Colorado Aviation Adventures | Bucket List Flights

At Alpine Flight Training we’re all about helping people achieve their dreams and have that bucket-list type of adventure they have always dreamed about. Here are some of the great flights we’ve had. Tell us about your bucket list flight.

Over the years we have conducted hundreds of different flights, and along the way we have gathered feedback from our students. This list below is a summary of what we believe a collection of the very best flight experiences the Colorado Rockies has to offer. We have something for you even if you’re just here for the day and looking for something quick to allow you to experience flying in the mountains.

Picnic in the Backcountry

Grab a fiend, a cooler and head to a grass runway in the Colorado Backcountry for a cool mountain flight, a landing at Marble, time for a picnic and a hike before departing back to civilization.

Breakfast on the Flat-Tops

How does 2000ft of runway sitting at 11,000 feet of elevation sound? Only possible on certain days – crisp fall morning with low temps, a breakfast burrito and hot coffee will greet you when you land at this private airstrip on the Flat Tops at sunrise. Hang out for a bit but then be sure to launch before the temps come up or you’ll be stuck until the next morning.

Colorado Extreme Airports

On this day adventure you’ll visit some of Colorado’s most extreme airports and incredible terrain. Generally the scenario begins with a trip through McClure Pass to Telluride, North America’s second highest field located deep in a box canyon. After Telluride the next stop is North Fork Valley for a landing on a curved runway located atop a mesa. The third stop is generally Glenwood Springs, voted North America’s most challenging airport. After Glenwood Springs, if you still have not had enough then you can choose to fly to Aspen, which is voted North America’s second most challenging airport, or cross Haggerman Pass at over 13,000 feet and then land a Leadville, North America’s highest field where the runway is 9927 feet elevation, or go to both.

Full Moon Night over the Rockies

Flying under a full moon through the Rockies can be a surreal experience. We’ll teach you some strategies that will keep you safe when flying through mountains at night. In this session we’ll generally take 2-3 hours and will visit 1-2 other airports depending upon time of year and conditions. This flight is especially fun in the winter when snow cover allows for extremely well lighted terrain at night.

Passes, Passes and more Passes

This 3/4 day adventure focuses on terrain flying and pass crossing. From Eagle, we depart southwest over Cottonwood Pass, cross McClure Pass, Kebler Pass, Monarch Pass or Marshall Pass and then return through either Hagerman Pass or Tennessee Pass. If you’re looking for something even longer with some radical terrain we can omit Tennessee Pass and instead fly Freemont Pass to Vail Pass before returning from the east. Along the route there are also numerous opportunities for landings at challenging airports.

Bragging Rights

If you don’t have much time and you’re looking for a quick and fun mountain flying experience try this route out. We depart Eagle to the east, and fly Tennessee Pass to Leadville, where we’ll land at North America’s highest airfield. After Leadville we cross Hagerman pass (weather permitting) and head for Glenwood Springs, known as North America’s most challenging airport before returning to Eagle. In one flight you’ve flown to the highest and then the most challenging airports in North America!

North Loop Intro to Mountain Flying

If you’re just getting your feet wet with mountain flying, our North route will give you a great opportunity to learn the basics as you circumnavigate the epic Flattop Wilderness. This route takes you North through mountain valleys to Steamboat Springs, then west along the northern edge of the Flattops to Craig. After Craig you head south towards Meeker where you can apply some new decision making skills and mountain flying considerations. After Meeker you’ll get some scenario challenges as you approach Rifle and on into Glenwood Springs before returning to Eagle. This route features terrain flying, route selection, valley flying, maneuvering in canyons, landings at several mountain airports.

Build Your Own Route

Mix and match the above, set your own goals and build a route to get you there. You have a route you want to fly? We’ll help you make it happen.