About

1976  & Beyond – Arizona Natives

1976 and beyond- the owner of Canyon Paddle, Gary Krauser, was born in Tempe, AZ in 1976. He grew up in Mesa, AZ and all growing up he camped and swam all over the state. Many weekends were spent during high school years on both Canyon & Saguaro lake.

 

As a lot of AZ kids did growing up, many summers were spent in San Diego snorkeling, surfing, body boarding and body surfing. Gary spent 1 1/2 years living in San Diego in Junior high and has always had a love for the water.

 

Not only does Gary love his home state of AZ, he has a deep connection to San Diego and Southern California.

 

Gary graduated from Westwood High School in Mesa, AZ in 1994 and moved to South America in 1995 where he learned to speak the Spanish language in Bolivia.

 

He has lived in the same house in Gilbert, AZ since 1998.

 

Gary loves to travel with his family and Canyon Paddle Boards have been in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, the Gulf of Mexico and many rivers in between.

 

2010 – First Canoe Trip Down the Salt River

Our love for the river started on a random trip with some friends and some rented canoes. It was that day that we began introducing others to the beauty of the river. Many river trips with canoes were made.

2011 –  Introduced to Kayaking & the Upper Salt River

A whole new world was opened up once we sat in a kayak. The control difference was amazing and our love for the river only intensified. We spent as much time as we could on the lower salt river and were limited to one time per year on the upper salt.

2017 – The Paddleboard Era Began

While kayaking with a group, a friend brought his paddleboard. In his words, “it’s the best way to go down the river”. While we thought he was crazy, he was right. Canoeing was fun, kayaking was amazing but, standing on the water and paddling down the river offered a totally different experience. On a paddleboard, you can see so much more of the river and its banks. We continue to kayak rapids on the Verde and upper salt but our greatest love is truly paddle boarding the lower salt.

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