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Desert DAWN

Desert DAWN

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About
Desert DAWN Day Tours ~ Campfire Experiences ~ Multi-day Backcountry Adventures. We look forward to designing your next Boulder, Utah based adventure and to sharing with your group the treasures of the Escalante River Canyons and Boulder Mountain. Desert DAWN guides live in Boulder, Utah and have hiked, guided and taught extensively on these lands. Come Home to Nature, It Welcomes You.
Boulder, Utah

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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

5.0
5.0 of 5 bubbles19 reviews
Excellent
19
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0
Average
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billy59715
Bozeman, MT5 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2021
Our day hike with Jeff Sanders this mid-October exceeded my hopes, and I cannot recommend his guiding service highly enough. Jeff met with us before our hike and took the time to find out exactly what we wanted. I thought that someone with local knowledge would be able to guide us to a slot canyon that was less well known and therefore less crowded despite the level of current visitation at all national parks. Jeff did exactly that. We were by ourselves throughout. He gave us brief comments about local history and geology as we went along, just as we'd hoped for, and knowledgeably answered all of our questions. Talking with Jeff was pleasurable as well as informative. He took us to a truly beautiful place in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, where the colors and patterns in the rocks were more artistic than any abstract painting. I learned some tips about walking on slick rock and was thrilled to meander through two of the slot canyons there. For a very reasonable price, we were guided on a hike in south central Utah that we will never forget.
Written January 31, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Michael M
1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2020
We just got back from a 7 day trip exploring souther utah. Jeff lead our family of 5, including 3 girls from 5-13 years old, through a day hike outside of Escalante. The experience was absolutely a pinnacle of our week! Jeff is knowledgable and a great leader who gave us access to an amazing on tracked slot canyon. THANK YOU JEFF and Desert Dawn!!!! The Miller's
Written June 16, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

CCSusan
Washington DC, DC86 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2021
My husband and I greatly enjoyed our hike with Jeff. He took us slick rock hiking in a location that we could never have accessed with our rental SUV. The hike was just the right length with the right level of challenge. We visited a secluded slot canyon and took a break in a very special small cave. That was all amazing as was the weather. What put the hike over the top was Jeff. He really listened to our description of the type of hike that we wanted to do. He's also a great guy. Wonderful to talk to with a great sense of perspective. If we are ever in the area, we will definitely try to arrange another hike with Jeff.
Written October 25, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Quiltjanet
Albuquerque, NM27 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2022
Jeff is a wonderful guide and very knowledgable about practical information along the hike. We learned about plants, remedies geological history, and more. He is very safety-focused and helpful. We (58 and 68 yo) hiked in areas we would not feel prepared to do on our own. And we never saw another person. He was thoughtful and sensitive to understanding our preferences for a hiking experience. We highly recommend him.
Written May 3, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Colleen D
2 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2022
We had the most amazing day with Jeff. The hike was the highlight of our trip. He went at our pace and took us to the most breathtaking views and canyons we could have ever imagined. The day flew by and his personality and kind demeanor made the day delightful! We could not have asked for a better experience!
Written January 11, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

GalvestonJT
Galveston Island, TX657 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2023
This was our second guided tour with Jeff; the first was about 20 months ago to Spooky/Peek A Boo. Jeff is an excellent guide. He knows the area and all the lore and legend of Escalante. This year, 2023, we went to Big Horn canyon and had a fun day. I would never have found the entrance without Jeff. High marks to a really good guy! You cannot go wrong with Jeff Sanders as your guide. Excellent.
Written May 8, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Martinj911
Dallas, TX84 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2019
My husband and I have hiked all over the world, but the hike we did with Jeff was one of the best hikes we’ve done! Slick rock, narrows and water hiking all in the same day. We didn’t see another person until about 15 minutes before we ended the day. It was an awesome day! Jeff was excellent! Great conversation and knowledge. Would love to hike with him again!
Written September 11, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
It was such a pleasure to hike with you and your husband in the Escalante Canyons. I was pleased that the weather cooperated to provide such a pleasant climate for the hike. A great day with beautiful scenery, spectacular weather and amazing company. Thank you for allowing me to share some of this landscape with you. Until next time, Jeff
Written September 12, 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

anne901
Kirkland, WA20 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2017 • Couples
We just returned from a week of hiking in Southern Utah and by far the best hike we had of our wonderful trip was with Matt from Desert Dawn. We are experienced hikers but don't know the Grand Staircase area and decided we would get so much more out of this beautiful place if someone showed us how to get off the beaten path and really experience its beauty.Everyone on the Desert Dawn team gave us remarkable care and attention - the owner Jeff was out to town but he called and followed up personally to see what type of day hike we wanted. Then we were so fortunate to spend the day with Matt as our Desert Dawn guide whose love and knowledge of the area just made it so special. We did slick rock canyons, river crossings, saw bridges, windows and remarkable petroglyphs and ruins.What we thought would be a morning hike was an all day lifetime adventure and the cost was so reasonable. And the few people we did see were always asking for directions - this is a huge area and its easy to get lost. So book Desert Dawn and have a hike of a lifetime. Thank you Matt, Jeff and Anna - we can't wait to come back!
Written May 28, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Matt reported that he had such a wonderful hike with your group. Matt has a knack for tying together the cultural history and natural history of a region with amazing stories, all while sharing his knowledge of traditional backcountry skills and while being keenly aware of the surrounding beauty through which a hike traverses. I am very fortunate to have Matt on the Desert DAWN team. Thank you for taking the time to share a bit about your experience. We look forward to having you join us for more adventures in the Escalante Canyons. All the best.
Written December 16, 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

JusticeandLiberty
Columbia City, OR13 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2021 • Family
We absolutely had an amazing time on our hike, with our family if 4 (myself, the hubby, 10-year-old & 14-ye-old kids). Jeff knew the exact spot to take our family on an amazing adventure in the heart of Capital Reef’s back country. The day was perfect. I definitely want to do the adventure again. We loved every second. Thanks so much Jeff for the memories! 😍
Written August 8, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Lstevenson
Cincinnati, OH8 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2019
My husband and I just returned from a day hike with Jeff, and it was one of the most amazing experiences we've ever had. Such beauty, solitude, and great company! I appreciated that Jeff took the time to meet with us the night before to make sure he was tailoring the day to our interests and abilities. He is very knowledgeable about the area, has great guide skills, and is a whole lot of fun to spend a day with! If you want a unique experience getting off the beaten track, I highly recommend Desert Dawn!
Written November 15, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I am pleased you were able to experience fall hiking in the Escalante Canyons. The temperatures are cool and the low angle of the sun allows the colors of the slickrock to become extremely vibrant. I had a great day hiking with you and your husband and I loved going the extra mile to places that are rarely visited. Hopefully we will have an opportunity to hike together again. Happy Trails
Written December 16, 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

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Desert DAWN - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

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