The Faces of New Mexico's
River Industry
For generations, the members of the New Mexico Outfitters Association have been the stewards, guides, educators, and entrepreneurs who bring our state's rivers to life. Together, they represent decades of experience, nationally recognized expertise, award-winning businesses, and a deep commitment to safety, conservation, and community.
Cisco Guevera | Owner, Los Rio River Runners
Cisco Guevara, the founder and heart of Los Rios River Runners, has spent a lifetime building a legacy that flows through every trip he runs. His deep ties to traditional and Native communities have created an ethos rooted in respect, connection, and sustainability, where every guest becomes part of the living history of New Mexico.
For decades, Cisco has also been a dedicated advocate for river recreation, serving as a board member of Amigos Bravos and working closely with state agencies and water conservation partners to ensure river recreation, and the businesses and communities it supports, are consistently represented and never overlooked.
Cisco’s storytelling, humor, and deep respect for the natural world have inspired generations of guests and guides alike, shaping Los Rios into one of the most trusted rafting companies in New Mexico. Los Rios promises every guest a journey that goes beyond adventure, immersing them in the culture, heritage, and natural beauty of the Rio Grande region.
info@losriosriverrunners.com
www.losriosriverrunners.com
(575) 776-8854
4003 South Hwy 68 | Ranchos de Taos, NM 87557
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Bret Guyron | Owner, New Wave Rafting
Brit is a dedicated river professional, photographer, and advocate with New Wave Rafting, bringing years of hands-on experience navigating and interpreting New Mexico’s dynamic waterways. With a deep respect for the Rio Grande and its surrounding landscapes, Brit has built a career centered on connecting people to rivers through safe, meaningful, and memorable on-water experiences.
Beyond New Mexico, Brit has pursued river adventures across diverse landscapes, documenting these journeys through photography and storytelling on rivers accross the United States and abroad.
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newwaverafting@gmail.com
www.newwaverafting.com
(855)781-3435
P.O. Box 312
Embudo, NM 87531
Jared McClure | Owner, Santa Fe Rafting Co.
Jared McClure represents the next generation of leadership in New Mexico's river industry. When he purchased the Santa Fe Rafting Company, an iconic outfitter established in 1984. He saw an opportunity to preserve a legacy while building its future. Jared transformed company operations from a pen-and-paper system into a modern, fully digital business, revitalizing the outfitter and positioning it for long-term success in the 21st century.
Jared has cultivated a strong workplace culture that provides meaningful local employment, invests in guide development, and fosters professionalism, respect, and stewardship on and off the river. Under his leadership, Santa Fe Rafting relocated from an aging, deteriorating facility into a beautifully renovated boatyard developed in partnership with Nambe Pueblo, creating a welcoming home for staff, guests, and the community. His team is known not only for technical skill, but for the values he instills: respect for the river, professionalism, and teamwork.
Jared has also helped make Santa Fe Rafting a leader in accessibility for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community. SFR is one of the few known rafting companies with Deaf commercial guides who have built lifelong careers in the industry. Working alongside its Deaf guides, SFR has developed dedicated overnight rafting trips conducted entirely in ASL and was the first to offer its annual guide school in ASL specifically for the Deaf community. These programs create meaningful access to the river while opening pathways for personal development and to pursue professional careers in the outdoors.
Before leading Santa Fe Rafting, Jared built his commercial rafting career with Santa Fe Rafting on the Rio Grande, Colorado's Arkansas River and California's American River, experiences that shaped his guiding philosophy and passion for the outdoors. Alongside his wife and fellow River Guide, Maggie Saucedo, Jared continues to build a thriving company that honors New Mexico's rafting heritage while leading it confidently into the future.
santaferafting.com
rafting@santaferafting.com
505-988-4914
20 Arroyo Cuyamungue
Santa Fe, NM 87506
Matt & Wendy Gontrum | Owners, New Mexico River Adventures
Matt and Wendy Gontram have made their home along the banks of the Rio Grande, where they are raising their daughter, Scout, and sharing their love of the river through New Mexico River Adventures.
Wendy began guiding on the Rio Grande at the age of 21 and quickly fell in love with the river, the landscape, and the communities that call northern New Mexico home. Matt began his guiding career at the age of 18 working on many of the rivers in the Southwest. While they both loved their home rivers, the call of adventure was too strong to ignore. Matt and Wendy set out to explore, guide, and work on rivers across the country and around the world. Together, they have navigated more than 100 different rivers, each with its own unique character, beauty, challenges, and magic. With so many incredible rivers under their belts, choosing a favorite would be nearly impossible. Each one has left its own mark and added to their deep appreciation for the wild places and waterways that have shaped their lives.
