For 2025, the River Runners Hall of Fame selection committee has chosen individuals known for their work as educators, writers, and historians. This year’s honorees are Loie and Buzz Belknap, guidebook creators and Sportyak pioneers; Gary Nichols, Utah’s “King of Kayaking” and dedicated outdoor educator; and Brad Dimock, historian, storyteller, boat builder, and long-standing “recidivist” river guide. The committee has also chosen to induct Bessie and Glen Hyde, a long-overdue recognition of their historic 1928 attempt to navigate the Grand Canyon in a wooden sweep scow.

Each of these individuals has, in some way, made river running more accessible.  They’ve written the guidebooks and the history books, and they’ve physically brought people into the river community through college courses or by putting them at the oars of their very own Sportyak. Even the Hydes, despite their tragic end, showed that you didn’t have to be a scientist or a surveyor to run the Colorado River.

We look forward to seeing you at the museum on October 3 and 4, 2025! Stay tuned for more details regarding event activities and tickets.