WHO WE ARE
Humble Beginnings
Brothers, Rick and Ron Blanchard were born and raised in Port Arthur, Texas. From humble beginnings, their trail from Texas to Cody had plenty of detours along the way including: work on the Alaska Pipeline, Pro Rodeo careers, and guiding river trips on the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. They were first drawn to Cody for its reputation as a world-renowned rodeo destination, but after spending some time in the area, they fell in love with the town, the people, and the natural beauty northern Wyoming has to offer.
Wyoming River Trips was founded in the winter of 1978 with Rick and Ron personally escorting trips that following summer. Since its inception, Wyoming River Trips is the only continually owned and operated rafting company in the Cody area, focusing on providing safe, family whitewater adventures that are accessible and approachable to all.
Culture
Besides creating family-focused river trips, in it’s 43 year history, WRT has cultivated a family culture within the business itself. Consistently hiring personable, hard-working, capable staff has not been an accident. Instead, it has been an intentional decision from day one. Couple that with high levels of training and attention to detail, and you begin to see a company that is committed to providing more than a fun trip down the river — you see a company that is committed to our clients, staff, and community.
The Blanchard family has grown over the decades and the company is now welcoming it’s third generation. What started back in 1978 as an alternative to the lifestyle of rodeo that Rick and Ron had adopted up until then, has now become a trusted, multi-generational local business in the Cody community.
Moving Forward
During the winter of 2020/2021, Landon Blanchard and Elyse Guarino took over ownership and operations at Wyoming River Trips, moving the company into its second generation of continual ownership. Additonally, Leighton Blanchard has stepped into to oversee operations. This transition period has been an exciting time for the whole family!
Landon grew up within the company and began guiding trips at an early age, growing into leadership and management roles over his 11 season with WRT. Elyse has spent the last 13 years working as a professional outdoor leader and guide with NOLS, facilitating outdoor leadership courses for novices and professionals alike. Together, Elyse and Landon founded Wyoming Rivers Cooperative in the winter of 2019/2020 — a company specializing in small, customizable, multi-day packrafting and rafting trips throughout Wyoming — building upon their combined outdoor skills and their passion for water, wildlife, and land conservation. Leighton Blanchard will take over operations of the company, relying on his nearly 11 years with WRT. The three will bring decades of professional outdoor leadership and guiding experience to Wyoming River Trips, building upon the foundation put in place by Rick and Ron, and growing the professional guide and river community in Cody, WY.
We look forward to meeting you out on the water and helping to provide a quality, professional, and friendly river experience for your group!
Our company has been featured in many national publications such as; Travel and Leisure, Better Homes and Gardens, and Mature Outlook magazines. We have also been featured on the Travel Channel and the Outdoor Life Network.
OUR TEAM
Wyoming River Trips prides itself on providing professional outdoor guiding services with a personal touch. All of our guides do an excellent job of combining their river experiences with a thorough knowledge of the Cody area. Wyoming River Trips guides’ experience is not limited to the Shoshone River, in fact their greatest asset is the experience they bring from all other rivers they have run. Our complete staff is trained in CPR and First Aid with additional guides trained in Wilderness First Aid and Swiftwater Rescue.
WRT IS A PERMITTEE OF THE SHOSHONE NATIONAL FOREST
Wyoming River Trips is the only commercial river outfitter permitted through the Shoshone National Forest. This allows WRT to operate on select sections of the North Fork of the Shoshone River, just outside of Yellowstone National Park. WRT is proud to be a partner with the Shoshone National Forest and U.S. Forest Service for over 40 years, providing exceptional river experiences and practicing Leave No Trace principles, within the nation’s first National Forest.