utahcanyons

My husband and I love Utah and wanted to explore Escalante for years. Although we had taken a few short day hikes the limited signage and completely unhelpful staff at the BLM office had kept us from exploring extensively. We took 3 guided trips with Utahcanyons; 2 with Mark Saunto the owner & 1 with Mark with the magical Italian last name. Mark Saunto is very knowledgeable about the geology, flora, and fauna of southern Utah. Mark with the magical Italian last name is great fun to hike and explore with. We learned new skills from both Marks for navigating, maneuvering, etc which served us well for the rest of our trip. We went on to explore more of Escalante and Vermilion Cliffs on our own with more confidence in our own abilities. Note: Mark Saunto is part mountain goat with absolutely no fear of heights. If you are afraid of heights, falling, or just the sudden stop at the end of the fall let him know.

We had a great tour with Mark Saunto of Utahcanyons. Mark was great company and very helpful, knowledgeable and entertaining. He was also extremely helpful on the phone and in emails as we tried to plan our first ever trip to the wonderful areas near Escalante. He responded quickly and was both efficient, honest, reliable and accommodating as we had to adjust our plans according to our rental vehicle's capabiltiies, weather and time taken for certain hikes once there. We went to Death Hollow with Mark and he also gave us a shuttle, but he was also willing to help with any questions about places we went to by ourselves. His store also has lots of useful equipment and maps. I'd highly recommend him. Ross

We can strongly recommend Utahcanyons in Escalante town, for tours in Escalante Staircase-Grand Monument. Even though we changed our plans twice at late notice, Mark was a reliable shuttle driver for our backpacking trip to Golden Cathedral, and an excellent guide for the lesser-known, hidden Death Hollow. And his wife Vicki makes yummy muffins and serves organic coffee at their well-equipped outfitters store!

Mark took us on a tour of slot canyons in the Grand Staircase-Escalante NM. His knowledge of the area's flora and fauna is amazing. He explained everything with a lot of patience to my daughter. I highly recommend Utahcanyons.