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Take A Hike Arizona Gives New View To Guided Hiking Adventures

About Take A Hike Arizona

The founders of Take a Hike Arizona Tracey Epel and June Kleier, have always had a great passion for hiking, especially within the Sonoran Desert and the beautiful, diverse terrain of the southwest. Their goal is to provide an opportunity for guests to experience, explore, and enjoy the desert in a manner that is safe, fun, and educational, while at the same time promoting preservation of the desert ecosystem.

As volunteer stewards with The McDowell Sonoran Conservancy, they came across many families, individuals and small groups who were not familiar with the trails or Arizona’s climate. As a result, these visitors did not have enough water, did not know where to go, and did not know how long the hikes were. Tracey and June saw a need to educate these visitors to help them enjoy desert hiking in a fun and safe manner.

As you hike with them, they’ll share entertaining tales of Arizona, fun and interesting facts, and point out once in a lifetime scenery along the way. They invite you to come experience, explore and enjoy the desert with them.

Meet the Guides of Take a Hike Arizona

 

Tracey Epel

Tracey has always loved seeing new places and meeting new people. She has lived in Germany and Austria, and has traveled extensively throughout Europe, the Caribbean, Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Tracey has hiked in the Alps including the Swiss, Italian and Austrian Alps. Her other hiking adventures include: Adirondacks, Appalachians, White Mountains of New Hampshire, Green Mountains of Vermont, Canada, Grand Canyon, Utah, Colorado (Vail, Ouray and Durango), San Gabriel Mountains, Puerto Rico, Yucatan Peninsula and Alaska. Her desert hiking experience includes Turkey, Southern Utah, Southern Nevada, Sonoran Desert, Grand Canyon, Chihuahuan Desert and the Mojave Desert.

After serving as a Search and Rescue Team Member with the U.S. Coast Guard, Tracey earned her B.S. in Business Administration from Bryant College, R.I. and earned her M.S. degree in Hospitality Administration from Johnson & Wales. She is a steward (volunteer) with the McDowell Sonoran Conservancy and has a National Certification in Wilderness First Aid and is CPR certified. Tracey continues to pursue her interest in desert preservation and hiking skills through continuing education. Tracey Epel lives in Scottsdale Arizona with her husband and two children. Together with June Kleier, Tracey founded Take a Hike Arizona.

 

June Kleier

June’s passion is traveling and adventure. She enjoys meeting new people from around the world. With her outgoing and fun to be with personality, June has a natural ability to make each trip an enjoyable and memorable experience. She has backpacked through 11 countries in Europe, the Australian outback, Great Smokey Mountains and Mohican State Park in Ohio. She has hiked extensively throughout the Southwest region of the U.S., including Zion National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, Yosemite National Park, Sedona, Lake Powell, Prescott and the Valley. She is a certified scuba diver and has dived the Great Barrier Reef, Hawaii, the Caribbean and Mexico.

She earned her B.A. degree in Telecommunications from Kent State University in Ohio. June has worked in the travel and tourism industry for over 9 years and was a sales training executive for over 10 years. After many years as a sales executive, June left the corporate world to become a stay-at-home mom while pursuing her passion for the outdoors and travel. June is also a steward (volunteer) with the McDowell Sonoran Conservancy. She is continually involved in desert preservation training and has a National Certification in Wilderness First Aid and is CPR certified. June Kleier lives in Scottsdale with her husband and two children. Together with Tracey Epel, she founded Take A Hike Arizona.

 

Suzie Combs

Love of the outdoors sends Suzie out of her way to explore the beautiful Sonoran Desert and to try new adventures wherever she might be.  She has been hiking on and off for years, but on a regular basis for the past five.  Arizona is her absolute favorite place to hike and it is her passion to share her knowledge about the plants, animals and ecosystem of the desert.  Living in the Phoenix area provides access to so many different types of natural areas and Suzie believes seeing the state on foot or in her Jeep is the best way to appreciate the diversity of Arizona.  When she is not hiking, Suzie enjoys snow skiing, deep sea fishing, snorkeling, surfing, working out and traveling.

Suzie earned her degree in Journalism with an emphasis in advertising from the University of Missouri.  She has worked in public relations, marketing, sales, and most recently as a stay at home mom.  Meeting new and interesting people has always been one of Suzie’s favorite things about her jobs.  Leading hikes for people who travel to Arizona is definitely a highlight of being a guide with Take A Hike Arizona.  Suzie approaches each hike with great enthusiasm and excitement and looks forward to sharing her love of the desert with guests on her hikes!