Come and join the Old Trail Museum’s Geo Tours to learn the history of the Rocky Mountain Front, this beautiful stretch of land the Blackfeet call the Miistakis, or “The Backbone of the World”.
Starting in the summer of 2024, the Old Trail Museum will expand its regional tour offerings to include Geo Tours of the Rocky Mountain Front. Old Trail Museum Director Sean Doyle will be leading these new tours which will explore the unique geology, glaciology and geomorphology of the Rocky Mountain Front. Sean’s deep experience in the mountains of the region will give visitors insight into the rugged and distinctive terrain of the Rocky Mountain Front, how the reefs and mountains were created and how the Ice Age glaciers shaped the modern day Rocky Mountain Front and its several canyons.
Visitors will get to see and learn about the geology of the Rocky Mountain Front and its world-class examples of imbricate thrust faulting. Along our tour, we will encounter several different faults and anticlines, learning the geological histories of the beautiful reefs, gulches, mountains and canyons of the Rocky Mountain Front. We will also learn about several unique geological characteristics of the Rocky Mountain Front, such as the very rare klippes and fensters present in the region, and the destructive forces of landslides and stürzstroms.
In addition to the geology of the Rocky Mountain Front, the geo tours will cover the glaciological history of the region, examining and exploring several different glacial features that still exist in the present day. The area was host to several types of glaciers, from massive ice sheets to alpine glaciers, ice caps and several rare Piedmont glaciers. In addition to these glaciers, the region was home to massive glacial lakes that covered thousands of acres. While these glaciers and glacial lakes may be long gone now, we will explore their lasting impact on the landscape and ecosystem of the Rocky Mountain Front.
2024 Old Trail Museum Geo Tour dates will be June 29th and August 3rd. Both of these tours in 2024 will focus on Sun Canyon near Augusta, Montana.
Tours will meet in Augusta, Montana at 9:00am on these dates. Visitors are encouraged to bring enough food and water for a 4-6 hour tour. While transportation is not provided, carpooling is encouraged. Please, no children under 12 and no pets on the tour. If interested in signing up for a geo tour or if you have any questions, please feel free to contact Old Trail Museum Director Sean Doyle at (406) 466-5332 or leave an email at oldtrail2@gmail.com.
