Meet Our River Guides
Barker-Ewing River Guides are professional boatmen with years of river experience and a thorough knowledge of the natural history of Jackson Hole. Sharing their expertise and perspective will add a meaningful dimension to this memorable Snake River adventure. This outstanding crew have logged more than 200,000 river miles with Barker-Ewing Scenic Float Trips, and we consider them to be our extended family.
Eric Barker
Eric began guiding for the family business in 1983, and has logged more than 28,000 miles on this stretch of the Snake River. He has a degree in History from Montana State University, and works as a middle school teacher in Bozeman between river seasons. Eric plays concertina, banjo, and guitar in several local folk groups. He is an expert Nordic skier, and enjoys yoga and Tai Chi.
Michael Inman
Our Senior Boatman, Michael, always knew that he would grow up to be a Snake River Guide. Following pre-law studies at Rice University and the University of Wyoming, Michael spent a year at Grand Cayman as a Scuba Divemaster. He became a Snake River guide in 1999, and on his days off he is often climbing, hiking and camping with his family in the Tetons and Wind Rivers.
Frank Lane
Frank’s first guided for BEST in 1985. Following two decades of guiding for us, Frank changed gears and was a successful hotelier in Jackson Hole for 17 years. Trading corporate board rooms for the river life, he returned to guiding the Snake River for us in 2023. Away from the river, the Lane family (3 teenage boys!) enjoy skiing, biking, and driving all over the West playing and officiating lacrosse.
Grant Bishop
Grant spent his early years at the Teton Science Schools in Grand Teton National Park. He joined Barker-Ewing in 2006 and has rafted and kayaked numerous rivers around the country. He spends his winters as a Telemark ski instructor and trainer for the Professional Ski Instructors of America and is proficient in German, Italian, and Spanish.
Neil Huckin
Neil’s love for river running was sparked in 1995 on a trip through the Grand Canyon. Today, Neil carries on a family tradition: his Uncle Dick founded Barker-Ewing, and his father Tom guided in the late ’60s. Neil has run the Salmon, Cataract Canyon, Westwater, and many other western rivers, and also enjoys climbing, hiking, snowboarding, and cooking.
Travis Kryger
Travis is a California native who earned a degree in Music Theory from San Diego State University. His love of rivers and mountains brought him to Jackson Hole in the late ‘90s, and he has been with Barker-Ewing since 2007. He works for the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort in the wintertime. Travis was the last guide to be trained by “Legend of the Snake”, Dick Barker.
Maureen "Mo" Connor
Mo began her career with BEST on the Snake River in 1978, and has also guided professionally on the Clark Fork of the Columbia, the Big Blackfoot, the Shoshone, and the Salmon. She served as County Commissioner in Granite County, Montana for six years, and currently works in local government on a range of infrastructure issues.
Jed Huckin
Jed Huckin started guiding for the family business founded by his uncle, Dick Barker, in 2006. His love for rafting has taken him places such as the Green River, Cataract Canyon, and other stretches of the Colorado River. His other interests include paddle boarding, snowboarding, hiking, and camping with his family.
James Hull
Born in Wichita, Kansas, James grew up in a military family. He spent much of his youth among “amber waves of grain,” but soon realized that he preferred “purple Mountains majesty.” After pursuing a degree in psychology at the University of Utah, he shifted his focus to the outdoors, and now spends his year guiding on the Snake River and ski coaching in Utah.
Kris Vrolijk
Kris has lived in Jackson Hole since 2003. He is an avid outdoorsman, and shares a love of the history of the Western landscape with many of his Barker-Ewing colleagues. He began his floating career on rivers in Tennessee, West Virginia, and Georgia, and explored two dozen countries before settling here in the valley.
Jens Gade
Jens, is a second-generation BEST boatman, and Wyoming native. With a degree in music education and a masters in curriculum and instruction, he teaches K-5 music at Jackson and Kelly Elementary Schools. An avid outdoorsman, Jens enjoys trail running, nordic skiing, fly-fishing (he also guides fly-fishing trips on the Snake River), and exploring the Teton backcountry.