General Cycling Discussion - Guided tours

A friend and I are interested in a guided mountain bike/hiking trip in the west or desert southwest. I've looked at some of the packages that gorptravel and westernspirit offer and both have some really great options (mountain biking, hiking, white water rafting, 3-6 day trips, catored lunches and dinners, etc). She and I have different off-road skill levels, but are very compatible in regards to hiking so I have to consider trails that offer; scenic beauty, moderate double and single track mixed with sporatic technical stuff.

Never having done this before, I was hoping I could get some feedback as to which companies are most reputable, affordable, which trails/locations to consider, and other factors that I may not have thought to mention, etc..

As always, your feedback is most appreciated.

Please excuse my rant but you've just touched a nerve with one of my pet hates.

You don't mention your location in your profile and then talk about touring in the west or southwest. The west or southwest of where?

I asume you're in the USA and that's where you're wanting to tour.

This is a world wide forum so please don't just asume that everyone lives in America.

Now, if you want to tour the west or southwest of Australia, that's where I am and I'd be happy to show you around.

I hope you find the information you need.

As much as I'd love to see your part of the world sometime, I'm referring to America's west and desert southwest: Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico.

These guided tours seem a little pricey ($800-$900 for 4-6 days) and I was wondering if they're really worth it. As someone who's not familiar with the terrain, and not wanting to carry that much gear on a daily basis, I'm not sure I have much of an option.

Anyway, thanks for the reply.

I did a tour with WesternSpirit some years ago. It was very well done. The guides were knowlegedable, friendly and helpful. The riding was strenuous. The group size was small. The food was good. My sole criticism is that our group had riders of various abilities. Faster riders were asked to wait at intersections for the slower riders to catch up. Other than that little quibble, I can't think of a thing to complain about. I think they offered fair value for the money.