Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Hinkle.
Hi michael, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I moved to Utah from Indiana in 2006 to work a summer job as a guide. I was studying education at Indiana University. That summer I discovered the outdoor adventure world and was hooked on it all. I fell in love with the diverse landscapes and all the adventure opportunities it provides and never went back to Indiana.
I ended up primarily working as counselor at an adventure therapy program for adults. We helped adult men and women overcome issues with substance abuse and mental health issues. We integrated outdoor adventures like canyoneering, climbing, mountain biking, and fly fishing to help our clients learn about themselves, find community, and have an empowering and healing experience in nature.
In 2017 Tim Pote and I decided to start Capitol reef Adventure Company. Tim and I were adventure buddies. Tim and I would do big expeditions together, multi day trips through canyons, climbing, on rivers, mountain biking, etc so we knew each other’s skill sets really well. We both helped out our friend Steve Howe, owner of Red Rock Adventure Guides, with his canyoneering trips. Tim and I would often debrief our trips together in the shade of a tree and have a cold drink. One day during our debrief we decided it was a good idea to start our own thing. We asked for Steve’s blessing, as we did not want to become our friends competition, and not only did we have his blessing but he really mentored us on getting all of our things set up just right. We have now been open for 9 years.
We do some guided hiking trips, some custom multi sport adventures, a few climbing trips here and there, but the bread and butter of what we do is lead canyoneering trips. Canyoneering is the best way to experience CRNP. With so many different canyons in our permitted area we are really good at helping our guests choose the perfect canyon appropriate for their ability level. Canyoneering involves hiking to the top of a canyon and then descending the canyon using a variety of different skills and techniques. Scrambling, sliding, stemming, and friction style down climbing along with rappelling are some of the methods used for getting down drops. Essentially the whole thing is a natural obstacle course that we are working as team to get through. It makes for a very engaging activity to share in with others. Throughout the whole day we get to share about the history or the park, the geology that formed it, and we get to share fun adventure stories and get to know our guests for the day. By the end of each trip it feels like we have made new friends that we just shared an awesome adventure with.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Capitol Reef Adventure Company has been smooth sailing from the get go. We are small owner operated guiding shop. By staying small we have are able to work individually with each of our guests to tailor their trip to exactly their liking. 9 years later we have a perfect 5 star review record.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I started a career in wilderness therapy in 2006. I have worked as guide and in multiple leadership roles within this industry.
I started commercial guiding for various guiding companies around Capitol Reef National Park in 2012.
I was the Wayne High School boy basketball coach from 2013-2019 and have been the boys and girls high school Golf coach from 2022-present. Helped lead the boys golf team to a state championship in 2025-2026.
Co-founder of Capitol Reef Adventure Company (CRAC) in 2017 along with Tim Pote. Very proud of the safe and fun memories we have helped create for so many families at CRAC. Tim and I both started as guides working in the therapy world. We were both fortunate to work for great adventure therapy companies that emphasized kindness and compassion in working with people. That along with learning to be great leaders and communicate really well has set us up well for being really good guides. We view guiding as a craft, we take great pride in what we do, and are always seeking ways to grow and get better. I think people see and feel that from us. We consistently hear in our reviews that the highlight of our guest’s trip was their canyoneering tour with us. That’s what we are striving for every time.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
Capitol Reef National Park is the best one for canyoneering. Zion and Arches do not authorize commercial guiding in their parks because of the large volume of people visiting. We are permitted to operate in the park and in the surrounding BLM and National forests lands which allows us a great diversity of canyons we are able to guide. CRNP will almost always feel much less crowded and you will get all the epicness of views and adventure here.
Pricing:
- 335 for first person 125 for each additional person
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.capitolreefadventurecompany.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/capitolreefadventurecompany/
