Desert Hostel 2009

Color Country and The Water Pocket Fold

Members $1245, NonMembers $1295 based on double occupancy. 

Single supplement $250;
Registration deadline July 31, 2009

Join Paul Remeika, retired Ranger at Anza-Borrego Desert State Park and field expert on Anza-Borrego's geology and paleontology, on a fascinating one-of-a-kind 4-wheel drive field trip through Utah's Color Country and the backcountry fantasyland known as the Grand Staircase. The scenery is remarkably unparalleled, from the towering 2,000 foot, crossbedded sandstone cliffs in Zion Canyon to the wonderland of fossil and stone displayed in the Waterpocket Fold of Capitol Reef National Park.

This field trip is dedicated to those adventurous souls who wish to learn more about the upper half of a wonderous geologic ladder that steps from the dinosaur-bearing river systems of the Moenkopi Formation, to the raised and eroded edges of the limestone tablelands along the Paunsaugunt Plateau at Bryce Canyon. We will span a masterpiece of geological and biological diversity in five different life zones that are unequaled anywhere on earth, while viewing towering sandstone cliffs, narrow slot canyons, hoodoos and balanced rocks, petrified forests, dinosaur remains, arches, and a slickrock backcountry.  This is where many secrets of earth's history are revealed, separated by lush national forests of pine, spruce, and quaking aspen, beckon us to explore them more closely.

Touch and learn about floodplain deposits and lakes of the Moenave Formation, the shifting sands of a vast Navajo Sandstone desert, and shorelines and swamps in the Mancos Shale of the Western Interior Seaway. Carried away from this Alice-in-Wonderland of sculptured rock are vast quantities of sands, silts, and clays that are now re-deposited in Anza-Borrego as part of the Fish Creek, Carrizo, and Borrego Badlands! Investigate and learn how Cretaceous-age diagnostic microfossils from the Waterpocket Fold provide convincing evidence that the geologic evolution of the ancestral Colorado River is intimately connected between the Colorado Plateau and Anza-Borrego.

Days 1 & 2

Days 1 and 2 will serve as an introduction to the St.George Basin situated between the transition from the faulted Basin-and-Range countryside west of the Hurricane Fault to the uplifted tableland of the Colorado Plateau east of the fault. We drive to Bryce Canyon and focus on the Pink Cliffs and the hoodoos of stone at Bryce Canyon atop the Grand Staircase.

Days 3, 4 & 5

Days 3, 4, and 5 concentrate on the Waterpocket Fold, where 14 spectacular geologic formations are wrinkled into a gigantic monocline featuring multicolored escarpments and deeply eroded canyons. Side trips will cover, weather-permitting, Hell's Backbone, the switchbacks of the Burr Trail, and Cathedral Valley, with a special stop at the recently discovered Hanksville-Burpee Dinosaur Quarry, and an afternoon hiking opportunity through the whimsical serenity of Goblin Valley featuring the Entrada Sandstone. Other points of interest will feature the Wolverine Petrified Forest and Jurassic-age oyster and clam beds that yield a plentitude of "devil's toenails" fossils.

Day 6

Day 6 will be a scenic travel day following dirt roads south through the 1.9 million acre Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, ending at Marble Canyon Lodge.

Day 7

Day 7 is a half-day smooth-water raft trip on the cold, blue-green waters of the Colorado River flowing downstream from Glen Canyon Dam, following the path of John Wesley Powell through the sheer sandstone walls of Navajo Sandstone in Glen Canyon, all the while familiarizing each participant with the wonders of the White Cliffs and Vermilion Cliffs, and putting out at historic Lee's Ferry. The evening's festivities include the famous barbeque at Marble Canyon Lodge.

Day 8

Day 8 is an optional visit to North Rim for a roadside lunch at Cape Royal or Point Imperial.

What's included: Accommodations: 7 nights of accommodation in comfortable and sometimes rustic motels with private baths, double occupancy. Singles are available at an additional cost. Almost all meals. Food will be basic but healthy. Half-day smooth-water raft trip. Handout materials.

What is not included: Transportation. Participants are required to bring their own vehicles (4-wheel drive is required), carpooling is encouraged. We expect to travel at least 400+ miles during the trip. Vehicles should be well maintained and in good working order - properly equipped with necessary gear for low desert and high plateau (at least 8,000 feet above sea level) touring. In the unlikely event that a vehicle becomes disabled during the trip, every attempt to fix the problem will be made, however, the owner will be responsible for attending to the matter and the field trip will continue without unnecessary delay. Gratuities for the bus driver to Page, Arizona, the smooth-water raft trip boatman, and BBQ chef are always welcome and appreciated.  National Park fees (use your NPS passes).  State Park fees.

Physical difficulty: Most stops will feature informative field study visits that involve standing and/or walking within close proximity to the vehicles but on uneven terrain. Some canyon jaunts and short hikes through the hoodoos such as in Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, and at Goblin Valley. Carry water, food, and essential first-aid equipment. Also wear protective sunscreen, and hat. Don't forget your camera.

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