Tom Skeele

As a child growing up in the Northeast, Tom found his greatest joy running around the woods, sailing the New England coast and traveling to the Bahamas. At 20, Tom solidified his love of nature and adventure while hiking the northern 400 miles of the Appalachian Trail. A life focused on celebrating and caring for nature was beginning to unfold. After earning a degree in recreation and park management with an emphasis on outdoor education from the University of Oregon, Tom spent his twenties as an environmental educator and wilderness guide. This included stints with Outward Bound, working in Yosemite National Park and managing youth trail crews throughout the western states. Shifting from education to advocacy, Tom spent two decades as a nonprofit executive and board member for conservation organizations doing work in the U.S. Northern Rockies and Canadian Rockies. His role focused on maintaining wildlife movement corridors and promoting coexistence between people and wildlife. On the side, Tom led small-group tours in Yellowstone and Glacier national parks.

Shifting from education to advocacy, Tom spent two decades as a nonprofit executive and board member for conservation organizations doing work in the U.S. Northern Rockies and Canadian Rockies. His work focused on maintaining wildlife movement corridors and promoting coexistence between people and wildlife. On the side, Tom led small-group tours in Yellowstone and Glacier national parks.

Following a hiatus for a 7-month, 13-country personal adventure around the world, Tom turned his focus toward an international context. For eight years he served as executive director, fundraiser, communications coordinator and consultant for multiple nonprofits and social enterprises in the areas of economic development, environmental conservation, health, renewable energy and sustainable community development. This included a stint as executive director of the International League of Conservation Photographers.

Since returning to the life of an adventure travel guide in 2019, Tom has led trips in national parks and other public lands throughout the western U.S. as well as Alaska, Australia, Baja and the Bahamas. He became a Nat Hab Expedition Leader in 2022. Tom spends his free time hiking and sea kayaking in his home base of California’s Monterey Bay, while also going on personal travel adventures across North America and beyond.

Praise from Nat Hab travelers:

B. Davis
"Tom was an excellent Expedition Leader! He was always attentive to the needs of our group, both collectively and individually. We learned so much from him about the various aspects of Alaska and the numerous areas that we visited, and he made our time in Alaska interesting and fun. A rating of 10 is not high enough for Tom!"

M. Hamburgh
"Tom was excellent. Extremely knowledgeable, enthusiastic and helpful. For example, he would not let a group member carry their own baggage if he could do it! He was also personable and had a wonderful sense of humor."

C. Burns
"Great leader, very knowledgeable, flexible and always willing to accommodate the needs of the travelers. Tom's enthusiasm for nature and wildlife was contagious. He went out of his way to see that all requests from the group were met if at all possible. He gets an A+ from me, and I would love to travel with him again!"

J. Corbin
"I really enjoyed having Tom as our trip leader. He is very personable, very knowledgeable and very flexible. He is also a skilled photographer, and he has shared some fabulous photos and videos of our trip."

J. Bleau
"Tom was caring and and his love of wildlife was contagious. He was knowledgeable and talked about the area and all the animals that we encountered."

S. Bund
"Tom’s leadership, expert knowledge of the natural world, sensitivity to all of our needs, warmth of personality, and joy in sighting every animal we encountered made him the best Expedition Leader we have ever had! He taught us so much and was with us every minute, sharing the experience and seemingly enjoying it as much as we did. I will always be grateful for his leadership, knowledge, resourcefulness and caring. He is stellar!"

S. Tourangeau
"Tom was attentive to our needs and his excitement for natural wonders was contagious. For any questions he could not answer on the spot, he always found a way to give an answer within the same day."

B. Harberg
"Tom was fabulous! He seemed to care about all of us and was always available to help us. We were lucky to have such an outstanding guide."

L. Kinney
"Tom was everything I had hoped for in a leader! He was personable, intelligent, and shared his knowledge freely."

S. Joseph
"Tom was fab! His willingness and eagerness to capture photos and video for the group is greatly appreciated. His information-sharing style was easily understandable and never made me feel like it was over my head. His appreciation for nature and ecology is infectious. I learned a great deal about the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem."

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