44. FEATURE. CAR AND DRIVER. OCT/2019Nena Barlow describes herself as an
“adventure enabler,” a term she made up
on the spot when asked what she does. Her
quick thinking doesn’t stop at wordplay.
It’s a skill she uses on the trails and in her
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Jeep rentals, guided tours, and classes in
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daily life. After college, she got work as a
Jeep tour guide in Sedona. “It was just a
quick and easy thing to do until I settled
down, grew up, and got a real job,” she
says. “But that just never happened—the
settling down and growing up.” The tours
were so popular that Barlow started the
Sedona Jeep School in 2004 , which went
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in less than a year. It would eventually give
rise to Barlow Adventures, in 2009.
“Every thing we do is about people
driving their own adventure,” says Barlow,
adding that those adventures can range
from a half day of easy trail riding in a
rented Jeep to preparing for the Baja 1000
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competition for women. The tours showNena Barlow
Barlow AdventuresThe Guide
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FACES
case the history of areas such as Moab,
Sedona, and the Rubicon Trail. Today’s
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gives them so much more appreciation.”
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companies have hired her as a consultant
and instructor. Barlow enjoys every aspect
of the job, but she loves nothing more than
being out there herself, exploring the
unknown. “It’s not about the hardest or
the most remote trail. I’ve just got to know
where the road goes.” —Elana Scherr
photograph by BLAIR BUNTING