Riding The Wave of Success
Louis Williams is the owner of Ancient Wayves River & Hiking Adventure, LLC, a business grounded in conservation and preservation-focused river and hiking tours. His work stands out as one of the few Native American-run operations in the recreation industry.
Louis and his team of local native guides add heartfelt stories and share the significance of the land from a Navajo (Diné) and Indigenous perspective. They engage their guests with the land, water, animals, and plants.
Ancient Wayves, based near the Four Corners region, provides guided hiking tours throughout the Northern Navajo Nation and the Bears Ears region. These tours are available to the local, domestic, and international community.
Currently, Louis is working with the Bureau of Land Management to expand river tours along the San Juan River from Shiprock, New Mexico, to Clay Hill, Utah. In 2020, Ancient Wayves obtained the first commercial river permit to be granted by Navajo Nation.
Louis believes in his mission to preserve the culture and share the environmental and geological history of the region.
Since the launch of Ancient Wayves in February 2020, the demand for his unique Native American tours has been high despite opening as the COVID-19 pandemic closed down national and tribal parks, halting international travel. Unable to qualify for COVID-relief funding, Ancient Wayves, LLC reached out to the USU Blanding SBDC as a resource.
The grit and hustle of Louis are apparent as he tirelessly works with Meghan McFall to obtain training. With sheer determination, he believes in his mission to preserve the cultures and share the environmental and geological history of the region.
When asked about the support provided, Louis said, “Ancient Wayves has received a tremendous amount of help from the SBDC staff. They have helped us in many ways: marketing, accounting, leadership, and getting funding. We extend limitless thanks to the SBDC office in Blanding for helping our company grow.”
Business Assisted by The SBDC At:
