Developing an Awareness
to the Ways of Nature
Encouraging people to touch nature
and be touched by nature,
by Developing an Awareness
to the Ways of Nature.
Escalante Canyons Tour Guides and
Traditional Outdoor Skills Instructors
Escalante Canyons Tours
Photographic Landscapes 
Slot Canyon Gold 
Riparian Canyons 
Persistant Desert Life 
Canyon Rim 
Slot Canyon Wonders
Multi-day Backcountry Adventures
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Explore more – Escalante Canyons Tours
Traditional Outdoor Skills Instruction
Working Together 
Making the Bed 
Map and Compass Navigation 
Campfire Cooking with the Youngsters 
Helping the Wee ones 
Friction Fire
Photo by Terry Webb.
Teaching Fundamental Outdoor Skills;
Developing Outdoor Competence; and
Building Backcountry Confidence
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Discovering Traditional Outdoor Skills
The Overnighter
Nature Awareness
Knife Craft
Fire Craft
Shelter Craft
Traditional Navigation
Flat Fabric Camping
Dressing for Success in the Backcountry
Campfire Cookery
Traditional Woodcraft Camping Skills
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Explore more – Traditional Outdoor Skills Instruction
Local Guides Create
a Richer Experience
Jeff 
Matt 
Mike
Our guides live locally in Boulder, Utah and have guided and taught extensively from the adjacent desert canyons and sub-alpine mountains. We have a deep understanding and appreciation for this land, which allows us to create the perfect adventure for you. With over six decades of combined experience among our three guides, we have the “trail time” to know the moods, intricacies and challenges that this landscape presents. Read More about the Desert DAWN Instructor/Guides!
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Men’s Journal – Watch a Seasoned Guide Uncover the Wonders of Utah’s Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument
A Winning Approach
We are excited about hiking in nature, exploring new areas and teaching traditional outdoor skills. Our business model is to be a small family owned nature education and guide service. As such, we focus on the quality of an experience rather than the quantity of people we guide. We are interested in providing high quality experiences that have the potential to be transformative for the people who choose to share time with us in nature.
Staying outdoors, staying small and keeping it simple;
it works for us and it works for you.
An Ounce of Prevention is
Worth a Pound of Cure!
This one simple phrase is the foundation of our operation. It is far easier to prevent an emergency than to clean up the devastation created by one. We apply this concept in the field and we also use this at home, especially in the days of the coronavirus pandemic.
Read more on our strategy for addressing the COVID challenge.
Read More on Desert Hiking Safety.
“Come home to nature,
it welcomes you.”
Join us for an instructive exploration of the spectacular riparian canyon and desert slickrock environments of Escalante River canyon system within the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and the forest and mountain environments of Boulder Mountain within the Dixie National Forest, all of which surrounds the cozy little town of Boulder, Utah in South Central Utah.
Send Jeff A Message
thedesertdawn 
I have been on many foreign and domestic adventures, and I am always yearning for a new one.
Hi there, just became aware of your blog through Google, and found that it
is truly informative. I am gonna watch out for brussels.
I will be grateful if you continue this in future. Numerous people will be benefited from your
writing. Cheers!
I and my two son’s were treated to an amazing adventure with Jeff in the Escalante wilderness. When I called Jeff about wanting something more than an excursion I never dreamed we could experience so much, learn so much or appreciate so much on a what one would think of as a simple backpacking trip. It will always be a time we will never forget. Thank you Jeff for everything you shared and for sharing yourself most of all.
I hope we cross paths again, Marc
Jeff is a special soul who’s connection with the land around him is contagious. He expressed such a tangible love for the skills he shared that I will never forget my time with him. I will definitely draw on this experience for years to come, and make it a point to share another journey with him very soon!
My wife and I celebrated our 45th wedding anniversary in Boulder, Utah, and were treated to two days of break-taking hiking trips during which Jeff led us to places we never imagined going to by ourselves. HIs expertise and knowledge of the area were simply amazing. Not only did we leave with a new appreciation of the beauty of the area, we left having gained a new friend. Thank you for an exceptional time with you! Until we meet again!
Jeff and Matt guided me to a remote location with a trailhead along hole in the rock road. Jeff and Matt have outdoor IQs that are off the charts. For instance, it was fascinating watching Matt make a spindle and stick for creating a coal to start a fire out of a yucca plant stalk. The knowledge they have about what water is safe to drink, UV rays effect on water, tying lines up to keep food away from mice, proper technique for hiking on slick rock safely, and saving my tail when my filter failed was quite valuable. I had brought a phone with the usgs map and a route on it, which was, as it turned out, a poor and inefficient route. At the time, it was a comfort thing for me. Jeff pointed out, “We don’t know the source of that route.” He was right! Jeff and Matt read the land and their topo map to successfully figure out the best route in and out of our location. If you decide to go on a trip with these outdoorsmen, leave the phone at home.