THIS ACCTIVITY IS CURRENTLY UNAVAILABLE PENDING FUNDING.

OYSTER BED TOUR

Travel from the Entrada Sandstone over the Curtis and Summerville Formations. Through the Morrison Formation up over the Cedar Mountain and Dakota Sandstone cap to the Tununk layer of the Mancos Shale. Up onto the ancient Pycnodonte newberryi Oyster Beds. (The Pycnodonte newberryi are in the Gryphaea species of the Cretaceous period 90 to 130 million years old. This link is to the Gryphaea page on Wikipedia.org which we contributed to). From here the view is across the Tununk Fraction to the Ferron Sandstone cap on top. An interesting stop along the trail is the Mars Society's: Mars Desert Research Station situated on the Morrison Formation below the rim of the Mancos Trail. It features the Musk Observatory. Very Cool!

PETRIFIED FOREST TOUR

The Petrified Forest Tour begins as we move south of Hanksville, Utah toward the Henry Mountains along a view that ranges from the Entrada Formation through the Curtis, Summerville and onto the Tidwell portion of the Morrison Formation. Riding up to and around some of the largest known petrified logs in the southwest is a unique experience that can only be realized by those who have seen them. Massive sections of ancient trees 3ft. in diameter lying where they fell during a long ago cataclysmic event, inspires one to imagine the geological changes that must have taken place in that ancient time. Approximately 160 million years have passed since that devastating event.

GEODE MESA TOUR

To reach Geode Mesa we travel north from Hanksville, Utah then along Muddy Creek and north again through a small canyon wash to the top. Across the plain, past the "Natural Fort" through the Entrada Formation, then up onto the Curtis Formation. Geode Mesa is in the Curtis Formation. Traveling north across the mesa there are many areas covered with whole and fragmented geodes. Farther north back down onto the Entrada Formation we navigate the beautiful canyons leading to monolithic structures.

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