KMAC Guides Announces Fall Via Ferrata Reservations Open
ESTES PARK, CO - August 03, 2026 - PRESSADVANTAGE - KMAC Guides has opened reservations for its fall Via Ferrata season
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ESTES PARK, CO – August 03, 2026 – PRESSADVANTAGE –
KMAC Guides has opened reservations for its fall Via Ferrata season on two guided routes at Deville Rocks near Estes Park, Colorado, with trips running until the end of October, unless an early blizzard shuts things down earlier. The company operates both routes on private property and requires every participant to be accompanied by a KMAC guide.
The fall schedule covers both routes the company operates. Peregrine Ridge, the introductory route, ascends roughly 600 feet of cable to a mid-way viewpoint before topping out on the south summit, and is open to first-time participants and families with children. The Cloud Ladder, the advanced route, ascends approximately 900 feet of cable up the vertical headwall of Deville Rocks and crosses two suspension bridges. Both trips run four to five hours, carry a minimum age of 12, and have a 265-pound weight limit set by the safety equipment.
A via ferrata is a route fitted with fixed steel cables, iron rungs, and ladders anchored into the rock, allowing participants to climb exposed terrain while clipped to a continuous protection system. The format originated in the European Alps and has expanded across North America over the past decade. Participants wear a harness, helmet, and shock-absorbing lanyard, and remain clipped to the cable for the length of the route. Neither of the Deville Rocks routes is open to unguided public access, so all fall departures are staffed by KMAC guides, who supply the technical equipment and experience.
KMAC Guides has operated in Estes Park since 1987 and is an accredited business of the American Mountain Guides Association. The company holds a concession in Rocky Mountain National Park and a special use permit in Roosevelt National Forest, and its guides carry Wilderness First Responder certification. Fall departures typically encounter cooler daytime temperatures and lower visitor volume in the Estes Valley than the summer season.
“Cooler rock, thinner crowds, and aspens turning below the headwall make fall a different experience than midsummer on those routes,” said Reed Woodford, Co-Owner and Chief Executive Officer of KMAC Guides. “Opening the fall calendar this early gives camps, schools, and family groups the lead time to build a trip around it.”
Group programs account for a substantial share of the company’s operations. KMAC runs the climbing programs for several summer camps and hosts private and public schools on multi-day and week-long excursions. The company has also built itineraries for nonprofit organizations, military and veteran groups, corporate retreats, film crews, and outdoor brand events. Beyond Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park, KMAC has led group trips at Bears Ears National Monument, Shelf Road, Bandelier National Monument, and Colorado National Monument.
“Moving a large school group through a via ferrata is a logistics problem before it is a climbing problem,” said Reed Woodford, Owner at KMAC Guides. “Decades of running camp and school seasons is what allows a group that size to be sequenced across the cables without long waits on the wall.”
Fall departures for both routes are booked through the company’s online reservation system, and organizations arranging custom dates, private departures, or multi-day itineraries are directed to contact the KMAC office. Group bookings are scheduled separately from individual departures so that guide assignments and route timing can be set in advance. The company continues to run guided rock climbing, cliff camping, hiking, and backpacking through the fall before its winter schedule of ice climbing, backcountry skiing, and avalanche education begins.
KMAC Guides is an outdoor guide service based in Estes Park, Colorado, providing guided rock climbing, via ferrata, cliff camping, hiking, backpacking, youth climbing camps, large group programs, winter mountaineering, and AMGA Single Pitch Instructor courses and exams. The company has operated under local ownership since 1987 from a 10-acre property bordering Rocky Mountain National Park. For more information, visit KMAC Guides.
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For more information about KMAC Guides, contact the company here:
KMAC Guides
Reed Woodford
(970) 586-5990
info@kmacguides.com
1230 Big Thompson Avenue, Estes Park, CO, United States, 80517
