Monarch Snowmobile Tours and Rentals

Had the time of my life. Went with my sister and my husband. It was our first time ever doing this. We did the 3 hour tour. Which was enough time to do the tour, take great pictures and just ride on our own. Brandon was our tour guide and he was great. Just be nice to him when he tells his «jokes». Lol. Can’t wait to come back.

Went on the 2-​hour snowmobile tour and absolutely loved it! Was my first time on a snowmobile and didn’t expect it to be so much fun. Our guide, Colin, was awesome. The tour takes you through beautiful scenery. Wouldn’t hesitate to take another tour. And their prices are great too

My first ever snowmobile guided tour. Thank you all at Monarch, and to Shawn, our guide.
Great machines, great service, would love to go back daily until the snow melts… What a blast of an experience. Would go again in a second, and encourage all, young and old alike to go and experience monarch snowmobiling.

On Saturday, January 9^th eleven local Salida gals and myself were on our way up to ski and stay overnight at a back country hut near Monarch. Unfortunately there was a terrible roll over accident that shut down Highway 50 in both directions and we were stuck in traffic. With indefinite road closure and an hour ½ not moving we thought our trip was going to be cancelled. Thankfully we had hired Monarch Snowmobile Tours to haul our food & gear up to the hut. They knew we were stuck and couldn’t get to the trailhead to meet them. Monarch Snowmobile Tours staff Tess Paulden and Kiel Elliott took matters into their own hands and got permission to drive a short portion of the highway to escort us around «the back way» to the trailhead. We were blown away by their friendliness and willingness to support our headache. Talk about exceeding expectations! Sending our heart felt thanks and gratitude to this amazing local company.
The Wonder Hut Gals

Monarch Snowmobile tours is the best.
Our family of 5 went last Saturday for the local’s favorite all day your. Aaron was our guide and we couldn’t have asked for anyone better. He was so thoughtful, knowledgable and really helpful.
The sights were unreal and once you get moving the cold is barely noticeable. The heated handle bars helped too! :)
Would highly recommend this to anyone visiting Monarch!

These people know what they’re doing. Beginner or experienced you can’t go wrong. Think the best of Colorado scenery and hospitality and you have these guys. The machines are solid, guides are happy and love what they do, owners reach out to make sure you are happy and taken care of. Our family (teens) insist on making this our yearly trip because they have such a great time and feel like they are part of the family here. I don’t know if you have teenage kids but finding something that all three of them love and literally insist on doing is priceless. These people create memories that will be talked about when grandkids start popping up. How can you go wrong??!

Had a private tour with Brandon and I had a blast. I would highly recommend this place to anyone visiting the area that wants to have a great time and enjoy the view.

we came at 2:30, past the tour time. luckily the lady was able to get us a tour guide right away and not have to wait till 4. we did the two hours tour, for only $ 95, came with free helmet. our tour guide is Named Z and he was great! such s friendly person and always check to make sure we still behind and help us get out of the snow. first time doing the snowmobile and so much fun, will definitely do this place if ever return

I went to their half day snowmobiling thingy and I must say the guide was really good and competent and knew mostly what he was doing. But the worst experience I had was from their management. Firstly, before we stepped out of their office, we were offered an insurance. We accepted it (as it seems to be the most sensible idea). However, no additional information was provided (like there is a deductible etc.). Moving on, during the inspection of the snowmobile before we started, we were told that there is a crack in the front and this would not be held against us. When we started, I (barely) hit a tree and on the same spot as where the crack was present earlier. Our guide was kind enough to check whether we were OK and also he wanted to back the mobile up. Then stepped in this aggressive guy (who probably owns the place). These were the exact words he said «Do you have an insurance?» I replied «Yes». He says «Damn it, now we’ve gotta fix it!» I told to myself «Wow, that’s a great start to the whole snowmobiling experience». The guide asked this gentle (not quite) man, if I could get a new mobile. He mentioned «There is no way I can give you another snowmobile. You’ve gotta use this one». After that we focused on the fun ahead and the guide (Brendan) was a really nice guy and helped us forget the hiccup we had at the start and we actually ended up having a good time. But, when we came back to the office, we were handed a bill for $ 250 (which supposedly is a deductible for the damage). This was totally unexpected and I was disappointed for 2 reasons. Since this was damaged already, wasn’t this supposed to be fixed before renting it out again. And if if not, is it justified to bill it to someone and get your old damages fixed too. I think not. And secondly, like Enterprise, when we pay for insurance, we expect a bumper to bumper coverage. A heads up should be provided up front about the deductible. Every customer would expect that. As most of them who take guided tours aren’t experts and may end-​up bumping into something. I felt cheated. I would never go back nor would recommend anyone to go here. But if Brendan opens up his own place, I would surely go there!

