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Surrey, BC
Canada
185 Posts |
Posted - 09/07/2012 : 07:00 AM
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| I'd like to take a group of youth on a hike for my Earth Science class (~20 kids). We're studying surface landforms including glacial features. I'd love to show them these things "live". Soon we'll be studying volcanoes as well. Any suggestions on a non-technical, beginner-to-moderate hike that would have some of these features? I was thinking about an Elfin Lakes 3-day trip, because it has both the volcanic cone and the glacial landforms that can be viewed. But what about a day trip? Any ideas? Maybe Wedgemount Lake... I'd welcome your suggestions! I'm looking for somewhere to hike Sat anyways, so if your idea is new to me, I'd be interested in checking it out this weekend :) |
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Surrey, BC
Canada
185 Posts |
Posted - 09/07/2012 : 07:08 AM
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| Oooo, Berg Lake at Mount Robson Prov Park? Mmmm... |
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Burnaby, BC
Canada
1293 Posts |
Posted - 09/07/2012 : 07:23 AM
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If a 3-day trip:
Garibaldi PP - Helm Lake. You're pretty much surrounded by coolio volcano remnant stuff.
If a US trip is possible:
Craters of the Moon NM in the US. Your kids would likely dig the small lava caves.
Mount St. Helens - topical! |
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Vancouver, BC
Canada
1421 Posts |
Posted - 09/07/2012 : 07:25 AM
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1. Mt Baker Coleman glacier area. This is the easiest to reach glacier near Vancouver. Part of the hike goes up the spine of a medial moraine. But getting 20 kids across the border could be difficult.
2. Mount Price at Garibaldi Lake. The route takes you right up clinker peak, the volcano that erupted to form the barrier. Not so much in the way of glaciers or moraines though. Probably too long for a day hike with 20 kids though. |
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 opinionated-stove huggin'-fleece wearin'-arse burnin' hill virgin
Here
Canada
4641 Posts |
Posted - 09/07/2012 : 08:37 AM
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Check out Loggers Lake trail just south of Whistler. It climbs up to a little crater lake within a 100,000 year old basaltic subglacial vent. The trail is easy and accessible and it's not too far from here.
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Whistler, BC
Canada
1174 Posts |
Posted - 09/07/2012 : 10:34 AM
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Helm was the first that came to mind for me as well. The hike up to Panorama to see the overall affect of volcanism and glaciation would be straight-forward and awe-inspiring...
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9 Posts |
Posted - 09/07/2012 : 10:39 AM
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| The Chilliwack Valley is a good place to look at glacial / fluvial features...good for a day trip and is bus accessible |
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 | Dru
Mountain Grammar Police
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Sardonic sandbagging scoundrel, Cascade Climbers lobotomized spraymeister, space blanket flyer, new millennium vulgarian betaboy and friend to all squids
Climbing, a mountain
Canada
∞ Posts |
Posted - 09/07/2012 : 11:25 AM
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| For a day trip you could drive up to Salal Creek and hike to Keyhole Hot Springs. Classic glacial landforms on one side and the most recent volcanic eruption in SW BC on the other. Plus, recent mass movement processes from Capricorn Creek. |
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Vancouver
88 Posts |
Posted - 09/07/2012 : 1:54 PM
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Drive up towards Squamish. Talk about fjords (Howe Sound), hanging valleys (Shannon Falls) etc. as you proceed.
Stop at the pullout on the west side of the highway opposite the giant parking lot to look at glacial polish, moraine, glacial grooving, and the glacially cut walls of the Chief. Mention the black dyke as a feeder for volcanics. This stop is best done int he afternoon when travelling south: light is on the walls and it's easy to pull off the road.
Mention Garibaldi, etc. and plate tectonics. How do these volcanoes differ from Hawaii?
Stop at Tantalus viewpoint to see more glacial polish, Tantalus Range (kids can estimate the height to which ice covered the land). Nunataks, bergschrunds, other glacial features easily visible if visibility is good.
Discuss Rubble Creek landslide when driving by. If you want, drive up to the parking lot to chat about the Barrier. Look at the volcanic rocks in detail, if you want.
Mention the lava flows around Daisy Lake as you drive past them.
Stop at Brandywine Creek and walk to the falls to look at the successive lava flows and get the kids to estimate the rate of down-cutting of Brandywine Creek in last ~10K years.
As Dru says, for a long day you can drive up to Pebble Creek hot springs and beyond. Lots to talk about in the Pemberton valley, as I'm sure you know. From the bridge crossing the Lillooet past Pebble springs, walk downriver to the great viewpoint. Talk about the latest eruption of the Meager complex (make sure the kids are cautious, and keep a good eye on them here-dangerous). Look at pumice and other volcanic stuff on the way back to Pebble Creek hot springs. Talk about hot springs and volcanic activity, if you want. Later, pull into the campsite just downriver of the junction of Meager Creek and Lillooet river; walk to the riverbank to look at the Capricorn slide debris. Have some GoogleEarth pics and other photos to show; you can't get the scale of the slide from the roads.
