Education

The Grand Canyon and Yellowstone Adventures are tremendous educational opportunities for students. In addition to the important character-building aspects of student travel, the participants will be exposed to a constant stream of interactive lessons in science, history and photography. The students will be outdoors the majority of the trip, and will learn by hands-on experience with docents and expert guides. In this age of computers, television and video games, we find that students benefit from education combined with movement and outdoor activity. Some of these include:

Grand Canyon

Lake Mead

The forces that have shaped the area around Lake Mead  include collisions between continents, extension that stretched and fractured the Earth’s crust, volcanic eruptions, inundation by tropical seas, growth and decline of great deserts and lakes, and finally, sculpting of the land by water and wind. Evidence of these processes is dramatically displayed in Lake Mead National Recreation Area.

Guided Hoover Dam Tour
Grand Classroom participants take the "Discovery Tour" at Hoover dam that allows them to hear a lectured presentation by professional guides, access to the Exhibit Hall, Visitor's Center, the indoor/outdoor observations decks and a 25 minute movie on the dam's original construction.

Viewing this magnificent, massive man made structure creates a respect for man's accomplishments. The strong desire to harness nature's power drove the human mind and body to build Hoover Dam in the hottest, driest area of the United States. In doing so, the seasonal flooding of the Colorado River was eliminated and millions of people now have drinking water and irrigation during the dry season. Students learn how the builders triumphed over environmental and engineering difficulties to complete the monumental task to build the largest dam known to man in 1935.

Museum of Northern Arizona with docent
Groups visit the Museum of Northern Arizona and view exhibits relating to the Museum's four main disciplines: anthropology, biology, geology, and fine art. The Museum has permanent exhibits in five galleries and changing exhibits in three additional galleries.

IMAX - Grand Canyon "The Hidden Secrets"
The students view this 35 minute IMAX movie, getting an overview of the spectacular vistas, the history of its explorations, and the hidden canyon experiences. The movie is a great combination of entertainment and education for our groups and a comprehensive introduction to what they are about to see in the canyon.

Grand Canyon tour with guide/Hike with guide (to ability)
The groups spend two days at the Grand Canyon.  The second day is spent with a licensed local guide who organizes hikes for the group based on ability and weather conditions.

Subjects covered include the human history of the canyon. Following 300 years of missionaries, trappers, explorers, government surveyors and soldiers, Major John Wesley Powell and his party of nine made the first successful boat trip down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon in 1869. By the late 1800s, the spectacular beauty of the Canyon began to draw both visitors and businessmen alike. In 1901 the first Santa Fe passenger train arrived at the South Rim. Grand Canyon became a national monument in 1908 and on February 26, 1919, it was designated as the seventeenth national park.

They will also learn quite a bit about the geology of the Grand Canyon. Although there is not a definitive answer to how it was formed, there are some truths that will be discovered by the students. The most powerful force to have an impact on the Grand Canyon is erosion, primarily by water (and ice) and second by wind. Other forces that contributed to the Canyon's formation are the course of the Colorado river itself, vulcanism, continental drift and slight variations in the earths orbit which in turn causes variations in seasons and climate.

For information on Grand Canyon geology, click here.

For information on Grand Canyon flora and fauna, click here.

For information on Grand Canyon history, click here.

Guided Colorado River Float starting at Lee's Ferry
The Grand Canyon officially begins at Lee's Ferry, and the students take a half-day float trip to this launching point.  The students will view the Kaibab formation, a light band of limestone angling out above the water  the upper layer at the rim of the Grand Canyon gorge. This limestone was deposited in horizontal layers at the bottom of an inland sea more than 200 million years ago. Subsequently, as these layers uplifted and warped, the Colorado River sliced down through them. The Kaibab Formation becomes visible here, 3,000 feet above sea level, and climbs to 8,500 feet at the North Rim of Grand Canyon, 90 river miles away. Licensed guides ride with the groups on the boats to give them an expert description.

Lowell Observatory
Grand Classroom groups visit the Lowell Observatory's evening program, which features telescope viewing and a discussion of the night sky. The students get a look through the historic Clark Telescope and may view celestial objects such as the moon, planets Saturn, Jupiter and Mars, globular and open star clusters, double stars, nebulae, and more!

Tour of Wupatki
One of the more popular tour stops is Wupatki National Monument. It was once home to prehistoric Anasazi and Sinagua farmers and traders -- the Hisatsinom, as their Hopi descendants call them. Today, this 54 square miles of the Monument preserves many free-standing masonry pueblos, field houses, rock art, pottery, baskets and tools -- extraordinary evidence of a varied and complex lifestyle. Altogether, more than 2,700 archeological sites have been cataloged at Wupatki National Monument.

For more information on Wupatki and Sunset Crater, click here.

Sunset Crater
Students enjoy seeing this volcanic crater formed just before 1100 AD. Its upper portion is colored as if by a sunset. Sunset Crater appeared when molten rock was ejected into the air from a small crack in the Earth's crust. When this material fell to the ground, it was already solid and came down as large bombs and smaller cinders. This volcanic activity continued over 200 years building and re-shaping the cone and eventually creating a 1,000-foot cinder cone volcano around the vent. An 800 square mile radius was dusted with ash from this volcano. Lava flowed from the fissure both in 1064 and again in 1180. Over time new gas vents opened up forming spatter cones around the main cinder cone. In a final burst of activity, around 1250, lava containing iron and sulfur shot out of the vent. This lava then oxidized red and yellow, these colors painting the crater with a permanent "sunset" so bright that it appears still to glow from intense inner heat.

