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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.

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4.5

903 reviews

Excellent

779

Very good

48

Average

21

Poor

19

Terrible

37

srussell3travel

Washington DC, United States214 contributions

Definitely recommend Top of the Rockies half day tour

Jan 2021

Great snowmobiling trip! It was my first time and I really enjoyed it ( I went on the Top of the Rockies tour). We had pretty good snowmobiling weather but I'd highly recommend going on a day with blue skies and sunshine in the forecast to get the best views. It's also ideal when there is some fresh snow on the ground but doesn't need to be much. If you are a beginner, the regular tours (e.g. non high performance) will be plenty adventurous. I am big into adventure and often feel group tours are too slow moving and not adventurous enough, so was pushing to do the high performance but in the end glad I didn't. I definitely would have slowed the experienced snowmobiliers down -- especially at the beginning getting used to everything. It is more physically demanding than I expected- so be ready for a bit of an upper body workout. I also felt the half day tour was plenty of time.

On the tour we saw some cool army bunkers, learned some history, went up to a summit and through the woods. Definitely the summit part and cresting over the ridge to go down hill into the woods was the best part of the trail. It wasn't totally clear to me why we did some other trails as we didn't get to what I would consider a "destination" (e.g. summit, view point, vista etc). Maybe I was looking more for the combo of adventure + beautiful nature seeing, and some of the trails are just to get you the adventure aspect? Either way, I absolutely enjoyed myself and would go again in a heartbeat. I'd also take my family, but still debating if I'd recommend we all get our own snowmobile (much more expensive and no opportunity for action shots) or if we'd partner up and each drive 1/2 the time (much more economical but likely a bit less comfortable and possibly a bit scary since you feel less in control and less aware of what is going on, e.g. turns, bumps etc but opportunities for action photos).

Written January 22, 2021

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Bob

Harrison, TN25 contributions

"Over the Top"

Jan 2022

This was a return trip for me to snowmobile with Nova Guides, and it was an "Over the Top," extremely satisfying and enjoyable experience. I booked a Top of the Rockies tour for my cousin and me, but as it turned out, no one other than my cousin and I had booked the tour; yet Nova Guides allowed our tour to go forward with only the two of us and our guide. I have read where other companies have a minimum number requirement, and will cancel the tour if that minimum isn't made, but instead we got basically a private tour. Our guide, Fred, was amazingly capable, responsive to our preferences, very knowledgeable about the geography, terrain, and the 10th Mountain Division that had trained in the Camp Hale area during WWII. Fred would stop occasionally and talk with us about these subjects. On our full-day tour we covered an amazing 70 miles! We were having such a great tour that we did not stop for the included lunch at the lodge, but rather ate that "lunch" at the end of the tour. Fred even furnished my cousin with a replacement pair of goggles when his kept fogging badly; and he lent neck gaiters to both of us to help us be more comfortable in the cold. Fred did everything possible to make our ride comfortable and enjoyable. On a cold day I suggest that guests bring, and wear, a full balaclava. On our return, Fred took the time to show us pictures in the lodge and teach us more about the 10th. I cannot say enough good things about our experience. I was also pleased with the Nova Guides policy not to require advance payment of a specific gratuity, or to force payment of a gratuity at all - though gratuity is critically important to the guides. Nova Guides provides a very appropriate gratuity guide on its website. I was more than pleased to tip our guide a bit more than the highest recommended amount of 20%. I have snowmobiled with many different companies, and Nova Guides is the best of all of my snowmobiling experiences.

Written February 5, 2022

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

travelmom88

Silver Spring, MD38 contributions

Rainy and Still Great Time

Aug 2022 • Family

Fantastic side by side tour with Beans as our guide. Weather conditions were tough - rain, cold, hail - but Beans kept us safe and shared great history about Camp Hale and the area. Vehicles worked great and all our family members got to swap seats and take a turn driving.

Written August 23, 2022

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Christine D

Miami, FL176 contributions

Awesome tour and guide Joe!!

Feb 2022 • Friends

This was our third trip to Colorado and the best snowmobile tour we have been on yet! Joe a.k.a. Beans was a great guide from start to finish. We were picked up ahead of time at our hotel and throughout our ride to the trails he gave us great historical information about the region and little towns we passed through.

Once we got on our snowmobile‘s he made sure that everybody felt comfortable and did not hesitate to explain if needed multiple times for some of the riders that were new.
Once out on the trails he did an awesome job of again giving us information and allowing us time to get comfortable on the machines and provide great service of taking family pictures. This was by far the best snowmobile company and guide we have experienced in Colorado and will definitely be booking again next year and asking for Joe as our guide! Thank you for helping us make great memories!!

Written February 10, 2022

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Rob N

1 contribution

What a great day! Ask for tour guide Jen!

