Ready to embark on the path less traveled and experience an unforgettable adventure through Colorado's most beautiful landscapes? On this awe-inspiring journey, we will search for six of Colorado’s grouse species. This tour will take you from the great plains to intermountain valleys and high alpine tundra looking for White-tailed Ptarmigan, Sharp-tailed Grouse, Greater Sage- Grouse, Dusky Grouse, Greater Prairie Chicken, and Lesser Prairie Chicken. Many mornings we will rise before dawn to settle down near breeding leks where we can observe the bizarre, yet magnificent courtship displays of these wonderful birds. Along the way, we'll stop to search for additional unique birds such as Golden Eagle, Ferruginous Hawk, Barrow's Goldeneye, Pinyon Jay, Brown-capped, Gray-crowned, and Black Rosy-finches, Pine Grosbeak, Chestnut-collared Longspur, Thick-billed Longspur, Mountain Plover, Scaled Quail, and Northern Bobwhite to name just a few.
We will be staying at a combination of 2- and 3-star hotels and lodges throughout this tour. The first day will be spent exploring the Poudre River Canyon, after which we'll transfer to the town of Walden, where we will stay at Antlers Inn. After an action-packed day starting with Greater Sage-Grouse, we will travel to Steamboat Springs, where we will stay at the Nordic Lodge. The next day, after watching the energized dancing of Sharp-tailed Grouse on a private ranch, we will travel south to Dillon, where we'll explore the nearby neighborhoods for mountain birds and stay at Comfort Suites Summit County. The next day, we'll travel south to pick up pinyon-juniper birds near Buena Vista, CO where we will stay at the Surf Hotel. From there, we will continue south towards Pueblo, CO and stay at the Hampton Inn and Suites. In the morning, after a day of birding around Pueblo, we will drive to Lamar and stay at the Days Inn by Wyndham. The following morning we will head to Kansas for Lesser Prairie Chicken and stay at El Quartelejo Inn and Suites near Scott City. After an early morning on the Lesser Prairie Chicken lek, we will drive to Wray, Colorado and stay at Doc's Bed and Breakfast. Finally, on our last day, we will drive back to Denver where we will catch an evening flight back home. Each accommodation has been diligently vetted for quality and assurance.
Alcoholic beverages and extra drinks
All hotels have laundry facilities
Arrival to Denver International Airport
Poudre River Canyon
State Forest State Park
Walden Reservoir
Antlers Inn
Greater Sage-Grouse lek
Arapahoe National Wildlife Refuge
Rabbit Ears Pass
Free time in Steamboat Springs
Nordic Lodge
Sharp-tailed Grouse Lek
Steamboat Springs birding
Route 9 birding
Silverthorne feeders
Comfort Inn Summit County, Dillon
Loveland Pass (White-tailed Ptarmigan)
Hoosier Pass
Browns Canyon National Monument
Surf Hotel, Buena Vista
Buena Vista birding
Canyon City birding
Pueblo West
Hampton Inn and Suites, Pueblo North
Pueblo Reservoir
Lake Cheraw
John Martin Reservoir
Lamar
Birding around Lamar
North Gateway Park
Syracuse Sand Dunes
Scott City, KS
Lesser Prairie Chicken lek
Bonny Reservoir and South Republican SWA
Wray, CO
Greater Prairie Chicken lek
Birding the prairies
Pawnee National Grassland
Return to Denver
Group Dinner
Departure