Eventually, they found their way back to New Mexico, where they put down roots and opened New Mexico River Adventures in the spring of 2011. Their years spent working on diverse rivers and in different communities brought new ideas, experiences, and a broader vision to their approach to outfitting on the Rio Grande.
From the beginning, one of NMRA’s greatest priorities has been creating meaningful access to the Rio Grande for local youth. Matt and Wendy believe that getting young people on the river can foster confidence, connection, stewardship, and a lifelong appreciation for the natural world. Through partnerships with organizations including FIT Taos, Rivers and Birds, NMORBA, Taos Charter School, TISA, Latino Outdoors, Albuquerque ROTC, and many more, NMRA has worked to make those experiences accessible to young people throughout the region.
For Matt and Wendy, New Mexico River Adventures is about much more than running river trips. It is about building community, sharing the river they love, and helping the next generation discover the incredible place they are fortunate to call home in hopes that it will be protected for generations to come.
newmexicoriveradventures.com
info@newmexicoriveradventures.com
505-983-7756
2273 NM-68
Embudo, NM 87531
Will & Bill Blackstock | Owners, Far Flung Adventures
For nearly five decades, Bill and Will Blackstock have carried forward one of the most respected names in adventure travel and river outfitting. As the father-and-son leadership team behind Far Flung Adventures, they represent the evolution of a company that has helped define professional river guiding since its founding in 1976.
What began as a two-man operation in a remote West Texas ghost town quickly grew into one of the country's pioneering rafting companies. Driven by ambition, professionalism, and a spirit of exploration, Far Flung Adventures expanded beyond its humble beginnings to guide expeditions on iconic rivers including the Rio Grande, Arkansas, and Salt Rivers, while leading groundbreaking international adventures through southern Mexico, Guatemala, and even Alaska's Arctic wilderness. Long before adventure travel became mainstream, Far Flung proudly embraced the motto displayed above its original headquarters: "World Headquarters."
Today, under Bill and Will's leadership, Far Flung Adventures calls Taos, New Mexico home, where they continue to showcase the spectacular rivers and landscapes of northern New Mexico while operating adventures throughout the Southwest and around the world. Their commitment to professionalism, environmental stewardship, education, and industry-leading safety has remained unchanged for nearly 50 years, setting a standard that has influenced generations of guides and outfitters.
Together, Bill and Will have introduced thousands of families, students, outdoor enthusiasts, and first-time adventurers to the transformative experience of life on the river. Their dedication extends beyond recreation—they have built careers, mentored guides, supported local economies, and fostered a culture that values conservation, responsible tourism, and lifelong connections to wild places.
As second-generation owners, Bill and Will continue to honor Far Flung Adventures' remarkable legacy while looking confidently downstream toward the next great adventure, ensuring that one of New Mexico's most iconic outdoor businesses remains a leader in the river industry for generations to come.
farflung.com
info@farflung.com
(575) 758-2628
Far Flung Adventures
15 NM-522
El Prado, NM 87529
Misty Blakesley | Program Director, The Mountain Center
Misty Blakesley runs the river program at the Mountain Center in Tewa Territories. A nearly five-decade-old non-profit, The Mountain Center works with Native American communities, survivors of
violence, people in recovery, LGBTQ+ folks, adjudicated youth and others, encouraging healing and growth through caring connections with the natural world, each other and themselves. As a premier mental and behavioral health organization, the Mountain Center focuses on land-based experiences with local New Mexicans to encourage health and wellness for all of our communities.
Misty is a rock, land and river guide, an Association of Nature and Forest Therapy guide, a Certified Therapeutic Adventure Specialist, a mentor with the Tracking Project, a 500+hr yoga teacher, as well as a supervisor, trainer, and program director.
the mountaincenter.org
info@themountaincenter.org
505-983-6158
1524 Bishops Lodge Rd # B,
Santa Fe, NM 87506
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David Muhler | Owner, Kokopelli Rafting
David Muhler is a longtime river outfitter, entrepreneur, and advocate whose work has helped shape the rafting industry in the Four Corners region. As the owner and operator of Kokopelli Rafting Adventures and Durango Rivertrippers & Adventure Tours, David has spent decades guiding on the rivers of southwestern Colorado and northwestern New Mexico, building a reputation for safe, high-quality, and memorable river experiences rooted in a deep respect for the natural world.
Through both companies, David has introduced thousands of guests to iconic stretches of the Animas, San Juan, and Rio Grande rivers, blending adventure with education about the region’s rich history, geology, and ecology. His leadership has helped grow a strong community of professional guides known for their expertise, hospitality, and commitment to stewardship.
In addition to his work on the water, David has been an active voice for river conservation and sustainable recreation, recognizing that the future of the outfitting industry depends on protecting healthy river systems. His dedication to both people and place continues to define Kokopelli Rafting Adventures and Durango Rivertrippers as trusted, community-focused outfitters in the Southwest.
