Some folks just have no idea that they’re missing out… until they find out what they’ve been missing out on. This was me recently when I got the opportunity to embark on my very first ATV adventure in the beautiful Colorado national forest. As someone who has lived in northern Colorado my entire life, I’ve been lucky to experience many of the incredible outdoor activities this area has to offer – hiking, biking, skiing, boating, you name it. But one thing I’d never done was tackle a trail in an ATV. To be honest, I thought it was more of a guy thing and the thought of possibly rolling a vehicle made me nervous.
These thoughts changed completely after deciding to join my dad on a ride for his birthday. Between the check-in process, getting to the trail, and finally getting to rip around in the machine, the process couldn’t have been smoother and we had a blast. That said, this week, we are bringing you a first timer’s experience from start to finish. Want to know what to expect from this experience as someone who’s never done it before? Looking for a rundown of the process from a new perspective? I’ve got you covered.
Booking
The booking process is pretty self-explanatory – first, decide whether the delivered-to-the-trail or the truck and trailer option is best for your group. Check out this blog that outlines the differences to help you decide. From there, choose what machine you’d like to rent (2 seater, 4 seater, enclosed cab, etc.), pick your day, and then the time frame you’d like to have the machine for (half day or full day). At this point, you can add trip or tire insurance, goggles, etc. to make your adventure as seamless as possible (check out this blog for a deep dive on what you can add on to your trip!). Add your trip to your cart and complete the checkout process to get your trip on the books!
Check-In
We chose the half-day delivered-to-the-trail option for our ATV adventure, which was scheduled to begin at 11. We arrived at Backbone Adventures about 50 minutes ahead of that ride time (be better than us and arrive the full 60 minutes early so you’re not almost late to the trailhead like we were!). Once there, we signed waivers and chatted with the very helpful staff, who gave us a QR code to scan for directions to the exact coordinates where we were heading. We got helmets, goggles, and a “pass” to show to the Backbone employees at the trailhead. From there, we took off for Johnny Park. Just under half an hour later, we were standing in a small group with the other folks who would be riding that day, listening to instructions on speed limits, trail etiquette, how to operate the vehicles, and more. After about ten minutes, we were officially assigned our machines and we secured our backpacks in the back, slapped on our helmets, and got ready to hit the trail.
The Ride
We started by choosing to head straight onto the Johnny Park trail, instead of over to the shorter Button Rock system. My dad had never driven an ATV before either (he’s more of a dirt bike guy), so we took it slow and let the group behind us pass so we could climb up one of the more challenging routes at our pace. Two things of note here – first, I really appreciated that nearly all of the challenging climbs had an alternate route for those of us who are a little more risk averse (me), while still having more technical areas for those who aren’t afraid to get a little diagonal to get up and over the hill (my dad). Second, probably the most useful feature built into these machines was the navigation system, which had markers for every Backbone Adventures machine on the trail. I was worried about getting caught in a bottleneck or coming around a blind corner and finding someone else coming right at us. The markers on the screen allowed us to make sure we were able to pull over if necessary to allow both groups to keep moving.
This was a colder day in November, so not a ton of other trail users were out while we were on trail. We passed some mountain bikers, and were passed by a few dirt bike riders, but were mostly alone on trail except for the other Backbone riders, which made for a very pleasant experience. We rode the speed limit on long, flat stretches and took some corners quick, but were safe going up steep climbs and when traveling on the unmarked lookout pull offs. As the passenger on the way up, I was treated to beautiful views of the valley below us on both sides. Snow started to fall as we crossed the road into Pierson Park, and we turned around at the dead end of Pierson, where it was then my turn to drive.
Driving the ATV felt like a cross between driving a car and a go kart – these machines have some get up and go to them for sure, and the tiny steering wheel made me feel like a kid as we ambled back down the trail. I loved the feeling of the wind whipping by as we rode through the forest, ushering in the cold we’d all been watching the weather for. We passed a couple in their Backbone ATV and made trail buddies out of them, rooting each other on every time we encountered them on trail. We stopped at a couple of the pull offs for photos and to admire the view, and grabbed some trash some other trail user had left behind to dispose of back at the trailhead.
Eventually, we made it back to the trailhead – probably two and a half hours into our three hour ride time. Not wanting to waste a minute, I drove us over to the Button Rock section and we checked out the trail system on that side. It had some more technical areas that took me a minute to navigate, and we did take a wrong turn at one point, but we reoriented ourselves using the nav system and we were off again. We returned to the trailhead right on time, were directed by Backbone staff on where to park, and hopped out to let the staff inspect the machine for any damage. We then handed over our helmets and goggles, and so ended our adventure.
EXCEPT.
Driving back out to highway 36, maybe a quarter mile from the parking lot, we saw a mama moose and her yearling baby munching on vegetation right off the road. I have lived in this area for most of my life, and I had never seen a moose this close up before, so this was a really cool experience, even as a local. We stayed in the car a respectful distance away and watched them for a while, with baby never letting Mom get too far away before scooting back to her side. Eventually, they both wandered back into the thick brush and disappeared, marking the official end of an incredibly fun day.
Overall, this was such a fun new activity to try and I know we are both already ready to get out on trail again. The staff at Backbone took great care of us and we both highly recommend giving this experience a try, especially if you’ve never tried it before. From one newbie to another, you’re gonna love it!