Mar 2022

By far the best snowmobiling experience any of us (we were a large group) have ever had. We did the half-day ride with lunch, and the trails were great, but without question the BEST part of the trip was our guide, Jen. Not only was she incredibly knowledgeable, but her energy level was off the charts. She managed to personalize our experience based on all of our input. She picked us up where we were staying and the 30-minute van ride with her (beginning and end) was almost as fun as the snowmobiling. She is a rock star!

Written March 25, 2022

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

EGCMX

5 contributions

Incredible Experience, best tour guide.

Feb 2023

The reason we took this snowmobiling tour was because i wanted to propose to my girlfriend during the tour at the top of a mountain. Originally I had my tour scheduled for Friday, however, due to weather in Dallas and flight changes, my ring delivery in Vail was delayed over and over again. The whole staff at Nova Guides was incredibly patient and helpful as i needed to delay the tour 2 times. And when we finally took it, they were all extremely helpful and incredibly organized to meet every detail of the proposal that I asked them help with. Nathan who was our tour guide was incredibly helpful to make everything happen, from pretending that it was just a regular tour with my girlfiend, to get us to the right spot on time to propose at 11:11. He really is a great guide and will forever be a part of our engagement story. Overall great GREAT experience and we are extremely thankful with the whole staff, specially with Nathan (who by the way looks like Ed Sheeran long lost brother hahah) .

Written February 9, 2023

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Sandy R

1 contribution

Terrible experience

Feb 2022 • Family

First off looking at their website, it look like a great place to take my family for a snowmobile ride. But there was a couple issues once we got there. I went with my husband and two kids. The tour guide made my kids feel uncomfortable asking them very personal questions. My husband was billed over 1,000 in damages yet he didn’t cause any nor did they have proof for this incident. We tried to talk to the owner to get a more clear understanding on why we were being charged. The owner was very rude and questioned my parenting. When we asked for proof, he just said, why do you need it and told our tour guide to charge our card. The owner started yelling at us in front of our children. No one should speak to someone like that and should have an adult conversation. I don’t want any other families being treated like this. Whether it be from the owner or the tour guide. Especially with the children present who were uncomfortable. We weren’t even allowed to enjoy the experience with all this going on.

Written September 20, 2022

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Erica M

1 contribution

Excellent Fall Jeep Tour Experience

Oct 2022 • Couples

We took the guided Jeep tour in mid-October. Our tour guide, Gary "G5" Khoeler, was phenomenal. The price included pickup and drop off at our condo's lobby and a 3 hour guided tour of Camp Hale. Gary told us all about the history of the towns on the way up to Camp Hale and then everything we could ever want to know about the old military base. We rode up the rocky mountainside to the top of Ptarmigan Peak, where we enjoyed the most incredible views of the Rockies from 12,000 feet, including the peaks of Notch Mountain and Mount of the Holy Cross. On the way back down, he stopped in Red Cliff and shared the folklore surrounding the Ute tribe's version of a Lovers' Leap legend above the Green Bridge. Gary was so knowledgeable and personable. He really personalized our tour in a way we could never have expected, taking photos for us and with us! Having worked with Nova Guides for almost 40 years, the stories he shared and wealth of information he provided were phenomenal. We couldn't have asked for a better excursion and are very satisfied with our experience. If we ever get to return to Colorado, we will be back.

Written October 14, 2022

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Greg G

4 contributions

Nove Snow mobile tour.

Jan 2021

What an incredible tour!!! I took my 14 year old daughter who never rode a snowmobile before on a full day private tour with John. From the second they picked us up at our hotel in Vail everything was organized. When we got to the Nova Lodge it was a quick easy checkout to get on the snowmobile, John did a fantastic job introducing the safety and getting my daughter familiar with how to operate the snowmobile. We spent the first hour or so in the morning getting my daughter used to operating it, it was a very well planned progression by Nova for a new rider. The rest of the day was incredible!!! John knew every inch of the trails, he knew all the history of Camp Hale, pointed out every mountain peak, its elevation, and who and why it was named after. Machine Gun Ridge is a site I will never forget. John rescued 5 people on snowmobiles throughout the day along the trails. some of them said they were stuck for over an hour and John got them out in minutes. Not only will i be back in the summer but can't wait to do it again next winter too. I'm sure all their guides are great but i got John and he is who i will requests every time. oh yea and the Chile in the Bread bowl for lunch was GOOD!!!

Written February 4, 2021

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Vandana R

1 contribution

Best tour and excellent guides

Dec 2021 • Family

The snowmobile tour was toooo good. We loved it a lot. We were a family of 3 ppl with a young toddler of age 4. We all went in one snowmobile with my husband driving. The experience was tooo good and awesome. We had soo much fun and our guide named Nova was a very helpful and knowledgeable person. He guides all his tour members very nicely and helped us a lot when the toddler fell asleep during the tour. Will definitely recommend this place as it is easily affordable too

Written December 26, 2021

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

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