Matt Shepherd

Tom-Mitchell-Tour-Guide-Utah-Luxury-Tours

Matt is a Utah native who was born in Salt Lake City. He has worked with Utah Luxury Tours since 2013. Although every destination “has so much going for it,” Moab is his favorite to show first time clients. He loves seeing the emotion arise on their faces and compares it to a child opening a gift on Christmas day. He began his outdoor adventures as a young scout where he acquired many survival techniques, such as tying knots, starting a fire, and spearing a fish with a stick. If needed, he could easily survive in the wilderness by killing a bear, skinning it, grilling it, and wearing its fur to stay warm. Being a Utah native, Matt’s pride runs deep, as does his knowledge. “Our culture is built on enlightenment,” he says, and we strive for an “intellectual and artistic excellence.” However, the outdoors is what seems to keep Matt humble in knowing there is something greater than Man’s achievements. “What makes Utah so special is its vast diversity in such a relatively small space.”

Having traveled extensively around the United States, he gives the most credit to Utah in having such a wide variety of terrain and broad differences in its ecosystems. “You can drive through Utah in 8 hours and see deserts, mountains, lakes and rivers.” When asked why he chooses to do this line of work he smiles and says, “it beats the hell out of working in an office!” Matt studies and does a lot of research at home when he’s not leading tours. He loves the information he gets to share with clients. He finds this line of work incredibly interesting and holds that his professional development is “perfectly aligned” with his personal interests. “Leading our tours is almost like an artistic undertaking and a labor of love, which is why I feel really good about it.” Being an outdoorsman doesn’t mean Matt misses out on the finer things in life. He has exquisite taste in topics ranging from French cuisine to Classical music: The fine arts to the finest luxury. Having been a gourmet chef in his time, Matt would be the one to recommend only the best dishes in the best restaurants.

What makes Matt so intriguing is his ability to articulate words in a way that only he can do. He’s a perfectionist and it shows. He is continuously trying to invest in himself both intellectually and skillfully. He enjoys spending his free time mountain biking, hiking, or skiing. He currently resides in Salt Lake City near historic Temple Square.

Our three-generation family of 11 would agree, hands down, that our fabulous guide, Matt, made our Utah Mighty Five Tour a trip of a lifetime! He had great enthusiasm and much knowledge of the history, geology, and sites. He exceeded our expectations and went the extra mile for our comfort. He showed personal care and attentiveness to all of us, and the kids loved "Mr. Matt!" Utah Luxury Tour staff was excellent in tailoring our tour to our family's needs and interests. It was perfect! Communication was frequent and detailed, and we felt confident and prepared. We highly recommend this company and will use them again!

We have used Utah Luxury Tours twice and both times they have created amazing family adventures. In the Spring, we explored Zion National Park, and in the Summer, we did Grand Tetons and Yellowstone. We had the same guide, Matt Shepard, for both trips, and it was wonderful. He was engaging and knowledgable. We traveled with a very wide age range (from 7 years old to 71 years old), which can be tricky in trying to put together hikes and excursions that would be enjoyable for such a large age range. Utah Luxury was able to do it! They put together a fun itinerary and made the vacation so easy. We highly recommend them and looking forward to planning our next adventure.