What’s New at Rubicon Outdoors
Over the last several months we’ve been working hard here at Rubicon Outdoors, undergoing a bit of a transformation. As we are committed to finding better ways to serve our clients and put together exciting tour packages, we, therefore, we must continue to search for ways to evolve as a company. We’ve updated some things; like our list of destinations and types of available tours in the Southwest. We’ve also allowed some classic favorites to remain the same, like our guided Grand Canyon backpacking trips. And, we’re excited to offer some brand new itineraries to our schedule for 2017. Although some of you may know we’ve worked closely with a company called Alpinehikers in the past, we’ve strengthened the relationship between the two companies to streamline our offerings even further. Perhaps one of our most apparent changes is the launching of a brand new website (still rubiconoutdoors.com). The site features some stunning photography from our most recent tours as well as an up to date tour schedule for 2017. We’ve got a new blog, Across the Rubicon, with tons of stories from past trips, notes from guides on gear and what to pack, trail tips, upcoming tours and events.
Many of you who have come on tours with us in the past may know about our affiliation with another tour company called Alpinehikers that specializes in all different types of hiking tours in the Swiss Alps and the Dolomites during the summer season. Many of us here in Prescott including our founder, Matt Brown, have worked in guide and administrative positions for both Rubicon Outdoors and Alpinehikers seasonally for many years. A few years ago Brown and Troy Haines, who owns Alpinehikers, decided to officially merge the two companies under the same LLC. They also decided to keep the names separate to distinguish the different areas in which each branch will operate. Alpinehikers for our European hiking adventures, and Rubicon for the American Southwest. Because of this long-standing history and overlap in staff between the two, the official partnership feels like a pretty easy and natural fit. It’s an addition we’re all pretty excited about.
Our goal is to bring the best of both companies together to improve our service by expanding the types of tours we offer in the states and streamlining some of our infrastructure behind the scenes. Since we’re now offering many different tour types similar to the Alpinehikers structure, we’re also streamlining the number of places on the schedule for now. But, expect to see further expansion in the near future, especially to more destinations in North America such as old favorites like Yosemite and Lake Tahoe. And then who know’s–the Pacific Northwest? New England? New Zealand? Wherever we go next you can count on the same great local knowledge and trip planning expertise that we’ve honed over the years.
You can be sure that the things we do best at Rubicon aren’t going away. Probably our most popular tours over the years have been our Grand Canyon backpacking trips and our Northern Arizona Highlights lodge-based hiking tours, and these tours are here to stay. So are those general backpacking and lodge-based tour types. You’ll still be able to find guided group tours to join, and you’ll always have the option to call us and arrange a private tour for you, your friends, and family. And if that doesn’t quite fit the bill, we’re still happy as ever to help you customize your ideal trip.
We are also still serving up a variety of day trip options with our local Prescott Area Adventures such as guided day hikes, rock climbing, beer and wine tastings. We’re also working on adding mountain biking to the menu of things we do, since Prescott is so well-known for its miles of single track–and, well, it’s just a plain old blast and another great way to get out on the trail. Signup up for a full day activity, or combine a half-day morning hike/climb with an afternoon wine tasting for an adventure day to remember. Or, piece together multiple activities for a weekend getaway package in the Central Arizona Highlands.
So what is new? Good question. One thing is that we’ve rearranged some of our itineraries to create the Southern Utah Highlights Tour. This tour includes Zion and Bryce National Parks, and the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. This creation will allow us to run it more consistently throughout our season compared to previous tours. Which brings up another change: we’re stretching our operating season by a month on either end. The new Rubicon Outdoors operating season for trips in the southwest will run from early September through late May, enabling us to expand our schedule. This particularly affects our Grand Canyon Tours that travel to the North Rim, which is typically closed most of the winter.
Perhaps our most dramatic change–the one we’re most delighted by–is the addition of Self Guided southwest tours. Self guided tours are meticulous pre-planned itineraries that include all of the information our guides would use to run a trip and allow you the freedom of travelling on your own. They also cost much less than guided tours. But, like our private guided offerings, self guided tours are also highly flexible and able to be customized. The self guided tour is one thing that Alpinehikers has mastered in Europe; by combining that expertise with Rubicon’s experience in the southwest, we’ll be able to put together some really spectacular new tour choices.
From lodge-based, backpacking, and day-trip tour styles to self guided, private or group tours, all in all we have a lot of choices–especially with the ability to make any of these custom tailored to your liking.
Think you’re ready to hit the trail? We invite you to check out the new site for the full schedule and descriptions of our different tour types. Read the new blog. And as always, feel free to reach out by phone or email to chat with our friendly staff in the office about what we can put together for you. We’re here and ready when you are; and we hope to hear from you soon!
Tags: arizona, grand canyon, rubicon outdoors
This five night, six day self guided hiking tour is lodge-based and includes Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Bryce and Zion National Parks. Pleasant sunny and warm w
Do you have a little bit of backpacking experience but don’t have the time or expertise to plan your own trip? Then let us plan your trip for you! This self guided backpacking to
Are you interested in a private guide? We create private guided backpacking tours specifically for you, your friends, and family. You choose the dates that work best and the it
