RGNF Accepting Expressions of Interest for Outfitting & Guiding on Conejos Peak & Saguache Districts

DEL NORTE, Colo., April 24, 2025 – The Rio Grande National Forest announced today they are seeking candidates such as commercial businesses, nonprofit organizations, community organizations, and educational institutions to provide recreational experiences for individuals or groups on the Conejos Peak and Saguache Ranger Districts. Successful candidates may receive a special use permit to conduct their activity on Rio Grande National Forest lands.

Candidates can submit their Expression of Interest for a variety of outfitting and guiding opportunities including backpacking, big game hunting, cross country skiing, fishing, horseback riding, mountaineering, rock climbing, and non-commercial photography until June 23, 2025. 

“I am pleased to offer this opportunity on the Conejos Peak and Saguache Districts for partners to provide a variety of commercial services that will benefit the public,” said Andy Kelher, deputy forest supervisor for the Rio Grande National Forest. “By increasing the offered recreational services, more visitors may be able to have increased options for quality experiences on the Forest while contributing to the local economy.” 

Entities interested in submitting an Expression of Interest should first visit the dedicated web page to learn more specific information on what activities will be considered, locations of desired activities and restrictions that may apply to the activities. Visit: https://www.fs.usda.gov/r02/riogrande/recreation/new-special-use-authorizations

Once the Expression of Interest period closes, Forest Service staff will consider the requested services and weigh them against our current commercial capacity. We will then either process the special use permits for the activities or, in the case of numerous requests, we’ll embark on an additional process to determine which entities will be awarded a permit.

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