John was raised in Holladay, Utah and took his first backpacking trip down the Escalante River in 1978. Over the next several years his relationship with the plateau country expanded to include many trips into the remote and lightly traveled areas of southern Utah.

In 1986, John married Marsha, and they have two sons. After 13 years outside Utah working as a project manager for wireless network start-ups in nine countries across Europe and Asia, John and his family returned to Utah in 1999 landing in Bryce Valley where they built the KOA in Cannonville. They sold the KOA in 2014 to focus on their guiding business and other opportunities.

In addition to his role as a member of the Grand Staircase-Escalante Partners board, John has served other area non-profit organizations and is co-founder of the Scenic Byway 12 Foundation, the Bryce Community Foundation, and Bryce Canyon Half-Marathon and 5K. He represented five southern Utah counties on the Utah State Tourism Development Board from June 2008 to June 2019.

John enjoys spending his free time outdoors, in the garden, on his bike, and exploring public lands.