A safari at Trinchera begins before your boots hit the ground.

It begins with a conversation. How do you like to explore? What do you want your days to feel like? Are you hoping for a 14,000-foot summit, fly fishing, mountain biking, wildlife viewing, snowshoeing, Nordic skiing, stewardship in the field, or a night deep in the Reserve under the dark sky?

Then the planning starts.

So, what is a High Alpine Safari?

Safari means journey. At Trinchera Reserve & Lodge, High Alpine Safari is a custom guided way to experience 172,000 acres of protected land in Colorado’s San Luis Valley. Weather, season, terrain, and your interests shape the adventure you’ll have across the Reserve. That might mean a summer hike into high basins, a ride down open ridgelines, a day fishing for native Rio Grande cutthroat trout, a winter snowshoe through quiet woods, a night at an Outpost Cabin, or a slow afternoon at The Lodge taking in the view and shaping tomorrow’s plan.

Your High Alpine Safari is about exploring the high country with people who know how to read it. Gear is fitted ahead of time. Lunch travels with you. Dinner knows exactly the kind of day you had.

The three parts of a High Alpine Safari

Every itinerary is built around three kinds of experiences: Guided Adventures, Backcountry Expeditions, and Lodge Activities.

Guided Adventures

Guided Adventures are the core of the safari; ranging from high-effort and technical to easy and relaxed, depending on your interests and the season.

In warmer months, that can mean summit climbs, high lakes, alpine hikes, mountain biking, fly fishing, wildlife watching, and stewardship field time. In winter, it can mean snowshoeing, Nordic skiing, ice bocce, wildlife watches, night sky sessions, and cold-weather days that end back at The Lodge with a warm drink and a roaring fire.

The advantage is choice. One day can center on a Mount Lindsey summit push. Another can stay lower with fly fishing, biking, wildlife watching, or a hands-on stewardship session in  the field. The Reserve is large enough for each day to feel different.

Backcountry Expeditions

Backcountry Expeditions are Trinchera’s biggest undertakings. These are full days and overnight stays that take you deeper into the Reserve, sometimes to Outpost Cabins, sometimes to remote terrain that calls for an early start with a return home as the sun sets.

Hike to Stone Cabin, eat dinner by firelight, wake to alpenglow, and head out again before the day warms. Drive to Poso Cabin for an off-grid night deeper in the Reserve. Build a longer route around an Outpost-to-Outpost Traverse when the season and conditions are right.

These are the big adventures that guests plan an entire stay around.

Lodge Activities

Lodge Activities fill the hours between adventures, or take the lead on days when a slower pace feels right.

Move through the sauna and cold plunge cycle. Book a massage. Try yoga, archery, ice bocce, billiards, or games by the fire. Spend time with Trinchera’s art and history. Step outside for a night sky session at a DarkSky Approved Lodging property. Linger over a long breakfast, then bring a book to a window with a view.

These moments are part of the safari. They make the big days feel lighter.

Summer High Alpine Safari

Summer opens the Reserve in every direction

Days start cool and quiet, but build fast and can go as high as you chose. Read the creek with a fly fishing rod in the morning, then trade your waders for a bike to catch the last light from a ridgeline. You might leave before the sun rises for a summit push of a 14,000 ft peak or spend the day moving toward and through high alpine lakes.

A summer safari might include:

– Mount Lindsey summit days, above-treeline ridges, high lakes, and long views across the Sangre de Cristo Mountains

– Fly fishing for native Rio Grande cutthroat, first-cast learning sessions, creek walks, and high-elevation fishing days when the season opens the trail

– Mountain biking, ridge rides, singletrack, and descents where the scale of the Reserve is something you feel the next day

– First Light and Last Light watches with guides who know the corridors and give wildlife enough space to feel at home

– Outpost Cabin overnights where the Reserve holds you in remote quiet from sunset till morning

– Cold plunge, sauna, field lunches, firelit dinners, and a Lodge full of activities for the hours in between

Summer is for guests who want long days, open routes, and deep exploration.

Only at Trinchera

Trinchera’s scale shapes the entire experience.

The Reserve holds 172,000 acres, a landscape larger than one-third of our national parks. From high desert and pinon woodland to alpine tundra and three 14,000-foot peaks, it is all open for exploration. Everything is connected. You can hike, fish, ride, watch wildlife, participate in stewardship, dine in the field, sleep at an Outpost Cabin, and come back to The Lodge without ever leaving the Reserve.

This range, and the people who know how to make the most of it, define the experience as distinctly Trinchera. Start planning your High Alpine Safari.