Bikerafting & Packrafting Course FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions & What to Expect on Our Multi-Sport Adventure Tours
Please note. There is no public wifi at the Ranch. Plan to unplug, and please do not ask to login. We can and will connect you with loved ones in case of an emergency.
Most cycling and raft guide services currently offer fully-supported trips (support vehicles, shuttles to the top, prepped meals and camp setups). Our self-supported, low-impact bikerafting and packrafting courses are geared toward that subset of adventurers who prefer human-powered adventures, where they have a limited impact on the environment and a low-carbon footprint. While we do drive to get to a start point for an adventure, our goal with everything we do is to do more adventure with less stuff. We hope you can take what you learn back to your “normal” life. We also seek to show you less crowded corners of the Four Corners region.
Popular Four Corners destinations like Moab and Durango are busy. You can’t go anywhere even in the backcountry without seeing people. We cater to those of you who don’t mind suffering a bit in order to find more solitude. The terrain in the Four Corners is complicated, remote and rugged. We believe if we give you a safe, but difficult and engaging extraordinary experience, we may change your life and enhance your reverence for and understanding of this landscape. Still have questions? Feel free to email us.
How much do bikeraft & packraft courses & tours costs?
Our multi-day adventures with two+ people cost $365** per day and include all packaged food (dehydrated breakfast, snacks, coffee/tea, cheese, packaged tuna/chicken, avocados, electrolytes, dehydrated dinner), shuttling, hand sanitizer & toilet kit. Half- and single-day tours do not include any of these things. If we meet you the afternoon or evening before, we consider that a half day.
Bikeraft and packraft tours include an open Alpacka Classic, PFD, paddle and helmet. We do not offer whitewater boats at this time, as anyone taking an advanced whitewater class should have her/his own boat. You will not get a discount if you have your own gear. We offer gear as a courtesy. We rent bike bags and camping equipment.
In order to book your bikerafting or packrafting course, we require you to pay from one-third (within 6 months) or one-half (within 90 days) of the course. Full payment is due a minimum of 30 days prior to your trip. These rates are for two or more people. If you’d like a personalized experience with Doom, the cost is more. Email us for details.
These prices may vary.
- Half day (4 hours): $225 (food not included)
- Full day (8+ hours): $365 (lunch, snacks, dehydrated dinner included)
- Two days: $730
- Two+ days: $910
- Three days: $1095
- Three+ days: $1275
- Four days: $1450
- Four+ days: $1640
- Five days: $1825
- Six days: $2190
- Kids under 10 30% Off
Do you offer Private, solo courses?
We generally don’t offer courses for one person. We believe you’ll learn more if you have other people to work with. If you are really set on doing a private, solo course, please email us, and we will work something out with you.
What seasons do you operate?
Typically late March through early November, weather and permitting dependent.
What does “no-frills” mean?
No-frills courses generally do not include any meals or lodging, though you may add a meal plan when you book your course. Please note: we will not give you a discount if you choose to bring your own food, equipment, etc on standard courses. Thanks for understanding.
Does my course come with a stay at Scullbinder Ranch?
No. Overnight stays at Scullbinder Ranch are not included with any courses unless you purchase a multi-day package that specifies meals and lodging. No-frills courses do not include any front-country meals or lodging. However, any person doing a course at the Ranch may stay on site. It costs $35 to pitch a tent and use the Main House (formerly “Barn”) bathrooms. Or sleep in a comfy, memory foam mattress bed with bedding in one of our shared Glamping Tents or the Scullbinder River Cabin. It’s $75 per bed in a shared tent, $125 per private glamping tent and $175 for the cabin for two people (plus $50 per each additional person). Breakfast included. Please note other meals are not included. Email us for details. Check in is after 3. Check out is 11a.m.
Are meals included if I stay at Scullbinder Ranch?
Breakfast is included if you rent a glamping tent or the cabin. Other meals are not included unless specified as part of a multi-day package. If you are staying at the Ranch and you want food, plan on $10 for lunch and $20 for dinner, adult beverages not included.
Do We Offer Discounts?
Yes. We offer 10% off groups of 10 or more and for Corporate Adventure Retreats. We also have sales throughout the year.
How many people can you accomodate?
We have beds/cots for 14, so bigger groups will have to also pitch tents. We can only take up to 16 bikerafting or packrafting at a time (with two people in two-person boats). We can take bigger groups on bike tours into the Ute Mountain Ute Tribal Park only. Or we can split large groups into two separate, smaller courses. For more information, visit the Corporate Retreats page.
Do you rent gear?
We no longer rent drysuits, bike bags or other gear. Bikeraft and packraft tours include an open Alpacka Classic, PFD, paddle and helmet, along with bikepacking bags. We do not offer whitewater boats at this time, as anyone taking intermediate or advanced whitewater courses should have her/his own boat. You will not get a discount if you have your own gear. We offer gear as a courtesy.
Do you provide shuttles?
