Geology Field Trips - Photos

Over President's Day Weekend we had the culmination of our Geology block: field trips!

All of my notes for our stories and activities for Geology and Mineralogy are here at waldorfcurriculum.com.

For our field trip itineraries, we used the excellent book Geology Underfoot in Illinois:


On the site I have links to all of the books from the Roadside Geology series so you can find the one for your state!

We did three itineraries (#32, #36, #33) but we ran out of time for #35. Although Garden of the Gods (#34) is supposed to be quite beautiful, we decided not to visit it because people fall and are killed there too often.

#32 - A Fault-Seeking Expedition (02/17/17)
Fountain Bluff to the Pine Hills Escarpment, Jackson County

Devil's Backbone Park and Tower Rock, Grand Tower IL
Inspiration Point Trail, Shawnee National Forest, Wolf Lake IL

#36 - The Little River That Couldn't (02/18/17)
Hamletsburg to Cache River State Natural Area, Pope and Johnson Counties

read Charles Dickens quote from page 276 regarding Cairo IL, the much-lauded junction of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers
Dixon Springs State Park, Golconda IL
Cache River State Natural Area and Heron Pond Trail, Belknap IL
Barkhausen-Cache River Wetlands Center, Cypress IL
open Wednesday to Sunday, 9 am to 4 pm

#33 - Sandstone Gorges, Rock Shelters, and a Natural Bridge (02/20/17)
Bell Smith Springs, Pope County

Bell Smith Springs Recreational Area, Ozark IL
Natural Bridge Trail, 1.5 miles, marked with a yellow blaze

#35 - The Geologic Wonders of an (Almost) Undiscovered Country
Hicks Dome to Cave-in-Rock State Park, Hardin County

formation of Hicks Dome in Southern Illinois article
Illinois Iron Furnace Historic Site, Elizabethtown IL
Cave-in-Rock State Park, Cave-in-Rock IL

Here are some photos from our very enjoyable Friday, Saturday, and Monday:

Devil's Backbone Park

look Mom!

a barge on the Mississippi River

Inspiration Point Trail

at the summit

looking down on the Missippi River and Big Muddy River floodplain

ambling back down

Cache River State Natural Area - Heron Pond Trail

a rainy hike

Barkhausen-Cache River Wetlands Center

this area is part of the riverbed from the ancient Ohio River, before the floodmelt and debris from a glacier moved it to its present location

enjoying the exhibits

timeline of the region

viewing area - it was too wet to walk on the boardwalk through the wetlands

Bell Smith Springs Recreational Area

our hiking group - two teens, two tweens, a toddler and me

finally, I remember to have a picture with me in it!

fording Bay Creek - yes, it's February - yes, it was COLD!!!!

view from on top of the natural bridge

view of the natural bridge from below

Leah runs over - "we stood on top of this???"

the largest natural bridge in Illinois

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