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Josh Mahan

Josh Mahan first sat solo at the oars of a cat boat in Cataract Canyon at the age of 15. He hasn’t stopped running wilderness rivers since. Along the way he’s guided clients down 14,000 miles of river from Alaska to California. But his true passion is for Rocky Mountain rivers, where he still guides Lochsa and Salmon trips. Josh is captivated by canyon country, though, and has explored the dry and wet canyons of southern Utah extensively. In 2005 he was able to row the rapids of the Grand Canyon from Phantom Ranch to Diamond Creek. The trip was too short. He’s ready to do the whole thing….from Green River, Wyoming to Lake Mead.

Josh has a B.A. in Journalism from the University of Montana along with a Minor in Environmental Studies. He has committed journalism across western Montana and now edits and designs Lowbagger.org, an online environmental news and arts journal he founded with Mike Roselle. In 2006 Josh penned an investigative feature for the Livingston Enterprise on raw sewage dumping into the Yellowstone River that had been ignored for decades.

Josh also works for his family’s backpacking business, Big Wild Adventures, leading people through the mountains on their feet across the western U.S. Josh lives with his girlfriend, Jennifer, in Missoula, Montana, where they enjoy the four distinct seasons and the associated outdoor adventures.