WESST Client Profiles

Desert River Guides, LLC was established in 2020 by owners Ryan and Cody Dudgeon, who grew up in the Farmington area. Desert River Guides is the first business of it’s kind to exist in the local region and has become a premier activity for residents and visitors. Combined, with 28 years of guiding experience on Class IV whitewater in Idaho and Montana, Cody and Ryan have rafted many of the rivers in the Southwest. They know what it takes to provide safe and excellent customer service and strive to meet the needs and expectations of everyone who hops on a raft. It has long been a dream to open an outdoor recreation business that promotes and supports recreation on the Animas and San Juan Rivers.

Cody began working with the WESST Farmington Women’s Business Center in March of 2020. Cody and Ryan were scheduled to open in May of 2020; however, due to the onset of COVID-19, they decided to push back the opening for safety concerns and set a new opening date of May 2021. Cody identified early on that he would need a 15-passenger van to transport his customers to his rafting access point along the San Juan and Animas river but did not have the additional money to purchase a van. Cody completed several one-on-one consultations with WESST and received assistance specifically with business plan organization. Even though Cody delayed the start of his business in 2020, he successfully opened his doors in May of 2021 and provided over 1200 guided raft rides between May and October 2021.