Sawtooth Mountain Guides

Best guide service I have ever worked with! I did a 2 day climb with Erik (Day 1 Super Slabs and Day 2 Mt. Heyburn). One of the best experiences of my life! Sawtooth Mountain Guides as a whole is extremely professional and organized. Great with communication. Rachel was fantastic at getting me set up. Erik is everything you would want in a guide. Patient, detailed, safe, educated, experienced and an amazing teacher. I was really nervous about Mt. Heyburn but the Day 1 prep work and all the coaching/guidance paid off and we summited safely. Erik is an absolute pro and a master climber. I trusted him with my life and would do it again in a heartbeat. I can’t wait for future adventures with this company! Thanks for everything!!!!

Choosing SMG for our private guided multi-day trek was the best decision and made for an absolutely incredible birthday, experience & memory that we will cherish forever!! We could not have asked for better than our guide Matt. He took care of absolutely everything - from the gear, itinerary, meal planning & preparing, camp cleanup, etc - giving us complete peace of mind the entire time. Not only that but we just genuinely enjoyed his company on & off the trail and left feeling like he was a part of our crew. His thoughtfulness, kindness, preparedness, attentiveness, flexibility, knowledge and expertise, the list goes on. Thank you Matt & SMG!

Intro to trad course was excellent. Matt is an extremely thoughtful, knowledgeable and highly experienced guide who took time to understand our goals, skill level and adapted the course to meet and exceed our needs and expectations! If you’re a climber, get yourself to this course; I’m feeling so much more confident in placing gear and building anchors so I can get out there to have even more fun! Thank you Matt, Rachel and the team!

Just got back from a SMG guided trip to Mount Borah. Our guides, JP and Victoria were superb. True rockstars. Can’t say enough about their professionalism, kindness, and overall support for our trip. They gave us a lifetime memory, which we will cherish. Awesome adventure I highly recommend them.

Just wrapped up a 3 day 2 night trip with these guys and they blew away all our expectations. From planning through execution of the trip, communication was great. Shout out to our guide Jackson as not only is he incredibly intelligent and knows his way through these mountains…he’s just a genuinely great human being. If you’re planning a trip to this area and are looking for a guiding service to use, look no further. PS - I don’t think I’ve ever eaten as well as we did in the back country. The meals were outstanding.

My wife and I just summitted Mt Borah with SMG for our 25th wedding anniversary, and they were fantastic through the whole process. They were timely and thorough in their communications and preparing us for what to expect. And Neils was a fantastic guide. He was super responsive to our needs and goals and put safety first. I highly recommend working with SMG to make the most of your adventures.

I saw a video of 4 people climb the super slabs. I thought it would be a good location for vacation with my family and an opportunity to send my first trad multi pitch. I called Rachel to inquire about the slab. I told her I wanted to lead my first trad multi pitch with my wife in tow and I wanted to hire a guide to manage my kids. I was working that day and she responded super positive about me climbing the slabs and that she would send me an invoice. I looked it over that night and I called her with some questions. It was $1,475.60. I asked her why I needed 2 guides, if I was leading my wife there was no need for a second. She said it was policy to have a guide per 2 people for safety. She also said that it’s unusual to lead. I made it clear I intended to lead my pitch and she said that my guides would work out all the details the day of. She also said there is single routes nearby that we could climb if anyone was unable to make it up their pitches. I sat on the invoice for a few day obviously conflicted. I called asking for something specific, I was clear in what I was asking for and what my expectations were. She charged me a premium for 2 guides. I met my guides the day of and they asked me what gear I had, I rattled off my rack and they told me I wouldn’t be doing any lead climbing that day. I wasn’t given the option on any route. I was separated from my wife and son for a majority of the climb and was left with a massive feeling that I missed an opportunity. The guides also had us walk down from the summit on steep terrain that my 9 year old fell on multiple times because there wasn’t time to rappel down. It was a massive disappointment. Rachel, you ruined my adventure. I wish I never called you. For anyone looking for a (rock climbing) guide service that will provide you with an actual service and not a rigid product that’s excessively priced. I highly recommend Smith Rock. You can find guides there for around 500 a day. The climbing is way more accessible so your day won’t get eaten up in travel. Also it’s 60$ an hour if you go over time and you will be involved in all as opposed to none of the decision making. Smith Rock is Disneyland. It’s worth the drive and you will save enough on your guide for a hotel and food. Some of the positives. My sons had a good time. They enjoyed themselves and really thought they did something. The experience was positive for them and our guides Neil’s and Drew were genuinely good dudes. I couldn’t enjoy myself as I was fuming most of the day. My boys are interested in doing more multi pitch climbs. For that I’m thankful. I will be returning home with clean gear, anger and regret. If you love your kids, hate money and have no ambition or desire to learn. Sawtooth Mountain Guides is for you.

Can't say enough wonderful things about this company! I booked a half day of rock climbing in Stanley and Jackson was my guide. He was so patient and encouraging and taught me lots of new things! The company was very communicative throughout the process and checked in a few times to make sure I didn't have any questions. Can't wait to go back.

Great all-day hike with Lara! She is so engaging and knowledgeable, and the hike was appropriately challenging for us. She took the time to get to know us and we had an incredible day! Will definitely hike with Lara again!

Amazing trip at Redfish today. Drew was fantastic! Patient, encouraging, and great with beginners! We spent 4 1/2 hours learning how to climb all different types of rocks and feeling comfortable going up and coming down. I would go on this adventure again with this company and Drew as a guide. Best time!