Local Yellowstone Guides

Yellowstone Hiking Guides

Joshua Mahan—Owner/Guide

Emily Jo Mahan Yellowstone Hiking Guides

Emily Jo Mahan—Owner/Guide

Yellowstone Hiking Guides owners/operators, Joshua and Emily Jo Mahan, are Yellowstone locals who know the lay of the land as few others do. Josh has over 20 years experience as a card-carrying guide in Yellowstone National Park. Emily Jo has been certified as a guide in Yellowstone for 11 years. The Mahan’s and the Yellowstone Hiking Guides know how to cater to the active traveler’s needs. Most of all, Yellowstone Hiking Guides wants your tour in Yellowstone to be safe and fun!

Josh was born in Jackson, Wyoming and grew up in Darby, Montana. His first adventure job was as an assistant trail guide in 1996 for a backcountry outfitter. He became a raft guide on the Snake River in Jackson in 1998. He has degrees in Environmental Studies and Journalism from the University of Montana, 2001. He has penned several hundred news articles and two books, including Best Hikes Near Missoula, 2014. Josh has guided in Idaho, Alaska, Panama, Chile, Costa Rica, and every summer in Yellowstone since 2005. He established Yellowstone Hiking Guides with his wife, Emily Jo, in 2014.

GUIDES

Emily Jo is from west Texas. She was a SCUBA Instructor where her career took her to remote seamounts and deep pinnacles all over the Pacific Ocean, as well as unique holes in the United States and Caribbean. Emily Jo met Josh in a National Park and switched her career from sea to land. Her enthusiasm for exploring the natural world is contagious. Emily Jo has a degree in Sports Media Journalism and Broadcasting from Oklahoma State University. Her favorite football teams are the Cowboys: OSU and Dallas. Emily Jo is an Emergency First Responder Instructor and has her WFA.

Kim is YHG’s pinch hitter! She’s always ready to show Yellowstone to guests with a smile on her face. Kimberly grew up in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia exploring the Jefferson National Forrest on horseback and hiking the Appalachian Trail. She has been an AmeriCorps state park interpretive ranger in VA and a cavern tour guide at Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park in Montana. Kimberly has a degree in Outdoor Adventure Leadership and a paraprofessional certification. Kimberly is passionate about experiential education and enjoys encouraging visitors to be engaged, present and have fun!
Kimberly has her WFR, SAR II, EFR and Swift Water Rescue!

Dallas grew up in Northeast Tennessee spending most of his days running, hiking, and biking. He has a Degree in Environmental Science and a minor in Watershed from The University of Tennessee Knoxville.
After working a few years after college, he decided he needed a change. So, Dallas traveled for two summers in his converted short bus. During his travels, he fell in love with the West.
Dallas now lives in Aspen, CO working for the ski company. He spends most of his days off skiing. When Dallas isn't outside, he is probably playing a board game, cooking, or looking at google maps for the next cool place to travel.

Michelle is from Tennessee and grew up with the Smoky Mountains as her playground. She graduated with a degree in Graphic design that she hopes to use to create field guides and personal maps of her favorite outdoor landscapes. Michelle spends most of her free time trail-running, backpacking, climbing, and in the winter months ice-climbing. If she is not exploring, you’ll find her drawing, baking, or trying to learn a new board game. She is excited about anything that gets her outside. Michelle chases adventures in different environments around the world.

Michelle Brown Yellowstone Hiking Guides

Spencer has been a tour guide since 2018 when he first worked in Yellowstone. Since then, he guided kayak, hiking, and driving tours in the Carolinas, Florida, and Alaska. He is excited to be back in Yellowstone where his mind never truly left. He is from Texas and acquired a Bachelor of Science in Biology from UT Austin before working several years as an entomologist and wildlife technician. Spencer loves to get outside and learn - where'd that mountain come from, what's that bird, or what happened here? There's always more to explore and he's up for the adventure!

Spencer Lockwood Yellowstone Hiking Guides

Originally from Alabama, Julia graduated from the University of North Alabama in 2021. She has been exploring the rest of the US ever since. Julia spent a few years in Alaska giving tours in the mountains. She recently completed a 6-month thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail in 2024. Julia is excited for more adventures to come!