We’ve been snowmobiling with Monarch four times and always had a blast. Sean is a great tour guide and very knowledgeable about the area, while Tess at the front is always friendly and helpful.
It’s a beautiful area; rent sleds one day and go ski at Monarch the next.

My husband and I got a groupon for this adventure. It was $ 65 each for a 3 hour guided tour-​awesome deal! The mountains had just gotten over two feet of snow a few days earlier and the trails and scenery were awesome! We had a great guide, he was patient, funny and had some good history tidbits as we rode along in the San Isabel forest. There were only four of us on the tour so we were able to keep a good pace. We got plenty of free play time. Make sure you are wearing waterproof everything-​pants, coat, hat, boots, gloves-​you will be soaked otherwise. You must have eyewear, it’s the law. Sunglasses are fine, but ski goggles would be better. They have a nice cozy fireplace with cocoa and hot cider for afterwards. Make sure you tip your guide! Will definitely be back next year!

This was quite possibly the best part of our holiday ski trip. We had skied 2 days and thought we would do something different and this definitely stood up to the challenge.
We decided on the «Local’s Favorite»…5 hour guided snowmobile tour. From the check in to the check out this was a well orchestrated operation. Our tour guide was not only knowledgeable but a lot of fun.
This is a MUST DO for anyone coming to the area. Props to Wylie our guide and whoever hired him. CLASS ACT!!!

If you ever are around Salida in the winter and want to do something aside from ski at Monarch, I can not stress how much you should come here and go on a 3 hour-​guided tour, especially if you have never been on a snowmobile.
There are so many positives with this place it is difficult to start, but here’s my shot at it:
Service: VERY helpful, we made a reservation the night before and they helped talk us through the different options and what to bring/​expect. This was extraordinarily helpful as a large amount of us have never been before. Once we arrived, the same high-​level of service continued from the front desk to our guide. Also free coffee/​hot chocolate before/​after you ride, always a nice treat.
Guide/​Tour: After learning how to use a snowmobile, we went around various back-​country trails, went by two mines that I’ve passed on the highway numerous times. Eventually we ended up at a free-​ride area where we could race around and go as fast as we wanted (55 mph!!!). Also helped us out of powder drifts that we «accidentally» ran into a few times
Overall impression: A great experience run by top notch people if you’re looking to do something different. It gives a much different rush than going down a tree run in Mirkwood after a powder day, and the best part about this place is that you can ski during the day, then show up here for the other half of the day.

First huge pro of this place. Got our coupons online and got a big discount to rock the hell out of some snowmobiles for a few hours. I hope they keep that up, will keep me coming back.
Was greeted by an older guy working the counter. Nice guy, spent some time bullshitting with us and made us feel welcome. Told us to help ourselves to free hot chocolate and coffee by the fireplace. Did the same thing after the tour, told us to warm up before we went on our way. Way to go sir, way to go.
Our guide (Shaun or Sean) was awesome. Total Colorado guy, pony tail, North Face jacket, beard, etc. Didn’t yell at us for swearing around him either. Getting familiar with our snow mobiles, he asks me if I have ever ridden one before. I tell him I’m from Arizona, I’ve only seen this shit on TV. I asked him if we could jump them like they did in the movie Die Hard 2 and that is when questions like «Did you buy the insurance?» came up. He have us a good lesson and we were on our way. This guy could tell were not some whiny kids or some foot in the grave senior citizens. Took us to some free ride parts so we could race each other fast, spin donuts, flip each other off, etc. Plus he didn’t care if we pissed in the snow. There is a bathroom on the trail (I know females don’t like pissing out in the public, so there is one there), but I’m a guy, the world is my bathroom. I will urinate and defecate where I please.
Also got to see some pretty cool historical things along the way. Lots of opportunities to take pictures. Our guide encouraged us to take as many as possible and never had a problem taking them of our group.
The spedometer on my machine was broken, but my friends, we’ll call them «Chris» and «Mark» (read cave of the winds review to learn more about those festival of jackasses) said we had those up to about 55 miles per hour. Fucking awesome. Good adrenaline rush. My first truck couldn’t even go that fast.
Things to know before you go:
–It is fucking COLD. I made the mistake of leaving my ski mask in the truck. Bring one or a scarf. Snow does get kicked up on you.
–If you do not have a water resistant jacket, pants, boots, and gloves… you are fucked. You can rent all that stuff there (I got the entire package with all that crap and it was only 15 bucks extra) Well worth it.
–Take off your rings. Mine kept falling off in the gloves.
–Take a shit BEFORE you start the tour. Trust me.
–Bring a few extra bucks to tip your guide.
If you have never ridden a snowmobile before, I recommend this. Look for the discount coupons to make it cheaper, but still worth the price.