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 20 years experience as a card-carrying guide in Yellowstone National Park. Emily Jo has been certified as a guide in Yellowstone for 10 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.

Chris is a Missouri native with a bachelor's in biology with an Environmental Science minor, and master’s in education. You can find Chris teaching Science and enjoying hikes or floats throughout Missouri. His most recent adventure took him nearly 400 miles on the Ozark Trail, cutting through the Missouri Ozarks. Chris spent past summers as a whitewater raft guide on Colorado's Arkansas River. While living among the Rockies, he hiked up several 14ers. His passion for outdoor adventures has taken him to multiple outdoor adventure destinations. Yellowstone National Park’s vast ecosystems allow Chris to merge both his science education and passion for the outdoors.

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.

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!

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!