DR S. DAVID WEBB IS YOUR HOST FOR THESE TOURS
All Tours are available to the general public.

Pioneer Mountains Scenic Drive: This one-day jeep tour emphasizes geologic history of southwestern Montana and encompasses one of the five most scenic routes in all of Montana. The craggy Pioneer Mountains were overthrust eastward from what is now Idaho and included both ancient folded sediments and granitic intrusions. They include several of the earliest gold strikes in the Montana Territory such as Grasshopper Creek. An enchanting stop is at Crystal Park where we will collect small to medium quartz crystals in a geologic context similar to some of the earlier gold strikes.

Big Hole and Beaverhead Rivers: This jeep tour can be combined with the preceding by pitching an overnight camp in one of several outstanding camping sites in the area. The trip passes through Wisdom and the rich but remote cattle and hay production area in the Big Hole. William Clark as his party returned eastward gave this name in July 1806. Another important historic site is the Big Hole Battlefield where the Nez Perce tribe was ambushed as they fled north in the Pioneer Mountains. This stop also offers a look at some buffalo and some excellent geology. A stop at Bannack Park gives an authentic look at the first capital of the state of Montana, chosen for its mineral wealth. Our return route retraces much of that followed by the Lewis and Clark expedition in the fall of 1805, especially their dramatic encounter with the Beaverhead Rock.

Mill Creek and Deer Lodge Valley: The Mill Creek Valley provides in outstanding example of glacial geology. Its steep walled valley cut into sheer granite uplands leads down to long ragged moraines made up of all kinds of rocks, some derived from Canada. The early loggers in the region built one of the largest mill races of their time and a small town surrounding the mill. The Deer Lodge Valley where the Clark's Fork River takes its origin, produces bones of animals ten million years old including mastodons, three-toed horses, and rhinoceroses.