Things to Do in Edwards

For more than 25 years, Lakota Guides has escorted its clientele to Edwards' and Vail's most scenic spots on river rafting, off-road, and group trips. Team Lakota, led by Karl Borski and John Mark Seelig, has hundreds of years of combined experience in outdoor activities ranging from rafting and rescue operations to tree massage and bark exfoliation. The guides demonstrate their mastery when leading visitors on Class V water-rafting trips along the Colorado and Arkansas Rivers. They also romp through the mountainous terrain aboard rugged off-road vehicles during daylong treks.

The experts who lead Aspen Walking Tours blend history, research, and cultural anthropology in a trio of informative strolls, nourishing the minds of tour-takers with local factoids. These guides quarterback small groups during each trek through time, imparting stories and tidbits that they've researched themselves. The Aspen's DarkSide tour unearths the area's ghastly past, rife with ghosts, murder, and mayhem, and the Aspen's Past to Present tour details Aspen's evolution from a modest mining camp to world-famous resort. In the fall, rather than wearing shoes whittled from dry ice, visitors can experience real chills with a spooky saunter through the Ute Cemetery—Aspen's first burial ground—during the Walking with the Dead tour.

After ten years of surfing and sailing around the world, Anton Rainold finally became a record-setter in an entirely different sport. In 2003, he transferred his skills to a cooler climate and became the first man in the US to open a snowkite-specific shop and school, as Summit Daily News reported. In the Colorado Kite Force shop, Rainold's team outfits shoppers for applications such as backcountry kiting, park and freestyle riding, or kiteboarding on the water in the summer. In the snow, they lead lessons for children and families, sharing techniques on how to stay safe, secure, and ready to lasso an adorable baby zephyr at any moment. After several hours, students are ready to strap into skis or snowboards, grab the control bar, and speed across the snow under the power of a majestic four-line kite.

Good Times Adventures’ first five guides took to the trails surrounding Breckenridge in 1986, leading their first visitors around on a ramshackle collection of 20 mismatched, antiquated snowmobiles. Those first forays weren’t fancy, but they were full of lessons. Through the years, the guides put those early learning experiences to good use, collaborating with the US Forest Service to expand their network of trails and acquiring a powder-smoothing snowcat to groom more than 40 miles of scenic routes through Swan Valley and White River National Forest. Today, more than 30 employees organize excursions for hundreds of guests, drawing their vehicles from a fleet of more than 100 of the latest seasonal models.

The even, glossy swathes of snow suit not only the treads of snowmobiles, but also those of dog sleds. Breckenridge local Orion takes the reins of his father’s business and an Iditarod-style sled, leading passengers along the same trails with dogpower rather than horsepower. Good Times’ staff welcomes guests—whether travelling by animal or machine—back to their lodge after each excursion to enjoy scenic views, complimentary hot chocolate, and snowsuit fashion shows.