KMAC Guides (Kent Mountain Adventure Center) — Attraction in Estes Park

A+ experience! I booked the Cliff Camping + Via Ferrera online for my husband's birthday for just the two of us. The company emailed me back to switch around how I planned things, recommending we switch it up for comfort based on other people's experiences which I really appreciated.

The guide we were originally supposed to go with had a conflict, so Braxton stepped in - no issues or changes for us. Braxton was awesome! We met him on site, and he took us to stop for coffee and snacks along the way since we forgot to pack lunch. We also shared that we wanted to rock climb, and even though it wasn't in his itinerary he said no problem and made sure we got to do everything we wanted to do. When he realized we were pretty strong climbers, he adjusted some of the via ferreta route to let us climb more and make it more interesting/challenging for us.

He carried all the gear and did all the setup from start to end, which of course made the whole thing much more relaxing and vacation-like for us. He checked with us on all the food he planned to bring beforehand to account for preferences/allergies. On our break he made us a cheeseboard with jam and gave us cold la croix. For dinner we enjoyed hot tacos, wine, and chocolate chip cookies on the cliff.

Braxton was talkative, friendly, entertaining, and easy going. On the cliff at night we enjoyed hanging out and watching the stars come out, and he pulled out his constellation app and we played a 20-questions type game trying to guess which ones he could spot.

He took a ton of photos and videos for us, and sent them all via a link after the trip.

Braxton is knowledgable, efficient, and is passionate about his work. It was fun asking questions and hearing about other trips he's taken! He also gave us a lot of suggestions on other things/trips we could do based on what we enjoy. Overall our whole experience from booking to the guide and the trip itself was great. We both love hiking and climbing in our free time, and this was definitely a fun and...

We are big via ferrata fans, so we started our 3 weeks of national parks with a via ferrata with Kent Mountain Adventure, and had a great time.

It was a bit of a rocky start: we were to meet up at the Aspire at the fancy Stanley hotel but we weren't told that was a separate building away from the hotel. Then we drove separately with our guide to the site at Cheley Camp, pretty close to our lodging, so we could have just met there.

And finally, we didn't know about the hefty hiking to get to the via ferrata: it took 40 minutes to go .8 miles up and 1 hour 5 minutes down steep slippery shree for 1.15 miles to return. Had I known, I would have brought my hiking poles. Luckily, our sweet guide Story took my backpack for me (water is very heavy!)!

Once on the via ferrata, we had a wonderful time. It's very steep and there are only rungs (no ladders or bridges). Unlike other via ferratas we've done (Switzerland, New Zealand), the route incorporated a lot of natural rock features so there isn't always a rung to rely upon! That was a little nerve-wracking at times, but we learned a bit about rock climbing and got comfortable for our hikes to come. ("The rock is our friend.")

We went 600 feet up the Deville Rock to 9,000 foot Cathedral peak in about 1 hour 18 minutes--it was over way too soon. Story was kind enough to take lots of pictures for us, with the mountains of RMNP behind.

As others mentioned, the talented folks who designed this route are completing a new, more challenging one. We heard about how difficult and time consuming it can be to mount rungs a certain way, and to thoroughly test their strength and safety. (By comparison, a second via ferrata on this trip was crafted by someone who, um, learned as he went.)

We can't wait to go back and try...

This was our second time out with KMAC (first was cloud ladder via ferrata 5*), but this is our first time climbing. We do a lot of outdoor activities but have never climbed. It was me (52), my wife (49) and son (17). Our guide was Kevin and he was excellent, he catered the trip to what we wanted. He asked if we just wanted to climb or learn more skills and climb. He started us on a couple of easy walls and then took us to some others to test our skills. He did a great job of teaching. He let us try stuff first and then gave some lessons and suggestions so when he taught us the information made more sense. We all thought he did a great job. He did a good job of pushing us but still keeping everyone comfortable. Kevin was also willing to stay as long as needed to make sure we all completed our goals. He was never worried about the time and rushing back, he just wanted to make sure we all had fun. We did the 6 hour trip and I think we were a little over 7. The only thing I have ever struggled with is contacting the day before. I don't blame them because they did reach out on both trips, but I did not receive the messages until later the next day. I think it is due to lack of cell phone coverage when traveling (airplane and in the mountains). I did get voicemails a day later, but that is on the phone company. I would just suggest trying 3 methods (voice, text and email), all said I did leave a message at the office and I have always got a call back later that night to confirm (both trips). We couldn't recommend KMAC or Kevin more, 5 stars without a doubt. Kevin pulled the most out of us and I really think we did more then expected for...