**Update. April 18. 2023. We lowered the price of all our courses, except already-discounted no-frills courses, by 8% to reflect the fact that we no longer include shuttle services.
Due to liability issues, the unstable nature of gas prices and the fact that most course participants already drive to our courses, we will do not provide shuttle services as part of our courses. However, we will work together with you and other course participants to shuttle to and from put ins and take outs. Please plan to rent a car or drive your own vehicle to your course.
Is FCG hiring?
No. Our company is small and our goal is to keep it small and sustainable. Thus, we aren’t going to hire anyone anytime in the near future.
IMPORTANT: What skills and fitness level do I need to do a multi-day course?
Our multi-day bikerafting and packrafting courses are *NOT* for people with zero experience in the backcountry. We do not prepare food for you, set up your tent, teach you how to use camping gear, or cater to your every need. Our goal with our guide service is to provide you with additional skills and tools to accentuate your already-existing backcountry skills and to help you realize you can travel with less in the backcountry (and in life).
Please do not expect a standard big boat river trip with large kitchens, tons of beer, etc. Our courses are low-impact, lightweight adventures where we carry everything we need from start to finish. They are also not easy. We strive to challenge you mentally and physically. While we don’t want to scare you away from doing one of our courses, we want you to be realistic about your abilities. In general, you must have basic backcountry skills and a level of fitness that allows you to:
- Bike from 10-30 miles per day; OR
- Packraft at least six miles of flatwater per day; OR
- Paddle up to 15 miles on a river per day; OR
- Hike five-15 miles per day; OR
- Do a combination of all these things in one day.
If you have little backcountry experience, but still want to do a trip with us, consider taking a day packrafting intro course. You do not need to have packrafting experience to do our half-day or full-day packraft adventures. And, you just need basic mountain biking skills to do our half or one-day bikerafting courses.
Do I need to sign a waiver?
Yes and no. If you sign up for a tour exclusively in either Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (including the Dirty Devil River or Lake Powell) or the Manti-La Sal National Forest, Four Corners Guides is not allowed to ask guests to sign a standard waiver. Instead, those two entities ask that our guests sign a “Visitor’s Statement of Acknowledgement of Risk.” For all other tours, we require you to sign our “Acknowledgement of Risk, Waiver of Liability, & Indemnification Agreement.” If guests sign up for courses that cross into both of these territories (unlikely), you may have to sign both the Statement of Acknowledgement of Risk and our standard legal waiver.
How do I deal with my garbage?
You will carry all your garbage out, including your toilet paper, baby wipes, extra food scraps and sometimes your poop. We will recycle as much as we can post course. We likely won’t be washing dishes, as we’re exclusively using dehydrated foods. But, if you do end up using pots or dirty your cup with oatmeal, for example, you must wash these items no less than 300 feet from any water source, using biodegradable soap, and burying the waste water at least 6 inches deep.
Do you recycle?
We aspire to run a low-waste business (with the exception of wag bags, which we will have to use at times). We currently utilize dehydrated foods in pre-packaged bags, but we found a company that develops biodegradable dehydrated food packaging. As we grow, we will increase the amount we purchase from that company. We recycle all plastic bottles and cans that are brought on trips.
How often do you inspect your gear?
We inspect and maintain if necessary all our packrafts, PFDs, and paddles after each course.
Can I bathe on multi-day bikerafting & packrafting courses?
Yes, but all body washing will be done with biodegradable soaps no less than 200 feet from any water source.
Sanitation
To avoid getting sick or spreading illness, we encourage guests to regularly utilize hand sanitizer after going to the bathroom and regularly throughout the day before meals. Additionally, we are adhering to strict Covid Policies & Procedures.
What do I do with my poop in the backcountry?
We follow strict principles of leaving nothing behind. When camping in group sites we will use pit toilets when provided. On all dispersed backcountry bikepacking and packrafting trips, guests must dig six-inch deep cat holes no less than 300 feet away from any water source, campsite or trail, unless regulated otherwise, in which case approved wag bags will be used and all solid (fecal) matter will be carried out. On the river we will follow all regulations regarding human waste. I.e. we will use wag bags and hard-sided containers. No guest or guide will ever burn toilet paper or garbage. All toilet paper and hygiene products will be packed out.
Can I connect to the outside world?
No. There no public Wifi at the Ranch, and you will not get cell reception. We have an Inreach device and very limited Wifi for emergency use only. If you need wifi, you’ll have to drive to town, which is half hour away. One of our goals at Four Corners Guides is to provide guests, staff and ourselves with the opportunity to unplug from the outside world. We strictly adhere to this policy.
Who can go on an FCG course?
Anyone who already has backcountry skills can do one of our courses. You must be able set up your own tent, cook for yourself in the backcountry, understand the types of clothing you need to stay safe, warm and dry in a desert or mountain environment, and, in general, you must understand how to comport yourself in the wilderness. You also must have a reasonable level of fitness. And if you are doing a course that involves bicycles, you must know how to ride a bicycle.