Oliver was born outside of Chicago and now calls North Carolina home while pursuing degrees in Supply Chain Management and Data Analytics at Elon University. On the weekends, you’ll find him leading students into the wild, paddling under the full moon, hiking sections of the Appalachian Trail, or off-roading on ATVs. A true water-lover, Oliver enjoys all forms of paddling, from flatwater to fast-moving rapids. He has co-taught kayaking classes and recently led a trip down the Nantahala River in Western NC. Oliver continues to share his passion for paddle sports through student-led adventures. He first fell in love with Yellowstone during a boys’ family camping trip in 2015. But, his deeper passion for outdoor adventure was sparked during the COVID-19 pandemic when his family hit the road in an RV trailer to explore new places together. Oliver holds certifications in Wilderness First Aid, CPR, Swiftwater Rescue, and Mental Health First Aid.

Yellowstone Hiking Guides Oliver Keicher

Emily comes to Yellowstone Hiking Guides from the river towns of Missouri. She grew up hiking through the rolling hills and bluffs of eastern MO, but soon adventured into kayaking the big muddy rivers, the Missouri and the Mississippi. You can often find Emily with a camera or sketchbook in hand while adventuring outdoors. With an undergraduate in fine arts painting, Emily has a passion for capturing the beauty of nature on canvas. In recent years, Emily went back to school to earn her Masters in Environmental Education and now seeks to encourage curiosity in others in the great outdoors. Emily is a certified wilderness first responder.

Raised in New Bern, North Carolina, Jacob spent his youth sailing the Outer Banks and fishing the Neuse River. He developed a deep connection to the water and surrounding ecosystems. Living near such sensitive fisheries and natural habitats sparked a lifelong passion for conservation and wildlife. He went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science and Conservation from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. Over the past few years, Jacob has worked in environmental education. He has led students from across the country on immersive, multi-day adventures from canoeing expeditions through the Everglades to two-week backpacking trips in the White Mountains.

Yellowstone Hiking Guides Jacob Bernthal

Rachel grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah, where the mountains were her playground and adventure was always just around the corner. Her love for the outdoors runs deep—whether she’s hiking alpine trails, running desert canyons, or guiding guests down whitewater rapids, she brings a deep sense of joy and purpose to every journey. Rachel has worked as a river guide in Moab, Utah, gaining firsthand experience navigating wild terrain and witnessing the powerful impact nature can have on people. Rachel is currently earning her degree in Outdoor Recreation with an emphasis in Exercise Science and holds a Wilderness First Aid certification. Outside of guiding, Rachel stays busy rock climbing, trail running, backpacking, and soaking up any opportunity to connect with others and explore new places. Rachel is excited to help guests experience the outdoors in ways that are both meaningful and unforgettable.

Bob has lived with his wife and children in Missoula, Montana since 1992. He has backpacked extensively throughout the Rocky Mountains of Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho including Yellowstone National Park. When Bob was a teen, he escaped his urban home for canoe trips and hikes in Northern Michigan and Minnesota. He was inspired by the likes of Thoreau, Aldo Leopold, and Edward Abbey. He may have been the only 13-year-old with subscriptions to Mother Earth News and Alaska Magazine! Bob served in the U.S. Army as an infantry Medic. Later on, he worked for nearly 20 years in wildlife and natural resource conservation, helping to protect public lands, wilderness, and wildlife. Bob also spends a great deal of time in the southwest U.S., exploring and guiding in the beautiful canyon country of southern Utah – Escalante country, Canyonlands, Zion, and Capitol Reef National Parks. Bob has been leading trips for YHG since 2016.

Yellowstone Hiking Guides Bob Clark Backpacking Guide

Yellowstone Hiking Guides leads the pack for guided tours in Yellowstone National Park. Our tour guides are experienced naturalists who love to share their local Yellowstone travel knowledge with you! Our guides are certified in Wilderness First Responder or Wilderness First Aid and CPR. Our guides are fun to spend the day with and excited to interpret wildlife, history, and geology on your Yellowstone vacation tour.

Join the team

Work while exploring Yellowstone National Park! Share your love for the outdoors with visitors from all around the world. Commute through Yellowstone for your daily drive. Spend your season walking through herds of bison, steaming thermal features and untamed wild lands.

If you're passionate about outdoor education, we're looking for you!