Frequently Asked Questions

If you are staying Kanab, we typically arrange to pick you up from your accommodations.

For adventurers coming from Zion, Springdale, Virgin, St George, Hurricane, and elsewhere you will select from a list of locations that best fit your travel plans during the booking process. 

We customize our meeting locations to maximize your adventure time with your guide. At the time of booking, our guests share information about their travel plans to help determine the most efficient meeting location for your trip. If you have already booked, please check your confirmation email for details about your specific meeting location. 

We take single explorers out for 1 on 1 adventures all the way up to large groups. We keep a 1 to 6  guide to guest ratio for each adventure. 

If you are looking to book for a larger group, please contact us directly so we can book the proper amount of guides for you.

Yes, depending on where you are staying, we will either pick you up from your accommodations or we will meet you at a very convenient location. 

Many of our guests come from Springdale. We ask you to drive to meet us which minimizes the time spent on a paved highway with your guide and maximizes your time spent adventuring. The highway from Springdale takes you right through Zion National Park, past many trailheads, and will be a memorable part of your trip.

All of our adventures require some off-road driving on rugged terrain, so expect to ride with us from the meeting point in our Lexus 4WD SUVs.

Our home base is in Kanab, Utah, but most of our trips happen near the east entrance to Zion National Park. Depending on where you are staying, we will either pick you up from your accommodations or meet you at a convenient location for your adventure. 

** please note that our address and google maps location is just our office, it is not our shop or meeting location for adventures. On the day of your adventure, we will either pick you up from your accommodations or meet you at a predetermined convenient location. 

Water: It can get really hot out here, and dehydration is no joke! We recommend bringing 1-2 liters per person on Half Day trips, and 3-4 liters per person on Full Day adventures.

Snacks: On most trips we are active and a great snack can help keep your energy up.

Lunch: On 7+ hour trips we suggest bringing a sack lunch. 

Backpack: To carry your personal belongings 

Sun Protection: sunscreen, sunglasses, lip balm, and a hat.

Medications: any medicines you may need like an inhaler, epipen, insulin etc…

Water Bladder Pack: If you have a hydration system or pack, definitely bring it.

Camera/Phone: To capture your amazing adventure! 

For most adventures we recommend wearing a T-shirt and comfortable pants or shorts. Athletic and quick dry clothing are great options. 

Canyoneering: We recommend wearing pants because we go sliding on rocks and are in harnesses all day. If you want to wear shorts please make sure they go down to your knees (no short shorts).

Shoes: Lightweight closed toe shoes, or hiking shoes

Climbing Shoes: If you are going Rock Climbing we ask that you please bring your own climbing shoes. 

Prepare for changing weather: Bring layers of clothing like a long sleeve shirt, sweatshirt or jacket just in case.

Absolutely! We love it when our guests are interested in multiple adventures. Some guests choose to do 2 half day adventures on one day for example: canyoneering in the morning and off-roading in the afternoon. Others who may have more time, choose to spread the adventures out over a couple of days. It is really up to you. We customize your trip for you, so the possibilities are endless. 

95% of our adventures are for private groups. We focus on providing you and your group the best possible experience and believe having a private guide(s) is the way to do that. This makes our trips perfect for families, friends and couples that are traveling together, and for businesses looking for team building adventures. 

We do have a small number of multiday group trips that can be found under our specials tab. These trips can be privately booked for no extra fee, but we offer publicized dates to accomodate solo travelers on these unique itineraries. 

We believe exploring the great outdoors is for everyone! Some adventures are better suited for certain ages. 

Canyoneering We recommend 5 years and up (yes, that means grandma and grandpa can go canyoneering), but have taken kids as young as 3 years old. 

Off-Roading is a great family adventure for all. 

Hiking We always ask for everyone’s fitness level, so we can decide the best trails to visit. 

Rock Climbing is based more on the climber’s experience level. 

The best thing to do is to  contact us, and we can chat about your group and determine the best adventure and location for your group to explore. 

This really depends on your family. Since we customize each adventure to your family, we can make sure the day is designed with your needs and wants in mind. Shorter trips work well for shorter attention spans - longer trips can be adapted to hit multiple locations with a cat nap in the car between stops.  

The short answer is usually not. The long answer:

Zion National Park does not allow guiding in wilderness or technical terrain. That means no guided rock climbing, canyoneering, rappelling, offroading, or hiking that goes more than 2 miles from the paved road. 