For more information on Wupatki and Sunset Crater, click here.

EDUCATIONAL LINKS

Lake Mead Recreation Area:

General Information

Hoover Dam:  
History

FAQ's
Further Educational Information

Museum of Northern Arizona:
Homepage and Exhibits

IMAX Theater:
Homepage

Grand Canyon:
General Park Information
Geology

Colorado River Float Trip Launching Point:
Description of Lee's Ferry

Lowell Observatory:
Online Newsletter
Star Tales

Wupatki:
General information

Sunset Crater:
General Information

Zion:
General Park Information

Bryce Canyon:
General Park Information

Grand Canyon Species List:

List - pdf

Havasupai

Havasupai Tribe Information

Yellowstone

Yellowstone is the world's first national park.  In 1872, President Ulysses S. Grant passed Yellowstone's Organic Act, it set the area aside from settlement or sale.  It was to be a place where the public could go to enjoy nature and see its wonders.  Students receive unparalleled opportunities to see wildlife in its true habitat.  Groups also hike in elevations high enough to see snow in the middle of the summer, hike the Continental Divide, and bask in the majesty of the Tetons. 

Yellowstone Geology and Geothermic Features

Yellowstone is a hotbed of geologic activity.  All puns aside, the geothermic activity of the region remains vigorous.  This activity causes concern in some that a volcanic eruption in the area is imminent.  These concerns, however, are unfounded.  Scientists believe that an eruption, if it occurs, could be anywhere from 1,000 to 10,000 years away and they hope to be able to detect it in advance. 

Yellowstone is also home to more than half of the world's geothermic features.  Three-fourths of the world's geysers can be found in Yellowstone.  Steamboat Geyser is the world's tallest geyser and is located in the Norris Geyser Basin.  Along with geysers, hot springs, mudpots, and fumaroles constitute Yellowstone's vast geothermic activity.

Geysers, Hot Springs and Fumaroles  Water that originated as rain or snow percolates deep underground where it is heated by magma that is close to the earth's surface.  The magma superheats the water but instead of becoming steam, the pressure of the rock and heat keep the water in liquid form.  This superheated water then begins rising to the surface due to the pressure and heat of the water and magma below.  As it moves, if its path is constricted, the pressure builds until it is eventually forced up to the surface and into the air, forming a geyser.  When the path is not constricted, the water is able to reach the surface and pool, forming a hot spring.  Fumaroles, also called steam vents, are like hot springs, but without enough water to sustain a pool so by the time the water reaches the surface it is mostly steam. 

Old Faithful

It's not the tallest, the oldest, or the most regularly erupting, but Old Faithful is probably the world's most popular and well-known geyser.  With eruptions of more than 100 feet and intervals generally ranging from 66-90 minutes, Old Faithful attracts tens of thousands of visitors every year. 

Wildlife

Yellowstone is all about wildlife.  Visitors receive unique opportunities to see numerous wild animals in their undisturbed habitats.  It is not uncommon to see black bears, elk, moose, wolves, deer, eagles, bighorn sheep, or bison.  Bison (often mistakenly referred to as buffalo) are a story of struggle against adversity.  With numbers in North America  estimated around 65 million in the early nineteenth century, hunters and poachers slaughtered them to near extinction by the end of that century.  An estimated 1,000 remained around 1890.  However, thanks to federal protection and preservation, they have experienced a resurgence.  Today, wildlife experts estimate that around 3,500 live in Yellowstone National Park.

Antelope Island State Park

Antelope Island is the largest of 10 islands in the Great Salt Lake.  Visitors have the opportunity to sunbathe, picnic, hike, camp, horseback ride, cross country ski (in winter) and view copious wildlife.  Along with its namesake, elk, coyotes, deer, bison, and waterfowl are not uncommon sights. 

Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center

Located a block away from the entrance to Yellowstone National Park, the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center is a non-profit preserve dedicated to bears and wolves.  The wolves provide a vessel into the complex ecology of Yellowstone National Park and the western wilds overall.  The bears at the center were removed from their natural habitats because they became too acclimated with human contact or were orphaned in the wild and could not survive on their own. 

The bears live in dens and are grouped with different bears regularly to provide social stimulation.  Bear handlers also hide food, encouraging the bears to forage.  They also stock the ponds with trout to encourage the bears to fish.  This helps foster natural instincts and keep the bears wild at heart.

The wolves at the center live together continually on a tract provided for them.  Living together allows them to act naturally as a pack.  Viewing pack behavior creates a window into the social structure of the wolf and lets visitors and researchers alike better understand the creatures. 

Grand Teton National Park

The Tetons are a mountain range in Wyoming about 40 miles long and between seven and nine miles wide.  Grand Teton is the highest point, reaching an elevation of 13,770 feet. Animals abound in Grand Teton National Park as bears, wolves, mountain lions, weasels, foxes, moose, bison, antelopes, and plenty more reside there. 

Most know the Tetons for their exceptional beauty as geologic forces of glaciers, plate tectonics, erosion, and volcanism all helped form these mighty mountains. 

EDUCATIONAL LINKS

Yellowstone National Park
General Park Information

Antelope Island State Park
General Information

Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center

Old Faithful
http://www.nps.gov/yell/tours/oldfaithful/index.htm

http://www.wyojones.com/oldfaith.htm

Old Faithful Webcam

Yellowstone Geothermic Resource Page

Grand Teton National Park
General Park Information

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