ABOUT OUR CREW

Find Rafting Near You. 

When looking for river rafting near you in Gardiner, MT, look no further than Wild West Rafting. Our friendly and experienced tour guides will give you the river ride of a lifetime. Whether you choose an action-packed ride in the rapids or a leisurely float, you can expect us to focus on fun, safety, and superior customer service.

Mike and Tracy Barlow founded Wild West Rafting in 1994. After turning their dreams into an opportunity to share their incredible adventures with others, they passed the business on to its current owners, Thomas Davis and Kenny Straus. As former managers and river guides themselves, Thomas and Kenny were the perfect fit.

Our team has members from all over the country who have come together with a shared passion. Our goal is not just to get you safely down the river. We want you to fully experience everything it has to offer. We’ll expertly guide you through rapids of all sizes, help you spot local wildlife, and do our best to make your river ride unforgettable.

Book your rafting tour with Wild West Rafting today!

Bailey

Bailey

Office Staff

Bailey hails from the highlands of Laramie, Wyoming. She got her start on the river in Buena Vista and hasn’t been able to quit since. She spends her winters serving her amazing special needs students and her summers outside; and is hoping to combine these two loves in the future! Bailey crushes it in the office, loves a good PFD, and isn’t afraid of a little carnage. Bailey is known to stir up the CRBs in a Two-Bit showdown and can’t wait to introduce you to the WWITT way. See you in Gardiner!

Adam

Adam

Office Staff

Hailing from FL, Adam currently spends his summers shooting white water rafting for Wild West! You may also find him backpacking through the mountains looking for wildlife, or shooting the stars at night. As soon as it gets too cold in Montana, I scurry back home to eat tacos, surf and ride my motorcycle though the countryside.

Sticks

Sticks

Guide

Sticks grew up in Billings Montana and came to Paradise Valley in 2005 at the age of 18 in pursuit of adventure. Over the last fifteen years sticks has guided professionally on rivers such as the Tana in Kenya, the Ganges in India, The Ayakulik, on Kodiak Island, and the Salt River in Arizona. When Sticks is not guiding he enjoys big Game hunting with his Brother Twigs and his father Chuck. Sticks is a licensed public educator in the state of Montana and would love to tell you a story of the history of his homeland.

Alex

Alex

Guide

Alex moved all the way from Florida to beautiful Montana at the age of twenty. Currently a part time stay at home astronaut and a full time river guide. This is his fourth year on the Yellowstone river, but he is always learning something new about the water. The river is comparable to life, in the sense that is is always changing, and can be everything from calm to chaotic. You would be lucky to hop on a boat with this guy. Come down to the mighty Yellowstone River and see what it’s all about!

Pat

Pat

Guide

Born and raised from the Ice of northern New York, Pat is back for his second year as a guide for Wild West. Shortly after Graduating from Nazareth College in 2018, Pat saddled up his Wild Mustang and rode bareback with nothing more than a hatchet and strong sense of adventure. Once he hit the Yellowstone River he knew Gardiner Montana would be the end of his journey, and has called it home ever since.

Boone

Boone

Guide

I’m Boone, I fish, and I know things.

Cole

Cole

Guide

This young man is spending his second season on the Yellowstone showing people how to enjoy life to its fullest. You’ll never know what you’re going to get on his raft, because he doesn’t know either. Hold on with this one. He will have you screaming for one reason or another during at least 5/18ths of the trip. He couldn’t play in Carnegie Hall but he can pluck out a tune, and with the right motivation he might even be convinced to play you the most amazing song you never want to hear again.

Keegan

Keegan

Guide

Grew up in the Finger Lakes of New York where the corn grows tall and the cows produce milk. Enjoys partying on the water, in the woods, and occasionally indoors. Has traveled to China twice and trained against top table tennis athletes. Can appreciate a good mullet and will not hesitate to voice my respect. I’d like to thank Cabot’s sharp cheddar cheese for contributing to the best grilled cheese sandwiches and consequently a great childhood. Thank you.

Don’t Just Take Our Word For It

Awesome trip! Jake was an amazing guide. We did the 2 hour float on a hot Summer afternoon. Exciting rapids mixed with leisurely floats. Saw some wildlife along the way

Stephen D.

We loved our riding experience! Our guide was awesome, so friendly and knowledgeable. The whole ride was fun. The scenery was beautiful!!!

Liz S.

We had such a great time on the river! Everyone on staff was so friendly, kind, patient and helpful! We enjoyed having all the mountains and points of interest shown to us.

Heather B.

Excellent half day trip. Our guide was knowledgeable and she had great suggestions for other things do to in town. The river had great conditions. We got to see a lot of wild life!

Arian A.

Great rafting company! We did the full day whitewater which I highly recommend. It was a really fun experience! All the guides were a lot of fun!

Susie L.