This rules out basically everything we love to share with our guests. 

In 2024, we finally listened to the requests of our guests and secured Zion Front Country Hiking permits. We are now able to guide Angel's Landing and the Narrows, among other front country hikes in Zion. We still, however, encourage our guests to consider embarking on those hikes without a guide, as there are some benefits to hiring a guide (like no hassle permitting, ease of navigation, interesting interpretive information, outfitting with proper equipment), but some significant setbacks including route restrictions, cost, and crowding.

We know that guided trips are not cheap. We believe that your money is best spent on an adventure that you would be unable to do without a guide. For 95% of our guests, that means hiking in Zion on your own and hiring us to get you into the backcountry. And for the other 5%, we are excited to show off Zion's beauty and we can even help with those pesky Angel's Landing permits.

If you still have questions, please give us a call. We want to be sure we've matched you with the perfect trip. 

Yes! We have an in house adventure photographer who can be added to your half day trips! Hiring a photographer elevates your experience and enhances your ability to be in the moment as you explore our backcountry. Your photos will capture memories that will be cherished forever.

Transportation: We drive you around for your adventure in our fleet of Lexus 4WD vehicles.

Pick Up/Meet Up: Depending on where you are staying and where we are going for your adventure, we will either pick you up from your accommodations or meet you at a convenient location. We drop you off at the same location at the end of your adventure.

Private Guide(s): All of our trips are exclusively for private groups only, and your guide(s) will be with you throughout the entire trip. They are trained and Wilderness First Responder certified. 

Canyoneering and Rock Climbing: Safety gear and technical equipment such as; harnesses, helmets, ropes, descenders, carabiners, and anchors are provided for you. If you are rock climbing we ask that you please bring your own climbing shoes.

Permits: We carry commercial permits for all of the areas in our adventure zone. We will let you know if you are booking a trip that requires additional permitting. 

Fuel: We never charge you a surcharge for gas for our vehicles.

Guide Gratuity: This is the only thing that is not included. Gratuity is never expected but always appreciated.

Yes, we typically take payment in full in order to book your adventure. For large groups we can arrange a 50% deposit to reserve your place. Payment is due in full 30 days prior to your trip departure. 

Our schedule fills up quickly during the spring, summer and fall seasons, so reserve early to get on our calendar. 

All trips must be paid to secure your chosen date.

Purchasing Trip Protection during booking allows you to cancel your trip for a full refund up to 48 hours prior to trip departure.

Trips canceled with 48 hours notice or no shows – no refund will be given.

Trips canceled with 48 hours to 14 days notice - 50% refund.

Trips canceled with 15+ days notice - 90% refund.

No fee to reschedule with at least 48 hours notice.

Trips canceled due to unsafe weather are at the discretion of AWA and will be rescheduled or 100% refunded. Trips do not cancel due to uncomfortable conditions, so please refer to your confirmation email for tips to plan and prepare for our ever changing weather conditions.

We take all major credit cards. 

Your safety is always our priority. Before every adventure we check the weather forecasts to decide where we will go exploring. 

If the weather is too bad to go out, we will reschedule your trip or offer you 100% refund. 

We always say the earlier, the better. Our spring, summer, and fall seasons are super busy and book up quickly. We recommend booking as early as possible. Please click book now to check for availability of your dates.

Absolutely! Our online booking platform closes availiabities 24 hours prior to departure. This is out of respect for our guide's schedules. Often, we still have a guide or two who is unbooked and willing to go to work - give us a call to find out if we have any last minute openings!

Unfortunately, this is a service that we do not currently offer. 

It really is up to you and your group’s desire for activity level and adventure. We custom tailor the trip to your group. In general, Off-Roading can be the least physically active (although many guests like to do a lot of hiking around while we off-roading), and Rock Climbing is the most physically demanding. 

While tipping your guide is never required, it is always appreciated. 

We work hard to make sure that you have the ultimate adventure experience. If you love your experience you are welcome to show it by tipping your guide. Tipping typically ranges from 15% – 25% of the total adventure price. Don’t worry if you don’t have cash on you the day of your adventure, our guides accept personal electronic tips or credit card tips through the office. Cheers!

We’ve got you covered on the permits. We have commercial permits that cover our guests while they go exploring with us. 

Several of our locations like the Wave and Angel's Landing require additional permitting on top of our commercial permits. Our availability for these additional dates can be found by clicking the book now button. 

