Our Guides

Amanda K

I was 19 years old the first time I got to float the Grand Canyon I was the only female in a group of eight on a private trip, we had an 18ft bucket boat and 26ft J-rig motorboat. At the end of the trip I didn’t want to leave saying, can... Show more

Bill S

I began my Grand Canyon career with GCW’s sister company, Arizona River Runners, in the spring of 1990, where I was employed as a full-time guide and trip leader. I’ve now logged 211 trips on the Colorado River! I have been lucky enou... Show more

Blake B

When I was entering my sophomore year of high school I was offered a helper position on a two-week rafting trip through the Grand Canyon. The only problem way that I would have to miss the first two weeks of school, so of course, I wanted ... Show more

Brian D

I began my career working for Grand Canyon Youth Expeditions as a river guide in 1970. I was also involved with guiding commercial trips as a freelance contract employee for several river outfitters beginning in the early 1970s. During t... Show more

Brie S

I grew up running lots of self-support inflatable kayak trips with my dad and I’ve been hooked on rivers ever since. I have been guiding in Cataract Canyon and Westwater Canyon on the Colorado River since 2005, as well as Desolation Cany... Show more

Chloe J

Born and raised in Utah, I am not unfamiliar with the outdoors. I’m an avid skier, climber, and mountain biker - and now a river rafter! My first experience with the Grand Canyon was in August of 2021. I was lucky enough to be invited to... Show more

Cora S

Born and raised in Flagstaff, AZ and with the Grand Canyon in my backyard, I have been very lucky to get to experience the Grand Canyon at a very young age. I went on my first river trip when I was only six years old. For summer vacation a... Show more

Dave S

While growing up in Tucson, AZ, my first exposure to the Grand Canyon came in 1991 with an introduction to the famous South Rim trails. My folks took the whole family down the South Kaibab and up the Bright Angel, with a couple nights at P... Show more

Erica F

I did my first Grand Canyon River Trip in 1997. I became a guide in the season of 2000. I absolutely love Grand Canyon. I feel truly blessed to be able to spend so much time in such an amazing place with so many wonderful people. The canyo... Show more

Grant B

I was lucky enough to take a rafting trip in Grand Canyon in 2006 and have been guiding since. I have guided on many rivers in the Southwest and feel incredibly lucky to be in Grand Canyon. I really like the human history associated with r... Show more

Jake S

I have worked as a Grand Canyon river guide since 2006. The first time I hiked the canyon and saw her river I was hooked. I went on a full canyon river trip as a passenger and through some stroke of luck I ended up getting a job as a paid ... Show more

Jason M

I have been guiding trips down rivers in Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico and working in and around Grand Canyon since 1991. I started out in Grand Canyon doing science trips for the National Park Service, but I had fallen in love with it ... Show more

Jimmy H

I got out of the Marines and was wondering which school to attend when I saw Martin Litton doing a slideshow of one of his dory trips in Grand Canyon. Needless to say, I was impressed, but let it slip by as just another interesting thing o... Show more

Johnny L

I am a Flagstaff native, born and raised. I started doing raft trips in Grand Canyon when I was in high school. My wrestling coach put together a Spring Break raft trip from Lees Ferry down to Phantom Ranch, so I actually rowed my first bo... Show more

Jon S

I have had the privilege of guiding river trips in the Grand Canyon for the past 30 years. Even today, each trip brings a sense of exploration, adventure, excitement and renewal. The simple yet rewarding pleasures of hiking up side canyons... Show more

Katie T

I grew up visiting the rim of the Grand Canyon almost every year but it wasn’t until I was 22 I finally went on a private trip down the river and after that I realized how grand it really is, and that I wanted to explore all of it. My be... Show more

Kendrick

My first experience with the Grand Canyon was coming down as a passenger with my family in 2016 when I was 12-years-old. I love the feeling of being completely isolated in the Canyon without any service, which allows people to connect like... Show more

Kristi G

I started as a work-your-way in the early ’90s. Growing up outside of Chicago, I couldn’t believe this place existed. There is so much to see and learn surrounding this gem of the west. I continue to return because I can’t get enough... Show more

Matt M

I went on my first Grand Canyon trip in 2008. It made me feel alive and I knew it was where I wanted to work. After that first trip, I did two more trips before getting hired to run boats in Cataract Canyon on the Colorado River in Moab, U... Show more

Nichole H

Born and raised in Flagstaff, I grew up taking family camping trips on the north rim. Though the memories are fond, I didn’t truly experience the Grand Canyon until my first river trip in 2021. After graduating from Northern Arizona Univ... Show more

Rachel U

I was around the age of 5 when I started backpacking in Grand Canyon, but it wasn’t until I was 19 that I was first introduced to life along the river through a private trip. I fell in love immediately, but spent the next decade or so wo... Show more

Riley B

Riley went on her first river trip through Grand Canyon when she was 10 years old, with her dad who was a guide for Arizona River Runners. She fell in love with the place instantly and has been working full time as a river guide since 2007... Show more

Riley W

I was first introduced to the Grand Canyon by my folks when I was young. At maybe five or six years old, I began hiking in and around Grand Canyon with them. In 2011, I was lucky enough to be invited on my first Grand Canyon rafting trip. ... Show more

Ted D

I was first able to experience the Canyon via the Colorado River on a commercial trip in 2008. Since then, I have been guiding different types of trips in Grand Canyon. I get a very special feeling when I am in Grand Canyon and am very app... Show more

Thea S

Growing up in Germany, I had never seen Grand Canyon until I was 16 years old. Needless to say, I was blown away by its magnificence. When I moved to Flagstaff in 2008, my older sister was working as a hiking guide in the Canyon; I started... Show more

Tim S

I’ve been rafting on the Colorado River since 2011; before that, I was canoeing and kayaking in other places. My first trip in Grand Canyon was as a work-your-way — I fell in love with the river. I really enjoy sharing Native American ... Show more

TJ G

I began guiding Grand Canyon river trips in 1996 and worked as a full-time guide for 16 seasons, completing about 150 river trips. In 2012, I transitioned into the full-time Operations Manager for GCW and our sister company, Arizona R... Show more

Trevor H

I went on my first commercial Grand Canyon river trip in 2010. I’m an Arizona native — a Flagstaff native — and my dad kept saying, “Once you go down, you’re going to fall in love with it.” And, sure enough, that happened. I wa... Show more

Tristan S

I fell in love with all rivers as a young kid. Always playing in the water and jumping into any kind of boat that was there in front of me. My dad and step-mom took me on my first river trip through the Grand Canyon when I was 12 and once ... Show more

Tyler K

I was first introduced to the Grand Canyon by visiting the South Rim when I was about 6 years old. But, I truly didn’t realize its grandeur and awe until I was about 19 and started working for a river outfitting company in Flagstaff, Ari... Show more

Walt G

My first experience with Grand Canyon was hiking into Thunder River with my brother Ross, from the North Rim. My two brothers both worked for Grand Canyon Whitewater’s sister company, Arizona River Runners in the 1970’s. They brought t... Show more