Kevin Jackson CEO and Founder, EXP Journeys
Tell us about you and your company.
EXP Journeys is a leader in creating private and custom immersive travel experiences throughout the Americas, with an emphasis on the National Parks. With seasoned guides and local connections, we take clients off the beaten path, creating tailor-made adventures (for families, corporate retreats, couples, etc), including luxury guided hiking and dude ranch vacations.
I got into the travel industry because I love sharing my passion and enjoyment. I was taking an MBA course in Australia and knew my passion was not in consulting, so wrote a business plan for a travel company and decided to make my dream a reality. I wanted to share my love for accomplishment and connectedness that travel can bring when there is a challenge or task at hand. I started in 2007, possibly the worst time to start a travel company during a financial crisis, and had to adjust my offerings from South America exclusively to focus locally in the US. To keep going, I started guided trips up Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa and Aconcagua in South America, while continuing to refine our niche for US departures. We were one of the first to offer privately guided experiences in the US with an emphasis on the National Parks.
What I realized was that the most impactful thing about travel is the connection with people, which I felt with the guests when I was guiding. I saw this first-hand when leading trips up Kilimanjaro, and how revered the role was. As we began to gain traction here in the US, our mission was to make the role of the guide revered, and the guide an essential part of the experiences we were offering.
What’s the entry level to talk to you?
EXP Journeys start at $1,500 per person per day. The price point is a function of the accommodations, touring, and experiences that are built into the trip.
What is the sweet spot of your expertise?
EXP offers fully guided journeys to the US National Parks and areas that surround these spectacular locations, and our sweet spot is when our guides are able to deliver these experiences. Our guides are lawyers, engineers, MBA graduates, financial advisors, teachers, and scientists. All of them have studied the flora, fauna, geology, and natural history of the regions we explore, but are also more than just guides. They are trip leaders, managers of the flow, masters of scenario planning and overall great people to travel with. Our expertise is of course knowing the regions we are guiding in intimately, but more importantly we are masters of seamless execution.
In addition, EXP has developed a luxury tented camp set up in areas where traditional accommodation (lodges, resorts, ranches etc.) do not exist. Because EXP is permitted to operate in so many National Parks and other federal land agencies, offering our guests an opportunity to experience nature in luxury was something we wanted to create. All our camps are completely private and set up in the National Forests and BLM areas that surround the National Parks. Each camp is created from scratch and built exclusively for the family or group that is arriving. All meals are custom for each group and the activities from camp are designed based on their preferences. The camps are typically set up at the North and South Rim of the Grand Canyon, Moab area, Zion, Escalante, Monument Valley, Yellowstone and Paradise Valley. The camp is different from any other camp in that it is always exclusive and private and built for the guests. The camp is 100% leave no trace and EXP is working on eliminating all plastics.
A favorite experience/trip/itinerary you’ve planned that best represents your philosophy?
EXP had a request from a client who wanted to experience the National Parks in a very unique way. The guests were sent a letter from Teddy Roosevelt requesting their services to find the “Secrets of the National Parks.” The first 3 days we departed from The Lodge at Blue Sky in Utah, and the rest of the trip departed from Jackson Hole, WY. Each day the guests used a Bell 429 Helicopter to take them to and from each destination.
The guests visited Moab first, to learn about the dinosaurs from a paleontologist, then continued on to Bryce to learn from the Native Americans about how they view the land. Following this, the guests explored the Grand Canyon with a guide cast to play John Wesley Powell—a one-armed military vet who was also a geologist looking to discover the west, credited with being the first explorer to navigate the Colorado River, from Wyoming to Grand Wash (what is now Lake Mead). His story is not only a great tale of exploration and discovery but also reveals a lot about the geology of the canyon. Next, they went to Grand Teton National Park to meet with John D. Rockefeller. (Struck by the beauty of the Tetons when he visited Jackson Hole in 1926 and concerned that they would be lost to unchecked development, he quietly bought up thousands of acres of land in the valley that he later donated to the federal government—in 1950, that land became part of the expanded Grand Teton National Park.) The trip finished at Roosevelt Arch in Northern Yellowstone. After spending the day with a wolf tracker, we had someone who looked like Teddy Roosevelt ride down on a horse and present the guests with a gift. The overarching theme that was the “Secrets of the National Parks” was conversation. The focus was to make each destination tell a story through time (Moab (paleontology), Bryce Canyon (Native Americans). Grand Canyon (Explorers), Grand Teton (conservation), Yellowstone (wildlife ecology).
Not all our trips are like this, though! A few trips we’ve done for families include a 70th birthday celebration on the Colorado River, the Monument valley Annular Solar Eclipse, and a guys’ trip to Alaska in summer.
A favorite hotel/lodge/house you love and go back to again and again…
Camp Sarika at Amangiri – The desert setting is one of my favorite places to explore.
