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 Tour Operators, Guide Services, Outfitters

Go with the Pros

(and bring your kids)

Growing up in Utah means growing up in a recreational paradise. Kids here have a vast playground as mysterious and magnificent as anywhere else on earth. Our 84,990 square miles include deserts, deep canyons, forests, rivers and mountains, all waiting to envelop our families with their magic.

Utah parents share a common goal with others: to teach our children respect and restraint in the out-of-doors. Driving roughshod across a mesa or tramping through a secret canyon is not an option. There are too many of us, and our landscape is too fragile.

The best way we know to protect our beautiful, delicate resources is to explore them with a guide — a professional who can show our families an exhilarating vacation, and at the same time exemplify a safe and responsible adventure. Sometimes having a guide is imperative, like when whitewater rafting on protected rivers or backpacking in wilderness. But guides and outfitters are also invaluable when on less regulated activities. Guides can teach our kids the nuances and skills of flyfishing, canyoneering, kayaking, and rock climbing. Our families can visit petroglyphs, endangered animals, cave treasures and campsites we would never have seen if not accompanied by a professional.

Utah’s outdoor industry is invested in the education of children.  The sheer numbers of our young people make it so. Utah’s population is among the youngest in the nation and this youthful population creates a safe, friendly and vibrant environment in which to live: in national polls Utah is consistently rated as “the best place to raise a family.” These statistics add up to a whole lot of kids looking for something to do.

And these kids are in luck! Our cities and our small rural towns, have sports programs and outdoor arenas specifically dedicated to kids. It’s likely we could find everything from ski jumping to butterfly watching available most days of the year.

Utah’s state parks have dozens of programs for kids. From Bear Lake at the Idaho border to Sand Hollow near the Arizona line, the 43-park system offers kids’ boat safety classes, ATV education, camping information, cyber camp, mosquito defense, and more. Many of the parks have wildlife viewing stations, identified by a binocular sign on the roadside.

Our five national parks have Junior Ranger or Junior Geologist programs, which encourage kids to get the most of their visit. Most involve getting a special patch for completing activities such as interviewing a ranger, gathering litter, watching a slide show or drawing a picture. Park-specific activities for young people include guided jeep tours in Zion, hikes in Arches and ancient earthquake mapping in Capitol Reef.

And the good news is, these programs are available to your children too! 

Learning while having fun - p.  Monique Beeley

On Utah’s public and private lands, guides and outfitters have created dozens of fabulous family-friendly outings. Almost every sport pursued by serious athletes has been tailored for all ages. Even small children love a night spent under the stars — in Utah they can spend it in a teepee on the banks of the Green River. Teens can take a guided, multi-day mountain bike trip near Moab, and learn how to camp and cook in the desert. Older kids can take extensive backcountry trips that teach advanced survival skills in the wilderness. Backpacking, cross-country skiing and dude ranching are all available for families who want age-spanning adventures. Guided trips to rodeos, movie sets and Native American sites are time-tested family favorites.

Our guides have established close relationships with their customers, and loyal families come back year after year to recreate memories. Guides tell us they experience great pride when families feel a campsite or a trail is “theirs,” because they have helped them develop an affinity for that area. What better way to protect our environment than by encouraging visitors to feel ownership of our landscape?

We have dozens of mountain ranges, including one that appears to float above the ground, another that beats a mysterious underground noise, and still another that’s the steepest in the world. 

We have a vast desert crowded with psychedelic twists of red and gold rock, and another paved with white salt that sparkles as far as the eye can see. We have snow fed mountain lakes that the hottest summer sun can’t warm and an inland sea that creates its own weather. We have tortoises and shrimp and cacti that are found nowhere outside our borders. 

Our guides and outfitters can explain these mysteries and many more. No matter how many trails we hike or backroads we bike or flowers we identify, they are there to explain the wonders that are just around every bend. 

Outdoor Utah is for everyone, of all ages!  Read on for names and contact information of reliable tour operators and outfitters who offer comprehensive guide services.