ski area | Sage Outdoor Adventures

Welcome to Our Family Snowmobile Paradise

Posted February 10, 2022 by by Ryan McSparran

It’s our own little slice of heaven in Colorado. We’re blessed to enjoy this private mountain, all on a 6,000-acre ranch. It’s an incredible experience for families. And it’s an experience you won’t find anywhere else: snowmobiling in Vail.

Our private mountain has more acreage than Vail ski area – without the lift lines. In fact, it’s exclusive to Sage guests. We’ve got the whole place to ourselves, creating an idyllic experience for families looking to go snowmobiling in Vail.

A Family Snowmobiling Adventure

Snowmobiling here is special, “because we put the trails where we want to put the trails.” All 100+ miles of them! A fleet of snowcats and grooming equipment maintains our custom-designed trail system that runs throughout this spectacular mountain area.

It’s an authentic, Colorado backcountry experience. You’ll experience the quiet stillness of snowy aspen groves and towering spruce forests. You’ll glide through open meadows and then look off the vertical red-rock cliffs of the Eagle River canyon.

Your friendly guides, outstanding trails, and a private mountain environment will make this a family experience to remember. Passengers as young as 5-years-old can enjoy a true Colorado mountain experience on the snow.

Experience Vail Snowmobile Tours With Us

To learn more, please explore our Snowmobile Trips on the website. If you have questions or would like to speak with someone about a trip, please don’t hesitate to give us a call at 970-476-3700. We’d love to help you plan a memorable Colorado snowmobile adventure!

Bring the family whitewater rafting in Colorado come spring or summer >>

A Driver’s Side Look at Our Side-By-Side ATV Tours

Posted July 27, 2021 by by Ryan McSparran

Your summer adventure isn’t complete until you experience a side-by-side ATV tour. Our off road adventures in Colorado are like nothing you’ve ever experienced. When you feel the open air and the excitement of these 4×4 vehicles, riding on wild trails throughout our 6,000-acre private mountain, it will leave you speechless.

Tour a Private Mountain

Right here in the Vail Valley and close to Beaver Creek, we offer side-by-side ATV adventures on an area that’s larger than the Vail ski area – and it’s exclusively for Sage guests. We have the entire place to ourselves, to explore and to take in this wild, Colorado mountain experience.

Enjoy Custom-Built Side-by-Side Trails

Our side-by-side trails are custom-built, specifically for this purpose. Unlike with some off road tours in Colorado, these aren’t just old borrowed Forest Service trails. We’ve designed a trail system to maximize your experience on this epic mountain. We’ll cruise through open meadows full of wildflowers. We will twist and turn through aspen and spruce forests. And we’ll take in jaw-dropping views of the surrounding peaks and valleys.

Catch a Glimpse of the Wildlife

The mountain is home to elk, deer, and a variety of wildlife. From here we can enjoy views of seven different mountain ranges, including the continental divide. We can even hike out to the rim of the Eagle River Canyon, and look off into the 2,400-foot gorge. It’s a special place, and we can’t wait to share it with you!

If you’d like to learn more about our side-by-side ATV tours, please click here where you’ll find pricing and the ability to book online. If you’d like to speak with someone here at Sage, don’t hesitate to give us a call at 970-476-3700.

See you on the mountain this summer!

The Best Snowmobile Experience in the Vail Valley

Posted February 1, 2021 by by Ryan McSparran

It’s a bold statement. But we will gladly make it. We truly believe that we offer the very best snowmobile experience in the Vail Valley, period. Vail snowmobiling simply does not get better than with us here at Sage.

Make no bones about it; this high country snowmobile tour is not like any other. What’s the difference-maker? It’s that we operate on a beautiful and historic private mountain, an area larger than Vail Ski area.

Why is Snowmobiling on a Private Mountain in Vail Special?

But boasting about ‘a private mountain’ may not mean anything at first glance. So what does that mean in reality for the Vail, Colorado snowmobiling experience we offer?

Permanent and Comfortable Structures

First, most snowmobile operations are based on Forest Service land, where they aren’t permitted to build permanent structures. That means you’ve got a port-o-potty on the side of a logging road.

