For Right-Brained People

Geology Tour of the Yampa River

In Dinosaur National Monument

“Standing opposite the rock, our words are repeated with startling clearness, but in a soft, mellow tone, that transforms them into magical music. Scarcely can one believe it is the echo of his own voice. In some places two or three echoes come back; in other places they repeat themselves, passing back and forth across the river between this rock and the eastern wall. To hear these repeated echoes well, we must shout. Some of the party aver that ten or twelve repetitions can be heard. To me, they seem rapidly to diminish and merge by multiplicity, like telegraph poles on an outstretched plain. I have observed the same phenomenon once before in the cliffs near Long’s Peak, and am pleased to meet with it again.”

John Wesley Powell at the confluence of the Yampa and Green Rivers, June 17, 1869

2022 Geology Trip

Yampa River
5 days

June 19 – June 23

$1,299 per adult

$1099 per youth

The Yampa River canyon in Dinosaur National Monument is beautiful. For 46 miles it cuts its way through the relatively soft Weber sandstone, creating some unique features and jaw-dropping scenery. Haystack Rock, Mather’s Hole, Grand Overhang, and the iconic Tiger Wall are just a few of the pieces of visual eye-candy that stand out in a canyon full of scenic treats. Every day on the Yampa is fascinating. And then we arrive at Echo Park (described above), where we get to yell and transition to the Green River for another day and a half (25 miles) of more diverse and complicated geology.

Throughout it all, Dave Cook will be our rock tour guide. Dave knows a lot about rocks and deserts and history and hiking and John Wesley Powell. And he likes to share all that knowledge in a fun and accessible style. Even if you don’t think you are even remotely curious about geology, Dave is sure to find something to get you to think about. And once you start, well, we’re sure you’ll have a lot of questions.

Meet Dave Cook

the rock star of the show

Dave Cook is a Principal Geologist with Aspect Consulting in Seattle, Washington. He received a bachelor’s degree in Geology from Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio; completed his geologic field camp near Bozeman, Montana; and obtained his master’s degree in Geology from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona. It is in Flagstaff where things got interesting for Dave. He learned to backpack and survive with limited water in extreme desert conditions, and figured out that the west is where he needed to spend his life. And, after his first brutal 14-mile hike to his thesis area in the Grand Canyon, he learned that rafting 60 miles downriver was a far more pleasant way of accessing geology in its natural state than hiking. He knows a lot about rocks and enough about history, science, John Wesley Powell, water crises, alternative energy, soccer, and Rhodesian Ridgebacks to make this a very interesting trip.

“Your guides were all incredibly professional, easygoing, knowledgeable, fun, tireless, and all went out of their way to make the trip more comfortable and fun for all of us, despite our constant forgetfulness and lack of preparedness!”

Amanda Metcalf