We also offer an option to apply for last minute Wave permits on your behalf. These last minute permits require the applicant to be inside a geofenced area. Many of our guests haven't arrived yet during their last minute application period.  To select this option, book any of our full day trips and select the Conditional Wave add on. We will enter into the lottery on your behalf and keep our fingers crossed for a win!

The short answer is no. Our pickup locations are generally located close to a public restroom, but after we head into the backcountry we are using the facili-trees! 

When possible, we attempt to pee into flowing water and we pack out all solid human waste. 

Most people are familiar with the sport of rock climbing, while canyoneering has been slow to build its reputation due to the limited number of slot canyons on the planet. The easiest way to describe the difference is that in rock climbing, you are ascending a rock wall, while canyoneering puts an emphasis on descent. With canyoneering multiple techniques are used. For example: rappelling, sliding on rocks, zip-lining, hiking, squeezing through narrow passageways, and in some cases swimming to travel through a slot canyon. 

The climbing trips we offer are best suited for explorers with rock climbing experience, while canyoneering is great for both beginners and advanced explorers alike. 

Absolutely! We specialize in creating custom tailored canyoneering adventures for the entire family. Everyone from the little ones to the parents and even grandma and grandpa, will have a blast on our trips. 

Yes! We do ask that kids be 5 years and older for our canyoneering and rappelling trips. We provide all of the necessary safety equipment and technical gear such as harnesses and helmets. Our guides take their time with each guest to show them the ropes and teach them the proper rappelling techniques. In addition, all of our rappels are done with a redundant rope system for extra safety, and our guides are always there as a backup. 

We ask that kids be 5 years and older for canyoneering trips. However, we have taken kids as young as 3 years old. If you have a young one under 5 that you think would be willing and able to go canyoneering, please contact us and let us know so we can discuss it together.

We recommend wearing a athletic and quick dry clothing. 

Canyoneering: We recommend wearing pants because we go sliding on rocks and are in harnesses all day. If you want to wear shorts please make sure they go down to your knees (no short shorts).

Shoes: Lightweight closed toe shoes, or hiking shoes

Climbing Shoes: If you are going rock climbing we ask that you please bring your own climbing shoes. 

Prepare for changing weather: Bring layers of clothing like a long sleeve shirt, sweatshirt or jacket just in case.

Canyoneering is a great way to work on your fear of heights. First off, our goal is to make sure you always feel comfortable and safe. We use top of the line safety equipment and technical gear, our guides are highly skilled and trained, and we use multiple safety redundancy systems. On top of all of that, we are extremely patient, and will be with you throughout the entirety of your adventure. We can take things slow until you gain your confidence. It always amazes us to see some of our guests who started the day off with some fears of heights and rappelling, turn that fear into excitement and joy as the day progresses. 

Rappelling is often new to many of our guests, and it is common to have fear associated with it. We find the learning curve to be quick and often find uncertainty change to excitement a few feet into the first rappel. For some, more coaching or attention is appreciated. For these individuals our guides are happy to use alternative techniques to help build your confidence. We use techniques like tandem rappelling (you go with the guide and the guide is in control), being lowered (the guide controls your descent), or balanced (you go along side your guide and you control your descent). Our guides will take their time to walk you through the proper techniques and teach you how to properly rappel. We follow strict safety procedures and guidelines to ensure your safety and all techniques have a backup system in play. Our goal is to get you comfortable and confident in your rappelling skills, while you enjoy the breathtaking scenery of the slot canyons. 

Birch Hollow is an excellent option for a challenging day with lots of big rappells. If you have more time, check out our special page and look into our multi day trips to Neon! Neon is demanding, but so worth the effort.

We have harnesses designed to fit young kids all the way up to a waist size of 60 inches. 

Guided canyoneering within Zion National Park is actually not allowed. People with canyoneering experience can go canyoneering in the park, but guiding is not permitted. Inquire about a customized canyoneering course if you'd like to descend Keyhole or the Subway on your own after spending a day learning from one of our guides.

Guided trips in Zion are limited to hiking trails that are located in Zion's designated Front Country areas.

The Lexus GX470 is the Lexus version of the famed Toyota Landcruiser. As you may know, Toyota makes Lexus, so we have opted for the souped up luxury version of the most legendary desert exploring vehicle in the world.

Most know the GX470 and as a soccer mom vehicle and they're not wrong. We'll make sure you don't spill your latte. Pinkies up, ladies! Our rigs have been rescued from garages in Salt Lake, Southern California, and beyond and saved from a life of grocery getting to realize their full potential for backcountry exploration.

