High stakes, high altitude for Cripple Creek adventure company | Pikes Peak Courier

For Carl and Desiree Wilson, going into the adventure tour business was both a high stakes and high altitude proposition.

High stakes because they’ve staked everything on it.

“We pretty much sank our entire life savings into it,” Carl Wilson said. “We’re just hoping to have a good summer.”

High altitude because it’s in Cripple Creek.

“We realized last summer that nobody is giving tours up here and the scenery is amazing,” Wilson said.

And just like that, Cripple Creek Adventure Tours was born. Their first tour was on May 13.

The company offers unique tours over terrain rarely visited by non-locals.

“On the roads that we travel, you’re not going to see a whole lot of tourists, you’re not going to see any other tour companies,” Wilson said. “We avoid the touristy spots. That’s why we based ourselves up here

“It’s unspoiled nature.”

While off-the-beaten-track tours are their specialty, they have recently begun to offer a Pikes Peak Summit Tour because of demand.

Other tours are the Ultimate Scenery Tour, the Ultimate Brewery Tour and the Garden of the Gods/Gold Camp Road tour.

In the fall, they will be running “The Ultimate Aspen Tour,” which will feature the amazing Cripple Creek scenery covered in all the incredible aspen as they change color.

They exclusively use Ford Broncos rather than the Jeeps used by many other tour companies.

“What sets us apart is that we focus on comfort and luxury,” Wilson said. “We only give private group tours, and we only use Broncos for the smoothest ride possible. The Broncos are fully stocked with snacks, water, sunscreen, hand sanitizer blankets, and more.”

The search for pristine natural vistas can often raise the blood pressure for flatlanders not accustomed to mountain driving. Wilson said that hasn’t been a problem so far.

“I’ve had zero problems with anyone,” he said. “The roads are pretty good out there. I’ve had people come from Hawaii, Arkansas, Alabama, they’re from all over the place and they all love it.”

Their decision to operate out of Cripple Creek has benefits beyond the scenery. Wilson said their mission is also to provide something for families to do in a town influenced heavily by casinos.

The Wilsons both have backgrounds in the mental health field and Carl also has a lot of experience driving forklifts. They’ve left those careers in the rearview mirror and have completely dedicated themselves to the new venture.

“We drive the roads that we give the tours on,” Carl said. “Me and my wife drive them for fun.

“We saw a hole that needed to be filled and here we are.”