Vermejo Park Ranch in New Mexico is one of my favorites, as it combines luxury with nature.
I also really like Sheldon Chalet. The owners are wonderful people, and they have created something truly special in Alaska.
The most memorable meal you’ve had while traveling…
Lunch on top of Tower Butte with Chef Shon Foster. Chef Shon is a self-taught chef from Kanab, Utah who has created some of the most spectacular meals for our groups over the years. He has travelled with us to the Bahamas, Patagonia, Alaska and Hawaii, as well as all over the Southwest and Old West. The meal was his version of Navajo tacos and traditional southwest salads and small plates. The entire meal was cooked in Dutch ovens on the top of the tower.
A not-to-be-missed favorite experience in your region(s) of expertise…
Spending a few nights at the EXP Luxury tented camp is one of my favorite experiences. I particularly love the nights spent in Monument Valley and connecting with the Navajo on their land is very special. The camp is in the heart of the valley, and we have Navajo storytellers come to camp, as well as on occasion we’ve had a Navajo Code Talker come to camp and tell stories and teach the guests the Navajo Code from WWII.
What is a place we should consider traveling to that could really use our dollars, and what is a place we should put on hold because, even though we love it, it sees too many tourists?
A place we should consider traveling to that could use tourism support is Peru. Peru’s tourism has fluctuated due to political instability and the pandemic. Its indigenous communities and small businesses benefit greatly from responsible tourism. While places such as Machu Picchu still see high numbers of visitors, the lesser traveled destinations need tourism support. Following this I would suggest venturing out from Machu Picchu and spending touring dollars in other parts of Peru such as the Amazon, Nazca and Puno.
Underrated location, overrated location, personal favorite, recent discovery?
Underrated location for me is Capitol Reef National Park. This is a National Park in Utah close to the town of Torrey, UT. Also known as the water pocket fold, this park has incredible hiking, canyoneering and fly-fishing along the Escalante River. It’s underrated as it’s not as easily accessible as places such as Grand Teton, Yellowstone or Zion. There are incredible petroglyph panels here, but overall, I think the best thing about it is the lack of crowds in comparison to other parks.
Overrated location, and this is purely due to the level of crowds, is Lake Louise. I love spending time there, but it’s become so busy it takes away from its wow factor.
Personal favorite is Lake Powell National Recreation Area. The Lake has over 2,000 miles of coastline and hundreds of slot canyons that allow us to discover new places with our guests. The Lake’s fluctuating water levels also make for a new experience each and every time we go out there. There are dinosaur tracks that are exposed at certain water levels, and beaches that are tucked away in the back of canyon that feels like your own private canyon. There are endless hiking options as there are very few real trails, and we discover new routes regularly. The Lake can be accessed from a few marinas and EXP works with the local concessionaires to coordinate charter boats, jet skis and wake -surfing boats. Having guided and planned 100s of trips to the Southwest, the vast majority of the time our guests come to this region for the allure of the Grand Canyon and other parks, and leave having Lake Powell be the highlight of the trip.
Recent Discovery is Reid Creek Lodge at Wagonhound, a private ranch situated on over 300,000 acres of land in eastern Wyoming. This ranch is buyout only, and the entire experience is custom to each guest’s preferences. The Ranch is one of the only ones we have come across that is a complete blank slate of what the guests are interested in.
The ranch feels very authentic and wild, and the land is so vast you really get to explore the property. They have an amazing equestrian center, and the horseback riding is top notch.
The hardest-working item you always pack…
My Prana Stretch Zion Pants. I have worn these hiking in all climates, canyoneering and biking. Additionally, I always have my Suunto Ambit watch, which has been with me on every trip since 2012 (when they first came out with it) and other than a few strap replacements, it’s still going strong.
What is something you wished we all knew or were better at as travelers?
EXP’s mission is to create authentic travel experiences that enrich lives and transform perspectives. This is not only a commitment we make to their clients and partners, but also to the destinations in which we travel. We feel a responsibility to enrich and transform them for the better as well. To that end, EXP donates a portion of the cost of every journey to local, non-profit organizations in our most traveled destinations. EXP Journeys takes a small percentage of each trip cost and puts it towards the EXP Foundation.
Are you concerned about the potential closing of some of the US National Parks this summer? What can we all do to ensure these parks remain protected and available for all to enjoy?
With regards to the National Parks and their access for the summer, we do not believe at this point they will be closed but are closely monitoring the situation and considering alternatives should this happen. To support the National Parks, the best way is to visit them and or volunteer for various programs the parks offer. They are certainty going to be shorthanded, so any volunteers will help support the general operations of the parks.
How do you want people to reach out to you?
People can reach me via e-mail kevin@expjourneys.com or through our website at www.expjourneys.com
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