Ready to embark on the path less traveled and experience an unconventional yet unforgettable adventure through Colorado's most beautiful landscapes? On this awe-inspiring journey, we will search for all seven 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, Gunnison 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 Barrow's Goldeneye, Pinyon Jay, Brown-capped,  Gray-crowned, and Black Rosy-finches, Pine Grosbeak, Chestnut-collared Longspur, Thick-billed Longspur, Mountain Plover, Gambel's Quail, 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. Our first night in Georgetown, we will stay at the charming Georgetown Mountain Inn. The following day we will transfer to Gunnison, where we will stay at the Waunita Hot Springs Ranch. After an action-packed day starting with Gunnison Sage-Grouse, we will travel to Montrose, where we will stay at the Minecart Motor Lodge. The next day we will travel up through Grand Junction to Steamboat Springs, CO where we will stay at the Nordic Lodge. After a morning watching the energized dancing of Sharp-tailed Grouse, we will head to Walden, CO where we will stay at the Chedsey Motel. From there, we will head east towards Eaton, CO and stay at the Cobblestone Inn and Suites. In the morning, after a day of birding the Pawnee National Grasslands, we will drive to Wray, CO and stay at Doc's Bed and Breakfast. The following evening will be a night in Scott City, KS at the El-Quartelejo Inn and Suites where we will base ourselves to watch the lekking of the Lesser Prairie Chicken. Our final night will be at the Hampton Inn and Suites in Pueblo, CO. Each accommodation has been diligently vetted for quality and assurance.  

Arrival to Denver International Airport

Transfer to Georgetown Mountain Inn

Loveland Pass (White-tailed Ptarmigan)

Silverthorne (Rosy-finches)

Buena Vista

Monarch Pass

Waunita Hot Springs

Gunnison Sage-Grouse lek

Crested Butte

Montrose

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

Colorado National Monument

Coal Canyon

Steamboat Springs

Sharp-tailed Grouse Lek

Rabbit Ear's Pass

Arapahoe National Wildlife Refuge

Walden

Greater Sage-Grouse lek

State Forest State Park

Poudre River Canyon

Eaton, CO

Pawnee National Grasslands

Meeting with rancher near Wray, CO

Wray, CO

Greater Prairie Chicken lek

Birding the prairies

Scott City, KS

Lesser Prairie Chicken lek

Lamar, CO

Pueblo, CO

Birding near Pueblo

Garden of the Gods

Denver International Airport

Departure