What many Americans don't realize is that the stock version of this vehicle was designed specifically for travel through deep sand. Around the world the GX470 (aka the Landcruiser Prado) is the vehicle of choice for reliable, comfortable, and rugged off road travel. But just to be sure we're able to go beyond, we transform these former beauty queens into off road monsters with upgraded professional racing suspension, lifts, and massive sand tires. Seriously, these rigs eat sand for breakfast.

We hope you’ll join the cult following and enjoy our fleet!

We have a fleet of Lexus 4 wheel drive SUVs that we use for all of our adventures. They have upgraded racing quality suspension and high-end off-road tires to ensure you have a comfortable experience in our rugged terrain.

Our Lexus SUVs are very reliable and our tires are designed specifically for the type of off-roading we do. We are equipped with tire pressure gauges, a tool kit, extra water, a spare tire, jacks, and a driver who knows how to wrench. White we always carry this recovery equipment for our guests, we most often use it to help strangers we find in need of a helping hand.  

We have so many places we can go exploring on an 0ff-roading trip. It really comes down to what you and your group want to see and do during the adventure. See our offroading page for specifc locations or, if you'd prefer we just figure it out, book us for a Guide Recommendation. Off-roading gives us access to areas surrounding Zion that can be challenging to get to on your own. Let us show you our favorite spots!

Absolutely! This is one of our most popular adventures for families. The kids love driving around on the rugged terrain, and there is so much to see like dinosaur tracks and incredible ancient archaeology sites. It is also perfect for families that want to see a lot but don’t have a lot of time. We can cruise around and show you a ton.

For all of our advertised adventures, we pick you up and drive you around during the trip.

If you have a 4WD vehicle and you are interested in taking it off-roading and would like a local private guide to guide you, please feel free to contact us. We would be thrilled to help you learn about your rig in a more controlled setting with expert support. 

This can vary and really depends on you and your group. We customize each adventure based on your desires, hiking experience, endurance and on the weather. Our trails can be as long or short as you are interested.

It depends on the season and on the weather. Some of our trails that we like to go to do have water, and others do not. Please be sure to let us know if you would like to avoid wading through water on your hike.

Yes-ish. The long answer:

Zion National Park does not allow guiding in designated Wilderness Areas. That means no guided rock climbing, canyoneering, rappelling, offroading, or hiking that goes more than 2 miles from the paved road. 

In 2024, we finally listened to the requests of our guests and secured Zion Front Country Hiking permits. We are now able to guide Angel's Landing and the Narrows, among other front country hikes in Zion. We still, however, encourage our guests to consider embarking on those hikes without a guide, as there are some benefits to hiring a guide (like no hassle permitting, ease of navigation, interesting interpretive information, outfitting with proper equipment), but some significant setbacks including route restrictions, cost, and crowding.

We know that guided trips are not cheap. We believe that your money is best spent on an adventure that you would be unable to do without a guide. For 95% of our guests, that means hiking in Zion on your own and hiring us to get you into the backcountry. And for the other 5%, we are excited to show off Zion's beauty and we can even help with those pesky Angel's Landing permits.

If you still have questions, please give us a call. We want to be sure we've matched you with the perfect trip. 

It’s really not about an age requirement for us, but more about your hiking experience and endurance. These factors combined with what you are interested in seeing will help us customize your hiking adventure for you. 

For all of our advertised adventures, we pick you up and drive you around during the trip.

If you have a 4WD vehicle and you are interested in taking it off-roading and would like a local private guide to guide you, please feel free to contact us. We would be thrilled to help you learn about your rig in a more controlled setting with expert support. 

We provide you with all of the necessary climbing gear. The only thing we ask, is that you bring your own climbing shoes. 

The rock climbing in Southern Utah can be challenging even for experienced climbers. We specialize in taking intermediate to advanced climbers out on adventures. If you are new rock climbing, we suggest spending some time practicing at an indoor gym (that’s where we learned) before coming out. If you have never rock climbed but are still interested in a ropes based adventure, definitely check out our Canyoneering trips. 

Our primary route, The Monkey & the Mule,  is a multipitch route and is approximately 1000 feet in length. 

Our guide to explorer ratio for rock climbing is a bit smaller than our other trips. For our premier multi pitch route, the Monkey & the Mule, our ratio is max 2 climbers per guide.