For a day hike in Aravaipa Canyon, you don’t need a guide at all.
If you have a lot of backpacking experience and have planned and completed your own trips in the past couple of years, you don’t need one for an overnight either.
A guide makes the most sense if you’re new to backpacking, short on time, or want to understand the canyon more deeply than you could on your own.
We’ve done more than 60 trips in Aravaipa. Here’s how we’d think about it.
Who doesn’t need a guide?
Day hikers. If you’re simply doing a day hike, a guide isn’t necessary. It can add a lot of value, though. A guide can help you move efficiently through the canyon, so you get further in without burning too much energy. A guide can also help you see more wildlife, find swimming holes, learn about the natural systems of the canyon, and reach spots that are easy to miss.
Experienced backpackers. If you have a lot of backpacking experience and have planned and completed backpacking trips in the past couple of years, you don’t need a guide. Even so, experienced backpackers can benefit from local knowledge: the best spots to camp, how to manage pace and energy, where to be at sunrise and sunset to see wildlife, the ecology, geology and hydrology of the canyon, and which itineraries suit the kind of trip you want.
If you’re an experienced wilderness traveler and just need help with vehicle logistics for a through-hike, our shuttle service may be all you need.
Who gets the most out of a guided trip?
Our aim is to make the most of your time in the canyon, whether that means covering ground and exploring, understanding the natural beauty, seeing and photographing the best sights, building backcountry skills, or simply relaxing with all the logistics handled.
Three kinds of people gain the most:
Busy people. With a guide, you just need to show up. We make sure the trip runs smoothly and that you get the most out of your limited time in the canyon. On your own, you’ll need to do a lot of preparation, and your trip will likely have some hiccups.
Inexperienced people. With a guide, you can relax even though you’re out of your comfort zone, and you’ll build real confidence and skills that will likely let you do trips on your own later. On your own, you’ll likely carry some anxiety because of your lack of experience.
Curious people. With a guide, you’ll have a deeper, richer experience of the canyon. We help you explore more effectively and understand its natural systems and ecology. On your own, you’ll have a wonderful time, but it won’t go as deep.
Guiding can also make sense if you’re traveling with a partner or family member whose experience level is different from yours.
What do newcomers most often get wrong?
Newcomers consistently get a few things wrong:
- Footwear and gear. The wrong shoes and kit mean discomfort, slower walking and more stops to fuss with your gear.
- Pacing and energy. Poor pacing leads to early fatigue, overheating, headaches and bad moods, and you see less of the canyon than you could have.
- Watching the screen. Focusing too hard on “being on the trail” means spending your attention on a GPS screen instead of the place around you.
Aravaipa is physically moderate but environmentally complex. There is relatively little elevation gain, but you deal with repeated creek crossings, slippery and uneven rocks, loose cobble, thick vegetation, route finding and wet footwear. BLM notes that there are no maintained trails, campsites, signs or facilities in the wilderness.
What does a guide know that a first-timer doesn’t?
First-timers usually:
- Don’t know the terrain, so they burn a lot of energy traveling on inefficient lines.
- Don’t know how to read water quality or where to get water, especially how to find the hidden springs with the best water when the creek is turbid.
- Don’t manage pace and rest well, and don’t know the rest spots that offer shade, room to sit or lie down, a good place to get water and a swimming hole to cool off.
- Don’t know the less obvious camp spots, or the spots that best match the current weather, or which ones suit their group size or sleep systems.
What does a guided trip with us include?
Our trips are private, not scheduled group tours, so we can adjust pace, mileage and emphasis to the people actually traveling with us. On our backpacking trips, we provide the guides, all meals, backpacking gear (including a sleep system and camp cooking equipment), and safety and emergency communication equipment. You bring your personal clothing and footwear and get yourself to the trailhead.
Permits work in one of three ways:
- Guided trips with permits provided. We regularly secure permits in advance and can include them in a guided trip when available.
- Guided trips using your permits. If you already have permits, we can guide your trip as long as they include enough spots for one or two guides, or we have our own permits for the same dates.
- Shuttle trips. If you are hiking/backpacking independently, we provide trailhead shuttle service. In this case, you are responsible for securing your own permits.
Can kids come, and how fit do you need to be?
There’s no minimum age, and we definitely encourage families to hire us as guides.
We can work with pretty much any fitness level. We simply adjust the itinerary to fit. But everyone on the trip must be comfortable having wet feet all day and dealing with uneven terrain.
Day hike or overnight for a first visit?
A day hike is a great way to get a feel for the canyon without carrying overnight gear.
Personally, though, we like overnighting more than day hiking. Day hikes are wonderful, of course, but if you really want to experience the majesty of the canyon, nothing beats sleeping in it, waking up in it and, ultimately, inhabiting it.
So if you’re at all inspired to have the richest, deepest contact with the canyon, even if you’re inexperienced, we wholeheartedly recommend taking the plunge on an overnight. Ideally, that’s a 3-day, 2-night trip, which gives you a full middle day to truly inhabit the canyon.
Is there anything between a guided trip and going alone?
The shuttle is one in-between option: you plan and hike on your own, and we handle the drive between trailheads. In addition to the shuttle, we also offer a shuttle + 1-night orientation camp, in which we provide a lot of guidance before you enter the wilderness.
We don’t officially offer a planning service, but if you email hello@moonflowerguideco.com, we might be available to provide some tips.
How do you check that a guide is authorized?
BLM keeps a list of outfitters and guides authorized to work in Aravaipa Canyon Wilderness. Before you book any guided trip, check that the company is on it.
Where we come in
Moonflower Guide Co is run by Axel and Tina Albin-Lax. We’ve each spent more than 60 trips and 75 nights in Aravaipa Canyon, and we’re both Wilderness First Responders. We lead private day hikes and backpacking trips shaped around your goals, and you can meet your guides here.
By Axel Albin-Lax, Moonflower Guide Co.
