Southern Yosemite Mountain Guides

Rock Climbing Weekend — Unforgettable!
My husband and I contracted SYMG for the holiday weekend of the 4^th. We were assigned Nick R. Our meeting location was easy to find, and had a local coffee/​ice cream/​pizza shop, bar, and grocery store. He was helpful in confirming we had the necessary supplies for the weekend, we grabbed a couple of sports drinks at the grocery store, and headed to the camp site. We discovered later that regretfully his car broke down; however this was a non-​issue as SYMG provided him with a vehicle to make sure our weekend went well.
Let me start by saying I will not be able to convey with words how beautiful our campsite was. We were relatively close (walking distance) from park service maintained toilets, but removed from all other camping groups, and had a wonderful view to boot. Menu selection was varied, fresh, and local. We highly suggest going in with no dietary restrictions if you can and allowing him to create the menu. We had simply awesome food, sourced by our terrific guide. I don’t want to give out any secrets but Nick was also great at spicing things up for the 4^th of July holiday with a few patriotic surprises.
Getting to the rock climbing area was a rough drive, bring a vehicle with high clearance if possible. It was well worth it when we arrived there and had our pick of routes, especially if you’ve ever seen the crowded Yosemite Valley locations. All the rock routes were very clean, well maintained routes (which I believe SYMG helps out with). We saw only three others climbing groups on Saturday, and none on Sunday.
Nick did a great job giving us an intro to the area, as we were unfamiliar with this style of rock. He picked good first routes where we still had fun, but he was also evaluating skills before getting into a multi pitch situation. He was extremely friendly, knowledgeable of the area, easy going, and fun and interesting conversation wasn’t difficult. He was very competent and professional, with a laundry list of certifications. We always felt like we were in good hands. (unlike some other climbers we saw on the wall over the weekend, being guided by someone other than SYMG.) Nick always ensured we were using proper technique and was willing to offer us suggestions to improve our climbing technique. His willingness and ability to tailor his instruction towards our trip goals was second to none. For example, we wanted to climb and experience multi-​pitch climbing rather than develop specific skills, as that is not something we get a lot of in the Midwest. He was terrific at accommodating that, and skillfully led all the pitches of our two routes. I’m sure if you wanted to be more skills focused he would be equally competent in demonstrating and instructing. He kept us at a good pace, but it never felt like he was driving us. Route selection for both multi pitch and single pitch «training» routes was excellent. It enabled him to educate us on the style of rock and techniques, for him to evaluate our skill levels, and ensure we had a challenging, but fun trip. He was younger than both of us, but very willing to be decisive, and not afraid to assert himself when needed and show leadership at all times.
He was very willing to give us tips and suggestions for the rest of our week in Yosemite (we had a six day backcountry hiked planed for afterward). It was nice to have a local perspective on how to deal with the crowds in the Valley. The whole weekend, we had his complete and undivided attention. There was never a point in the weekend that he wasn’t focused on our experience. (i.e. he wasn’t trying to ditch us, or playing on his cell phone, or anything like that.)
Well deserved reputation for the company, with guides like Nick, we will definitely be using SYMG again.

Our group of 5 just returned from the Grand Traverse backpacking excursion through Yosemite. SYMG deserves the highest praises. From start to finish the trip was the tops. Andrea and the front office were fantastic and responsive. They made every thing easy in prepping for the trip, working through travel, arranging hotel stays for the front and back end, and pricing a trip with an ever shifting number of participants. As for the trip itself, it was the experience of a lifetime in large part due to our guide Brendan. This was not «glamping.» We roughed it in the backcountry for a full week. But Brendan was up before us and after we went to bed preparing meals and coffee, and doing the cleanup. And I would add that the meals were top notch — not typical camping fare. He served as camp medic helping to take care of nasty blisters before they became a problem. He pushed us, but was very patient. He and SYMG were quick with an alternative route when our last day was diverted due to fire. And he knew and loved the park, as do we after this trip. I would recommend this trip and SYMG to anyone.

We cannot praise this group highly enough for their Torres del Paine trip. We just returned a week ago from this incredible adventure in Patagonia and are still reflecting on what an epic and beautiful adventure it was. The logistics which are myriad and incredibly challenging were handled perfectly including a last minute and very important reordering of our hiking days to accomodate difficult weather. This meant that the iconic hike to the Torres themselves took place on the best day to revel in their glory. Our guide Colby is extremely knowledgeable about geology, flora and fauna of the region which added a great deal to the experience. Both Ian and Colby are incredibly fun and encouraging guides. We can’t wait to plan another trip with SYMG — this time a little closer to home and hopefully including our sons.

We took a 4 day trip to Half Dome and Cloud’s Rest with Southern Yosemite Mountain Guides and found that both our guides and SYMG as a whole facilitated a top-​notch experience. SYMG took care of everything from itinerary planning and packing lists to reservations and permitting, so our pre-​trip stress was at an all-​time low. Upon arrival in Curry Village, SYMG quickly pulled our group away from the crowds which meant our trip never felt touristy or overcrowded. On the trail, our guides made sure that everybody was able to hike at his or her own pace. The hikes were planned wonderfully so that we got the best views and saw the least amount crowds. Food was unexpectedly gourmet (i.e. pesto pasta, stir fry, and even a delicious banana/​chocolate desert) and consistently elicited rave reviews from our fellow trip-​mates. We had a fantastic trip that we’ll always cherish, and I highly recommend the Southern Yosemite Mountain Guides.

This group is top notch. Just got back from an amazing 8 day trip. The guides, Wilson and Phoebe were the best and the food was tasty. The trip could not have been better organized.

Well i’m a pretty difficult guy to please but myself and a buddy went trekking with these guys for three days thru Yosemite recently and they were fantastic. (Ian) Thoughtfully created a great itinerary for us based on our experience and gave us a terrific guide (Pat). They give you much more than just having a guide that is familiar with the park — the guide meticulously planned out equipment and the route, then changed the route as conditions changed to ensure we stayed on our schedule, was very conscious of safety (bears and falling off cliffs are not uncommon…) and made the trip a total pleasure. Even the small stuff like keeping track of water consumption, making sure our meals were balanced with proper protein/​carb mix (it’s pretty impt when you’re at 10k feet walking 10hrs day with a pack!) and leaving extra early for the summit treks so you don’t get caught in the heat or the tourist traffic. All in all, i’d strongly recommend these guys and will def use them again.