orange. The change typically begins by mid-September and reaches its peak near the end of the month.

Colorado Aspen Trees

About the Quaking Aspen Trees

Aspens are one of the most widely distributed native trees to North America, but most of the continent’s aspen forests are located in Colorado and Utah. Here along the Vail Valley, we’re fortunate to have some expansive aspen groves. At our private mountain base, our guests enjoy horseback riding and ATV tours through some spectacular stands of old-growth aspen trees.

In addition to bearing seeds, aspens primarily regenerate by sending up shoots and suckers from lateral root systems. That means an entire aspen grove could be comprised of just a few plants, or in some cases, even a single plant. This is what allows aspens to take the title for being the largest plant on earth!

Changing Aspens in Colorado

Viewing Colorado’s Aspen Trees

The colorful displays of aspen trees in September are beautiful when viewed from a distance when entire mountains are streaked with highlights. However, the best way to enjoy aspen trees is to stand in their midst. Its full name is the quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides), because, with even the slightest breeze, the entire canopy will tremble in the faint whisper of leaves.

It’s a very special thing, to stand beneath this shimmering roof with the September sunlight filtering through. If you’ve never experienced it, make it a point to spend some time beneath the aspens on your next trip to Colorado.

Aspen Trees near Vail

Forest Adventures With Sage

Here at Sage Outdoor Adventures, we take pride in offering guided trips on a private mountain that contains more acreage than Vail Ski area. We experience the spirit of the old west on horseback rides across this historic ranch and bordering wilderness area. And we grin from ear to ear while cruising through this wild country with the wind in our face on side-by-side ATV rides.

Come enjoy the aspens, enjoy the mountains and capture quality time with your family or friends this September here in Colorado. For information on our trips, you can explore the rest of our website at SageOutdoorAdventures.com. Or you can call us with questions at 970-476-3700. We’d love to help you plan a memorable Colorado mountain adventure!

Tag #SageOutdoors in Your Summer Adventure Photos

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large group of women with arms around each other look out over mountain summit

We’re having a blast this summer, meeting visitors to the Vail Valley from all over the U.S. and the world! Most of our guides will tell you that the best part of their job is having the opportunity to meet so many awesome folks and to show them this beautiful Colorado mountain country.

We love seeing and sharing all the great photos that our guests share on social media. We count ourselves very fortunate to be a part of your vacation memories. Being able to look back and see some of those photos makes it that much more special.

If you’re visiting the Vail or Beaver Creek area this summer and enjoy an adventure with us, we would encourage you to use the hashtag, #sageoutdoors on Instagram. Whether you are getting ready to hit the river, on a side-by-side ATV tour, a horseback ride, or fly fishing, we would love to see it and share it with the rest of the Sage Outdoor Adventures family!

Be sure and follow the #sageoutdoors hashtag to see all of the other fun shenanigans going on around here!

Our summer rafting season is going full-force, and side-by-side ATV riders are enjoying some serious mud-on-the-face fun. And with all that spring snowmelt, horseback riding guests have enjoyed a wonderful year for wildflowers. No matter what you snap a picture of, be sure and hashtag it with #sageoutdoors to share the adventure with the rest of the family here at Sage Outdoor Adventures!

two men nearly fall in water whitewater rafting

instagram (@deviesurb)

four groups of people whitewater rafting

instagram (@timviv)

 

If you have questions about our trips, or if you’d like to learn more about any of the adventures we offer, you can contact us online or call us at 970-476-3700. Please also explore the rest of our website at SageOutdoorAdventures.com.

How to Prepare for Your Whitewater Rafting Adventure

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The best time to raft in Colorado is after the snow has melted, and this year’s runoff is shaping up to be a memorable one! There’s a ton of snow in the high country and recent storms have continued adding to our snowpack. Statewide throughout Colorado, the snowpack is currently over 140% of normal. Here in the Colorado River basin, the snowpack is currently 138% of normal. And over in the Arkansas River basin, it’s 148% of normal! It’s going to be a long, high water season on our rivers.

What to Bring on a Whitewater Rafting Trip

As you prepare for your summer rafting adventure, there are a few things to think about. The first is what to bring. The list is pretty simple but you’ll want to make sure you have a few key items. Here’s the rundown.

On every rafting trip, we provide a helmet, a wetsuit on cool days, a splash jacket, a PFD, and wetsuit booties.

We also recommend that you wear and bring sunscreen and chapstick. If you plan to wear your sunglasses on the raft, don’t forget Croakies or Chums to keep them in place! Finally, bring cash to tip your guide (18% is normal).

What to Wear Whitewater Rafting in Colorado

You should wear your swimsuit underneath your street clothes for the ride to the river. On hot, sunny days when we’re not wearing wet suits and splash jackets, you might want to wear a cover shirt for sun protection.

Check out this quick video, as Cole and Kyle explain what to bring and why:

Questions to Ask your Rafting Guide

With your bags packed, you are all set for your adventure whitewater rafting in Colorado. It’s going to be an epic season here in Colorado, and we hope to see many of you on the river. As you prepare for the trip, how about some questions you might want to ask your guide? Here are a few things you might want to ask while you’re on the river:

  • How does this water compare to other times of the year?
  • What animals may we see on the water today?
  • What’s your favorite part of being a rafting guide?
  • What do you do during the off-season?
  • What other stretches of the river do you run?
  • Where is the best swimming hole?
  • Ask about the history of the area.
  • Ask for any crazy river guiding stories they have!

If you’re wondering when is white water rafting season in Colorado, it’s when the snow melts. More specifically, it’s generally from May through September, but can stretch from April to October.

Expert to Beginner Whitewater Rafting in Colorado

If you’d like more information on rafting with Sage Outdoor Adventures, please be sure to check out our Rafting Page. And explore the rest of our website to see all the other fun activities we offer, including horseback riding, ATV tours, and fly fishing!

For details, availability and booking call us at 970-476-3700 or contact us online.

Little kids with BIG toys

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Greetings from the Sage Outdoor Adventures toy shop. It is here where the hopes and dreams of big kids are filled. In our workshop, our favorite elf’s name is Wesley. He’s our in-house mechanic who puts every snowmobile together— his reindeer is a yellow lab named Charlie.

What did you wish for when you were a little boy or girl? I wished for a pony and a motorcycle (I grew up with three older brothers so being a girly girl was never in the cards). My parents got me 15 My Little Ponies and a remote control car. I now work for a company that has real ponies and really fun ATVs & snowmobiles. I think my dreams came true…

Ride Horses in Colorado's BackcountryEvery single person who works for the company is really just a big kid who found a job that made their dreams come true. We are lucky enough that we get to play with really amazing “grown-up toys” everyday. We get brand new snowmobiles and ATVs every year. The day the Ski-Doo semi pulls into our driveway, our hearts skip a beat and it’s Christmas morning all over again.

A Big Toy: Sage's SnowmobileWaking up to fresh powder on the ranch—Christmas day. I didn’t know it was possible to have Christmas so many times throughout the year. BOY AM I LUCKY. If you’re looking to feel like a little kid again, join us this holiday season for some fun on our big-kid toys.

Happy Holidays!!

Love,

Kelly