Meet Chris Mahoney | Guide, Trip Curator, & Conservationist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Chris Mahoney and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Chris, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Coming from a small family business environment I always knew it would be a huge commitment with no safety nets. Many people think having their own business means “more free time” and the opposite is true, but you have to LOVE what you do, you have to trust yourself that you can do it knowing there is no such thing as a sick day, and you have to care about that business and your clients more than your own free time. For me it was always about how do I want to spend my time… working for someone else or putting my passion into providing what i think is lacking in the industry. It was never about the pay but about being creative with that passion. The tourism industry in America is kind of a cookie cutter situation and Im focused on changing that and giving clients what they didnt know they wanted.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I love the Southwest USA for the same reasons that I love East Africa – its like another planet when you travel an hour in any direction. The diversity, the history, the wilderness… so much to explore and learn! In Africa each trip was designed to have a conservation outcome – particularly for my guests through my partner non-profit CreaturaWild.org – but also cathartic moments for the guests that leave them forever changed and their lives somehow enhanced. I set out to bring that same core value to visitors to the southwest USA, and more specifically to the Great Sand Dunes and the San Luis Valley which i consider one of the most unique places in America. I set up the Dunes Desert Camp and Dunes Experiences so that people can truly escape to this wide open space, experience the freedom that this part of the “real Colorado” has to offer, the luxury is in the privacy of this wilderness and the exposure of this big night sky with nothing modern in sight. With 320 acres of re-wilding property and 360 degree views my guests will not only have the opportunity to truly feel the horizon again, but to have a fully guided and hosted experience with myself and other amazing experiences across the Valley, rafting the Rio Grande with Curt from Narrow Ridge or 4 wheel driving to the secret places in the dunes with Pathfinders 4×4, exploring the ancient history of Mesa Verde and Chaco Canyon. Guests might even get to learn new skills to help them connect with nature in one of our workshops for photography, writing, painting, or music… the creativity in life is part of what we all want to connect with and this is truly a place to experience that. I specialize in private group trips and exclusive visits to the property, I dont think anyone else offers that in a fully hosted and curated fashion. Every trip and every visit is designed for your group and I think that really sets the spirit of this business apart from the rest of the tourism industry.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Im not going to give away all my secrets here, those are for you to come and discover! I will say that there are areas of the San Luis Valley that are untouched, uncrowded, and unadulterated. You can literally go days without seeing other people on the trails and there are weeks worth of adventures here for all types, all ages, and all abilities. From back country hiking to phenomenal sights to climbing, rafting, biking, or even just sightseeing… even the farms and agricultural projects here have a great and interesting story to tell. Every trip and visit can be created around the guests, their interests, abilities, and amount of time they have. for instance last season I lead a week long expedition for wounded veterans climbing one of our famous 14’ers and crossing the Great Sand Dunes, a week later I hosted a week long photography workshop for 10 people while exploring the Bison Farm, waterfalls, Sand Dunes, Hot Springs, and even the Old Mines up in Creede! More recently I hosted a client at the cusp of Spring with snow covered Sand Dunes, snowmobiling on top of Wolf Creek, dogsledding with a pack of excited Alaskan Huskies, and hiking in the silence of ancient rock dwellings. The Valley is very exciting with great new restaurants opening up, new trails being created by SLVGO, and new experiences popping up from the creative entrepreneurs of the area. Its also home to some very special historic places that make the valley what it is like the extremely well produced theatre in Creede, and the historic Cumbres Toltec train. Its not overrun with corporate enterprise and still very much a place where the locals are the lifeblood of the towns. Theres a surprise around every corner, and more importantly its the Colorado that everyone dreams of.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
For me it was a book called “End of The Game” by artist and philanthropist Peter Beard. I found that book in the library at 13 years old. It was the wildness of Africa, the passion, the drama and the freedom. It was the photos and diaries by Peter accented with his own blood, It was elephants and tents and predators and anthropological overdrive. I said “that…. thats my life”. My guidance counselor didnt think so, he said I had the math scores for an actuary and i should be practical. Life happens and boyhood dreams fade with the reality of growing up in a farmtown, despite having read every book I could get my hands on. I ended up in art school instead, and life took me in very different, yet interesting directions. years later I found that book in a box in storage (which I may owe some library fees on) and realized that I never should have let that impossible dream die. I began kicking down every door I could, willing to start over and learn from the bottom up, and once I made that choice, that commitment inside myself, it was barely two weeks before I found my first opportunity. 14 years and many experiences later I looked back and saw my 13 year old self far in the distance giving me the thumbs up, and that makes me want to do more than I ever thought I could. For me being a guide is the opportunity to help other people experience that freedom, to get them to feel all their senses again, to really feel the horizon. And for me it all started with that book.

Website: dunesexperiences.com

Instagram: @mahoneymoho @dunesdesertcamp

Other: TripAdvisor: Dunes Desert Camp (Colorado)

Image Credits
@jendz – Jen Dz Photography @mahoneymoho – Chris Mahoney