The geologic formations and their associated waterfalls in the Tapeats and Deer Creek drainages are as informative as they are breathtaking. From the sinuous Deer Creek narrows that give birth to Deer Creek Falls, to the ripple marks of an ancient beach frozen in billion-year-old rock downstream from today’s Thunder River, there is truly a delight at every turn. These oases will punctuate a week’s worth of in-depth geology during this high-intensity backpack.

Topics will include depositional environments, stratigraphy, hydrology, volcanism, climate and paleontology. Utilizing the historic Bill Hall Trail to descend from the North Rim, the group will follow in the footsteps of both ancient indigenous cultures and yesteryear’s Mormon ranchers. Subsequent days will follow the serpentine trails across the Esplanade and Surprise Valley en route to the Colorado River, the primary carver of the grandest of canyons. This class will head into the field after an orientation in Fredonia, Arizona. Participants will carpool over rough but reliable dirt-and-gravel U.S. Forest Service roads.