Here at Sage, we are blessed with a comfortable base. Our guests arrive to a cozy lodge and our base of operations. You’ll be able to prepare for your snowmobile adventure in comfort. And yes, we have real restrooms!

Customized Snowmobiling Trails

But the benefits of a private mountain experience for Colorado snowmobile tours don’t end there. We’ve got a lineup of serious grooming equipment and more than 100 miles of professionally groomed trails! Operations on Forest Service land are forced into existing designated trails and don’t have the ability to customize rides for snowmobile tours.

Our many varied trails were designed and are maintained for snowmobiling. They aren’t just old logging roads. You’ll experience open sage flats, giant stands of aspen, winding turns through spruce forests, and jaw-dropping views from the edge of the Eagle River canyon, tumbling more than 2,400 feet below you.

We also groom and maintain 10 sprawling meadows, specifically for playing on snowmobiles! With 6,000 acres to explore and backcountry views of six different mountain ranges, it doesn’t take long to realize why this really is the very best snowmobile experience in the Vail valley.

For options and pricing, please check out our Snowmobiling Page. You can also call us at 970-476-3700 or contact us online.

Enjoying Our New Snowmobile Area Improvements

Posted January 20, 2020 by by Ryan McSparran

Over the past two years, we’ve made major changes to our snowmobiling program here at Sage. As we enjoy the great snow conditions in Colorado’s winter season, we continue to revel in these big improvements!

We are extremely proud of our snowmobile program, which was already one of the most highly rated in the state. In fact, Sage Outdoor Adventures boasts Trip Advisor’s highest rating for outdoor activities in the Vail area.

Some of the new snowmobile improvements include a totally redesigned trail system and a new state-of-the-art snowcat for improved trail grooming and maintenance.

How We Design our Backcountry Colorado Snowmobile Trails

The guides and designers of Sage’s snowmobile trail system spent a great deal of time and work on the new design. The team built a custom network of trails that are specifically designed with our snowmobile guests in mind.

“We considered the area’s geology, vegetation, wind patterns, and snow deposition zones,” commented Sage co-owner and head trail designer, Darryl Bangert. “Other major factors that went into this trail redesign included trail flow, view corridors, and some of our guides’ favorite places to discover with guests.”

Sage’s Private Mountain is Ideal Snowmobiling Terrain

We are thrilled to run our snowmobile operations on a private mountain near Vail, a property that covers more than 6,000 acres. The area has proven to be an ideal base of operations for snowmobile tours, with 2,500 feet of vertical relief on a north-facing mountain. Sage’s base area sits at 8,100 feet above sea level, the same as Vail and Beaver Creek.

The terrain here lends itself to incredible riding trails, and the area is actually larger than the Vail ski area.

“Imagine being able to design the ski runs on Vail Mountain, and then consider that we get to design snowmobile trails on an even bigger area,” Bangert added. “We are all passionate about riding and discovering the most fun routes. Our extensive background in hiking and cross country skiing gives us great insight into the intimate feel of the land.”

Sage Outdoor Adventures has over 100 miles of marked trails and 25 different loop routes. Sage also has more open meadow riding than the combined bowl area of Vail Mountain. This is backcountry snowmobiling in Colorado at its finest.

Maintaining our Trails During Colorado’s Winter

In addition to the re-designed trail system, Sage runs a new, Prinoth Husky Snowcat. This state-of-the-art cat is now a part of Sage’s grooming fleet and will allow the team at Sage to maintain the best possible trail quality.

Guests in Colorado expect a high-level product, and Sage’s grooming efforts are second-to-none. “We want our guests to learn the machines and to enjoy the views, not fight with poorly groomed terrain,” Bangert concluded.

To learn more about our snowmobile rides in the Vail Valley, please visit our Snowmobiling Page. To reserve dates or to ask questions, give us a call at 970-476-3700 or contact us online.

Viewing Colorado’s Spectacular Aspen Tree Displays

Posted September 6, 2019 by by Ryan McSparran

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.

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!

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.

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!