Mountain Chicken Chase Grouse Tour

Each spring, Colorado’s diverse landscapes come alive with one of North America’s most extraordinary wildlife spectacles: the courtship displays of its native grouse. This 6-day journey is designed to encounter five species of Colorado’s mountain grouse while exploring alpine tundra, montane and subalpine forests, sagebrush basins, and pinyon-pine canyon country.

With early-morning lek visits, carefully secured viewing access, and strategic routing across multiple ecosystems, this expedition blends rare species, breathtaking scenery, and thoughtful interpretation into one unforgettable wildlife experience.

The Colorado Mountain Chicken Chase Grouse Tour is an active, immersive expedition designed around the rhythms of spring courtship. On lek mornings, we rise before dawn to quietly position ourselves for extraordinary wildlife behavior — booming, strutting, stamping, and sparring in golden light.

Between lek visits, we travel through dramatically different landscapes in search of additional target species. Expect moderate travel days, scenic drives, frequent birding stops, and time for photography. Dinners are relaxed and social; mornings are early and electric.

Participants should be prepared for variable mountain weather and elevations ranging from high plains (4,000 ft) to high alpine passes (11,000 ft).

Day 1: Denver & Georgetown

Guests arrive in Denver and travel into the mountains, settling into historic Georgetown and preparing for the first early start.

Overnight: Georgetown Mountain Inn

Highlights: Canada Jay, Steller’s Jay, American Three-toed Woodpecker

Day 2: Alpine Beginnings

We search high mountain passes for ptarmigan in lingering snowfields before descending through conifer forests and into expansive sagebrush valleys.

Overnight: Walden

Highlights: White-tailed Ptarmigan, Clark’s Nutcracker, Brown-capped, Gray-crowned, and Black Rosy-Finches, Pine Grosbeak, Mountain Chickadee, Barrow’s Goldeneye

Day 3: Greater Sage-Grouse Lek & Rabbit Ear’s Pass

We rise early to observe the lekking display of the Greater Sage-Grouse. Afterwards, we’ll look for migratory birds at the Arapahoe National Wildlife Refuge before ascending to subalpine forests at Rabbit Ear’s Pass. We’ll spend the night in Steamboat Springs.

Overnight: Nordic Lodge

Highlights: Greater Sage-Grouse, Sage Thrasher, Golden Eagle, Bald Eagle, Cinnamon Teal, Yellow-headed Blackbird, Cassin’s Finch, Pine Grosbeak, Evening Grosbeak

Day 4: Steamboat Springs to Montrose

This morning we will drive out to a private ranch north of Steamboat and enjoy the stamping, booming, and cackling of the Sharp-tailed Grouse. This is also a good area to find Dusky Grouse. Later, we’ll drive southwest toward Grand Junction, stopping at the Colorado National Monument before heading south to the town of Montrose.

Overnight: Super 8 by Wyndham

Highlights: Sharp-tailed Grouse, Dusky Grouse, Sandhill Crane, Vesper Sparrow, Brewer’s Sparrow, Brewer’s Blackbird, Pinyon Jay, Juniper Titmouse, Peregrine Falcon, Black-throated Sparrow, Gambel’s Quail

Day 5: Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Crested Butte, and Gunnison

This morning we will enter one of the deepest canyons in North America to look for Dusky Grouse. Afterwards, we’ll head to the scenic mountain town of Crested Butte, where we’ll stop at feeders to look for rosy-finches and grosbeaks. Later, we’ll continue to Waunita Hot Springs, a historic ranch with a relaxing hot spring pool.

Overnight: Waunita Hot Springs Ranch

Highlights: Dusky Grouse, Spotted Towhee, Townsend’s Solitaire, Fox Sparrow, Cassin’s Finch, Rosy-finches, Rocky Wren, Evening Grosbeak, Sagebrush Sparrow

Day 6: Gunnison

Before sunrise, we witness one of North America’s rarest grouse species displaying on its lek under special viewing access. Later, we’ll make our way north to the town of Buena Vista, where we’ll stop for lunch. Afterwards, we will return to Denver either via Loveland Pass or route 285, depending on trip species needs. 

Overnight: La Quinta Inn and Suites, Denver

Highlights: Gunnison Sage-Grouse, Red-naped Sapsucker, Northern Saw-whet Owl, Mountain Bluebird, Pine Siskin, Williamson’s Sapsucker, Lewis’s Woodpecker

Day 7: Departure

Transfer to airport and departure

Overnight: None

A portion of every grouse tour directly supports the conservation of the species and habitats we explore. We donate 5% of each tour to leading organizations including the North American Grouse Partnership, Pheasants Forever, and The Nature Conservancy – groups working on the ground to protect sagebrush ecosystems, native grasslands, and critical breeding habitat across North America. By joining us in the field, you’re not only witnessing one of wildlife’s most remarkable spectacles—you’re helping ensure it endures for generations to come.

Real experiences from recent Birding Man grouse tours

Dates: April 8 – 12, 2027

Duration: 5 days, 4 nights

Description: Step into one of North America’s most overlooked and rapidly disappearing ecosystems—the shortgrass prairie. This 4-day extension takes you across vast, open landscapes in search of both Greater and Lesser Prairie-Chickens, where the ancient spectacle of lekking still unfolds each spring. Along the way, you’ll meet ranchers who are playing a vital role in conserving these habitats, offering a powerful glimpse into how working lands and wildlife can coexist.

Beyond grouse, these prairies teem with life—longspurs, sparrows, buntings, plovers, raptors, and owls all adapted to this windswept world. Thoughtfully designed to reveal both the ecological richness and conservation importance of the Great Plains, this experience invites you to see beauty in a landscape many have overlooked—and to leave with a deeper appreciation for its fragility and value.

This is just one of many five-star experiences.
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