Roosevelt National Forest 4x4 tour: sunset, fire & thrills

★★★★★★★★★★ 5.00 (83 reviews) 100% rated it 5 stars

Free cancellationLikely to sell out

1/7

Duration4h

GroupUp to 60

LanguagesEN

Mobile ticketAccepted

Drive steep terrain to a private tower, then roast dinner over fire with views of Long's Peak and Denver

This 4-hour evening 4x4 photo adventure in Roosevelt National Forest takes you off-road in an open-top custom vehicle to a private 360-degree viewing tower for sunset, then down to a pavilion where you roast hot dogs and marshmallows over a fire while watching the light fade over Long's Peak and Denver. The guide drives you up a steep, boulder-strewn natural recliner, educates you on the aspen groves and peaks along the way, and brings you back down through the most thrilling section of the route after dark. Children from age 4 are welcome; wet-weather gear and blankets are provided.

Step-by-step itinerary

Evening 4x4 adventure and campfire

Leave store and drive highway
Rock crawl over boulders
Ride through Aspen grove
Stop for guide's vegetation talk
View Indian Peaks Wilderness
Drive steep recliner to tower
Visit private viewing tower
Relax and eat by fire
Descend recliner back down
Ride through thrilling water bars
Return through Rock Garden boulder field
Drive back with views of Lake Estes
Finish experience at storefront

The Experience

Roosevelt National Forest sits less than 10 minutes from the Estes Park store, but once you leave the highway, you're in over three hours of backcountry terrain. The open-top vehicle climbs through a rock crawl, passes through one of the largest living aspen groves in the world, and stops for 15–20 minutes while your guide explains the vegetation and the Indian Peaks Wilderness views. Then comes the signature moment: a steep, hands-behind-your-head descent into a natural recliner that only a 4x4 can handle, ending at a private viewing tower with 360-degree sight lines to Long's Peak, the Stanley Hotel, the Mommy Range, and on clear nights, Denver and Pikes Peak.

At the pavilion, you spend over an hour roasting hot dogs and marshmallows over an open fire while the light drains from the peaks. Water, chips and snacks are provided; you're welcome to bring your own drinks. The restroom is here too. Once the fire dies down, the ride back is the tour's most thrilling stretch: your guide navigates natural water bars and boulder fields through the aspen grove in the dark, with the vehicle rocking and rolling as you climb out of the forest. The final 10 minutes bring you back toward Estes Park with views of Lake Estes and Lumpy Ridge before you return to the store.

The vehicle is open-air with a bikini top if rain comes; Frog Toggs full-body rain gear is provided, and you'll want to bring layers since you're exposed to the evening chill. The whole experience is built around the fire and the views, not a rushed loop of stops—the pace gives you time to settle into the landscape and the company.

What’s included

All off-road driving in a custom open-top 4x4 vehicle with an experienced guide.
wet-weather gear and blankets.
hot dogs, marshmallows, chips, snacks and bottled water.
access to the private 360-degree viewing tower.
fire pavilion with views of Long's Peak and Denver.
all fees and taxes.

Good to know

Easy physical levelNot for pregnant travelersNot for back problems

Operated by WildSide 4x4 Tours

Is this one for you?Bring the family if you want the off-road thrills and the fire-roasting time bundled together—the 4-hour loop holds both without rushing either one, and kids from age 4 get the full experience of steep terrain and open-air views without a separate kids' version.