On way back, mention Habrich and glacial horns, if you want: you can see it easily from the highway heading south.
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Edited by - tricouni on 09/07/2012 1:59 PM |
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9 Posts |
Posted - 09/07/2012 : 2:54 PM
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You mean this old thing?
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Vancouver
88 Posts |
Posted - 09/07/2012 : 2:59 PM
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| Yup, that's the Barrier, all right. |
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322 Posts |
Posted - 09/07/2012 : 3:08 PM
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If you want to do more of a driving trip, Tricouni's suggestions are excellent- I have done many field trips with adults to the same locations.
If your gang is up to hiking, then it is really hard to beat a trip up to Garibaldi Lake- but in order to really appreciate the features present, you would need to go up beyond the Lake to Panorama Ridge (I presume that scrambling to the top of the Black Tusk is probably not in the cards for safety and insurance reasons). This, of course, is best done in two days- but that would involve the extra logistic of bringing up tents, sleeping bags, etc.
When B.C. Parks still allowed people to drive up to the microwave tower near the Black Tusk, we would do the hike from there- over to the Tusk, then down to Taylor Meadows, Garibaldi Lake, and down the trail; this was an easy day.
Another possibility is to visit all the sites in Tricouni's post, and end up at Whistler, and take the lift up and view all the volcanic and glacial features from the top of Whistler and from the Peak to Peak gondola. Of course, you need good weather to see everything. If you did this, you should inquire about getting a reduced lift ticket rate from Whistler- they are usually pretty good about this sort of thing.
Finally, one other destination to consider is going to the top of the Chief from where you can see a lot of volcanic and glacial features- the second peak is probably the best one to go to. |
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| piika
Intermediate Member
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Burnaby, BC
Canada
726 Posts |
Posted - 09/07/2012 : 3:26 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by firebug60
You mean this old thing?
That's a great shot!
And a great itinerary, tricouni  |
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Vancouver
88 Posts |
Posted - 09/07/2012 : 3:38 PM
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FrankB's suggestions are really good. But a caution: I've led quite a few trips with high-school kids and I was always shocked at how out-of-shape many of them were. A few had trouble dragging themselves to the Brandywine viewpoint, let alone into the Garibaldi Lake area. Your kids and your insurance/school policies may be different, of course, but it's just a cautionary thought.
There's certainly much, much to see in the Garibaldi Lake area, though. |
Edited by - tricouni on 09/07/2012 3:39 PM |
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322 Posts |
Posted - 09/08/2012 : 8:28 PM
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| I have always thought that it is most unfortunate that the B.C. Parks buildings at Garibaldi Lake- the cabins and the big kitchen and dining room that were used by youth crews in the 1970's- are not available to be used by school groups. Sure- school groups can camp just like everyone else, but Tricouni is right- many of them are not in the greatest of shape and a trip up there would be a lot more fun if they didn't have to carry tents and other heavy gear, and could count on having their meals in a nice warm building. |
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322 Posts |
Posted - 09/08/2012 : 9:00 PM
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Here is a recent picture of the Barrier showing water pouring out of Barrier Lake and into the scree slopes below the Barrier, and also the big springs at the base of the scree slopes. Periodically, this surface water, and the large volumes that flow from Garibaldi Lake under the Barrier, saturate and mobilize the scree slopes and cause a massive debris flow to move down the Rubble Creek valley.
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85 Posts |
Posted - 09/08/2012 : 9:07 PM
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Wedgemount lake would be amazing but good luck getting them up there! You can get right up next to the glacier, and there's a big glacial cave with the rethel/parkhurst/wedge mountains, with great gendarmes up there, but getting up there would probably be a huge pain in the butt.
Manning Park would be a great place to take them for several days. I went there in gr. 9 on a camping trip with my outdoors class. Manning is a pretty safe place due to the high volume of people. Not a lot can go seriously wrong there. |
Edited by - sixwings on 09/08/2012 9:12 PM |
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Vancouver
88 Posts |
Posted - 09/08/2012 : 10:44 PM
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| FrankB, that's one of the best pictures of the Barrier, etc. that I've ever seen. |
Edited by - tricouni on 09/08/2012 10:45 PM |
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322 Posts |
Posted - 09/10/2012 : 12:35 AM
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Here's another picture that shows all the lakes and the natural lava dam behind which Garibaldi Lake formed. In winter, the level of Garibaldi Lake drops several metres and Lesser Garibaldi and Barrier Lakes virtually dry up.
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Ladner, BC
Canada
1176 Posts |
Posted - 09/10/2012 : 04:48 AM
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| my schools Geography 12 class went to Garibaldi ...hiked to the toe of Helm Glacier every year. Day trip. Lot's of features to view. Memorable trip. |
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Vancouver, BC
Canada
343 Posts |
Posted - 09/10/2012 : 10:47 AM
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| FrankB: that second barrier picture is fantastic! Thanks. |
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Topic |
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hike for viewing glacial &/or volcanic landforms?