We are able to do make some accommodations to do guided trips with people with disabilities, but all guests must still have basic backcountry camping skills. Please email us to discuss.
The only exception to these rules is if you want to spend a half or day packrafting. Then, you only need a basic level of fitness.
What food/drink do you provide on your multi-day courses?
We provide all the food you need when you’re in the backcountry, including dehydrated meals and packaged foods for lunches and snacks. We’ll also provide some fresh foods, such as apples and avocados. We are unable to prepare or carry fresh foods such as sandwiches due to food handling requirements that we can’t meet because we travel with such minimal weight (i.e. we can’t carry coolers).
Can I use/take electronics with me?
We highly recommend that you take this opportunity to unplug and play hard. You may want to take photos, of course, but most of the places we visit will not have cell reception. Be prepared to disconnect. In case of emergencies, your guides will have an In-Reach device.
What’s the minimum number of people needed to do a course?
We may book a course with a minimum of two people. However, we reserve the right to add additional people to those small courses if all have similar abilities, skills and fitness levels. Our margins are tight. We don’t make money on courses with only two people. If you wish to have a private, one- or two-person course, please let us know in advance, as the price is higher.
I found an arrowhead! May I take it?
Absolutely not. All ruins, petroglyphs and pictographs are considered by Four Corners Guides to be “do not touch or take anything” areas. You must leave all artifacts exactly where you found them. Human contact can and does degrade these artifacts, structures and paints used to make the pictographs found in these sensitive areas.
All Four Corners Guides guests must sign our “Antiquities Agreement” in advance of your tour. If we catch you stealing artifacts or defacing ancient ruins, petroglyphs or pictographs, we will not hesitate to report you to the authorities, remove you from the trip (at your expense) and ban from all future FCG tours. We have a zero tolerance policy in regards to taking, stealing or defacing antiquities. There will be times, such as on our Ute Mountain Ute Tribal Park Tours, that you may be able to pick up and photograph pottery shards and other items, with permission from the Ute Mountain Ute guides.
Can my kids do an overnight course?
It totally depends on how skilled your child is in the backcountry and how much experience s/he has riding bicycles. Can she set up her own tent? Can he carry a 30-pound backpack? Can she ride at least six miles on a laden bicycle? Is he comfortable and uncomplaining if he sometimes get cold and wet? If your child has, for example, easily mountain biked 20+ miles in a day or done a triathlon, we’ll assume she can do one of our moderate tours. However, we’ll assess each child’s ability after talking with his parents.
Where does FCG have permits?
We have been approved to run backpacking-packrafting and bikerafting tours in:
- Colorado’s Tres Rios Bureau of Land Management area, specifically the Dolores River Corridor.
- Colorado’s San Juan National Forest, including on McPhee Reservoir and over various dirt roads in the National Forest, the single track of Boggy Draw and the single track of the McPhee Overlook Trail.
- We can run backpacking trips from Mancos, Colo., over Weber Mountain to Scullbinder Ranch.
- We have permits to run bikepacking trips in Utah’s Manti-La Sal National Forest and the Beef Basin/Bridger Jack area.
- As well, we have permits to do bikerafting trips in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area on Lake Powell.
- And we are permitted to run trips on the Animas River.
- The Dirty Devil from Poison Springs on BLM lands (managed by the Henry Mountains office), all the way down to the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.
- As well, we will have permits for the San Miguel and lower Dolores Rivers, along with the Rim Rocker Trail (managed by the BLM, Uncompahgre office).
- In addition, we will have extended permits in the San Juan National Forest and the Dolores River above the town of Dolores.
What safety precautions does Four Corners Guides take to keep me safe?
All our guides have Swiftwater Safety Certification and are certified Wilderness First Responders. Head Guide Steve Fassbinder has additional swiftwater and Kayak Instruction training. Guides will always bring a comprehensive first aid kit(s), appropriate for the length of trip and number of people. We have a Comprehensive Risk Management Plan that includes an Emergency Evacuation Plan. Plus, our guides will teach you about and regularly remind you to consider the following hazards:
- Heatstroke and dehydration can easily shut down your tour and ruin your experience. We encourage you and will remind you to both bring and drink plenty of water, to eat snacks throughout the day, and to wear hats and sunscreen to minimize sun exposure. We will make plenty of water available to you, and our water sources will be scouted in advance.
- You may also experience dramatic weather events. For this reason, we require that you bring sufficient warm, synthetic or wool clothing and waterproof rain layers.
- Rattle snake bites are rare, but can happen.
- You will be traveling over rough, uneven terrain; roots, rocks and sand are inherent to biking and hiking to and from the water’s edge to camp. You must always wear helmets (and gloves season/weather dependent) while riding.
- For all packrafting and bikerafting courses, you must respect the power of both flat and running water. Strainers, rocks and swims in cold rivers can make your trip go bad quickly, as can swims in cold lakes due to powerful winds tipping boats over. You must always wear your PFD on the water, a helmet if there are rapids, and weather/season dependent, a dry or wet suit.
