Moab Desert Adventures — Attraction in Moab

So this 71 year old geezer with a passion for rock climbing found himself yearning to climb a desert sand tower this past April. I asked a well-respected, very highly rated canyoneering guide I know, who I should go to for towers, and he recommended Moab Desert Adventures. When a guide recommends another guide service, you know you're in for a good time. A quick glance at the MDA ratings and reviews confirmed that. Then once I spoke with Nate Sydnor, the owner, it quickly became obvious that this is a smart, high quality, professional operation which goes to great lengths to assure your safety and enjoyment.

To determine the appropriate tower for my ability, Nate very wisely set up a half day of evaluation climbing with the most amazing expert guide, Ed Oak. We were joined by a friend of mine from back east, and the three of us had the best morning slab climbing on Ice Cream Parlor in Kane Spring Canyon, and my friend and I made the cut for climbing South Six Shooter the next day. Hot dang!!

Ed Oak is the quintessential guide. Patient, caring, ultra-safe. And he doesn't just take you along, he makes you part of his team. As an educator, he freely shares his endless knowledge of our activity, the area, it's history, and an inspiring respect for the desert. Climbing both summits of South Six with Ed and my friend, Avi, was a privilege. An adventure of a lifetime. And while there was always just enough edginess to keep my attention, there was never a moment when I didn't feel 100% safe. A most heartfelt "Thank you!" to you, Ed, and to you, Nate, and to Moab...

I often go through guiding companies for climbing trips (my friends don't climb). Moab Desert Adventures has been by far the best.

I planned this trip 6 months ahead of time and Nate was super helpful. He recommended places to camp, gave me an honest break down of the climb I wanted to do (Ancient Art's Stolen Chimney). Part of my trip was outside of the Moab area, so Nate also recommended a guiding service that could help me. Plus guidebooks. Full of information that really made my trip great.

Marie was my guide. She continued the tone that Nate set for me. She made me feel comfortable climbing the tower. She was very honest and safe while teaching me how they go about climbing towers. Marie is also very connected to the climbing culture. She obviously loves what she does, which brings a great energy to the climb. So much fun!

I don't normally do reviews but they deserve it. This is the guiding company to go through if you are heading to Utah. Don't miss...

To celebrate our son's college graduation, we planned a father/son trip to Utah. We only had a short time to explore Moab and decided that the best way to use our time was on a day-long canyoneering trip with Moab Desert Adventures. We chose Moab Desert Adventure because we felt that Nate and his team were committed to climbing and canyoneering as their top priorities. We also chose them because of their local knowledge and experience. Conditions can change rapidly outdoors, and we wanted to be with an expert, advanced guide. We can highly recommend Marie as our guide. She expertly balanced providing safe oversight and instruction while letting people with different levels of experience challenge themselves clambering up and over a natural obstacle course. She also taught us about the amazing geology of the region, the local plants and animals, Native American history, and gave us local tips about other sites and...