Walk on the Wild Side: Explore Yosemite with Experts

Deano has been working in Yosemite National Park since 1980 and has been guiding for Yosemite Hospitality Interpretive Services since 2025. Deano’s free time is spent walking around and discovering streambeds, nature’s oddities, and birds. Deano’s favorite ways to enjoy Yosemite include exploring Yosemite’s rivers, fishing, rafting, and swimming. Deano shares with great passion his knowledge and experience with wilderness, watersheds, backcountry hiking, Sierra Nevada climate, snowpack, and floods. Deano is a Certified Interpretive Guide through the National Association for Interpretation and is Leave No Trace certified.

Courtney has worked in Yosemite National Park since 2012 and has guided with Yosemite Hospitality Interpretive Services since 2024. In her free time, she enjoys relaxing by the river, foraging for mushrooms, road-tripping, birdwatching, backpacking, exploring Yosemite’s lakes, playing simulation games, making soup, and baking bread. Courtney loves sharing her knowledge of mutualistic and symbiotic relationships in nature and helping others understand their connection to the natural world. She is a Certified Interpretive Guide through the National Association for Interpretation and is Leave No Trace certified.

David has been working in Yosemite National Park since 2001 and has been guiding for Yosemite Hospitality Interpretive Services since 2026. David spends his free time listening to audiobooks, making homemade meals from scratch, and playing massive open-world role playing video games. David’s favorite things to do in Yosemite include: hiking, watching the interactions between living things, backpacking, and swimming outside. Expect to learn about our role in the natural world if you come on a tour with David. David is a Certified Interpretive Guide through the National Association for Interpretation and is Leave No Trace certified.

AJ has worked in Yosemite National Park since 2021 and has guided with Yosemite Hospitality Interpretive Services since 2024. In his free time, he enjoys hiking and backpacking in the Sierra Nevada high country near the Tuolumne River. His favorite Yosemite activity is kayaking the Merced River, taking in iconic Valley views and looking for wildlife along the banks. On a tour with AJ, expect stories from Yosemite’s history and insights into protecting wilderness for future generations. AJ is a Wilderness First Responder, Certified Interpretive Guide through the National Association for Interpretation, and Leave No Trace certified.

Rabbit has been working in Yosemite National Park since 2015 and has been guiding for Yosemite Hospitality Interpretive Services since 2026. Rabbit’s free time is spent making art (watercolor, linocuts, block printing), listening to music, and playing couch/party co-op video games. Birding and photographing are Rabbit’s favorite things to do in Yosemite. Rabbit shares with others their knowledge of birds, insects, and plants. Rabbit is a Certified Interpretive Guide through the National Association for Interpretation, is Leave No Trace certified, and is First Aid + CPR certified. 

Jesse first started working in Yosemite National Park in 1999, and has been guiding for Yosemite Hospitality Interpretive Services since 2026. Jesse spends his free time night hiking and backpacking. Jesse has been studying isopods for over 10 years, and loves to look for them in Yosemite. If you come on a tour with Jesse, ask him about U

Ever has been working in Yosemite National Park since 2024 and guiding for Yosemite Hospitality Interpretive Services since 2026. In their free time, Ever enjoys reading, watercolor painting, yoga, and writing fantasy short stories. Their favorite Yosemite activities include hiking and exploring Tuolumne Meadows, especially Upper and Lower Gaylor Lakes. Join Ever on a tour to learn about lichen streaks, Yosemite’s tourism history, and its First Peoples. Ever is a Certified Interpretive Guide, Leave No Trace Certified, and is pursuing a degree in marine biology.