Included in the following are a number of field guides which have been prepared for use by members of the Ice Age Floods Institute. Most IAFI members are non-geologists and the guides have been developed with that in mind. The information contained in those field guides has been contributed by the authors as a service to the Ice Age Floods Institute, but usually has not been subjected to the peer review process and should not be cited for scientific purposes. The list is provided to give people interested in the Ice Age Floods information about the field guides that have been prepared and the areas they cover. To find out about the current availability of a particular field guide, contact the President of the local chapter.
- A Self-Guided Tour of the Geology of the Columbia River Gorge- 2004; Norman; D.K.; and J.M. Roloff: Portland Airport to Skamania Lodge; Stevenson; Washington ; Open-File Report 2004-7; Washington Division of Geology and Earth Resources; Washington State Department of Natural Resources; Olympia; Washington.
- Benton City Sediments Field Trip- October 16, 2020, George V. Last and Stephen P. Reidel, Prepared for Earth’s History and Evolution, School of the Environment (SOE) - 210 Washington State University Tri-Cities. Explore early, middle and late Pleistocene Touche Beds and cataclysmic Ice Age Flood deposits and local river flash floods. The field trip encompasses 20 miles, includes 4 stops and will take approximately 2 hours to complete.
- Cameo Heights Quarry Field Trip- August 19, 2020, Stephen P. Reidel and George V. Last, Prepared for Earth’s History and Evolution, School of the Environment (SOE) - 210 Washington State University Tri-Cities. This field trip visits a single location to explore the Goose Creek member of the Columbia River Basalt, as well as a dike and a strike slip fault cutting through the outcrop. Please stay away from the quarry face as rocks often fall out unexpectedly.
- Clark Fork Ice Dam and Glacial Lake Missoula Floods- 2005; Breckenridge; R. and R. Lewis: Field trip guide for biannual meeting of the Ice Age Floods Institute; Sandpoint; Idaho; May 14; 2005.
- Columbia Gorge Geology Field Trip Guide- DeKay, L. & Hurd, T., 2021; A guide book to accompany IAFI-Columbia Gorge Chapter semi-annual field trips through the Columbia River Gorge. The central Columbia River Gorge is like a storybook of the past 40-50 million years, and we open and read from several chapters of that book in a 10 hour bus/walking tour of a 40 mile section of the Gorge between Cascade Locks, OR to Columbia Hills State Park, WA. As we turn some of those pages and take a glimpse into the incredible geology and more of the Columbia River Gorge, we will reveal many secrets that are hidden right in plain sight.
- Columnar Basalt Field Trip- Learn about columnar basalt as we explore outcrops at Frenchman Coulee and Drumheller Channels. Leader: Nick Zentner - CWU Geology. 4.7 Mb field trip guide
- Coyote Canyon Mammoth Virtual Field Trip- 2020, George V. Last and Stephen P. Reidel - There are 3 main stops on this field trip to examine evidence of the Ice Age Floods that inundated the Tri-Cities area, and summarize the sequence of geological events as they occurred over the last 10.5 million years.
- Fire; Faults; & Floods: A Road & Trail Guide Exploring the Origins of the Columbia River Basin- 1997; Mueller; M.; and T. Mueller: University of Idaho Press; Moscow; Idaho. This road and trail guidebook introduces readers to outstanding geological features found in the Columbia River Basin. Available through IAFI Bookstore.
- Fishtrap Lake Scablands Field Trip April, 2022-
The Fishtrap Lake Scablands are several miles east of Sprague lake and are part of the Cheney-Palouse Scabland tract. Glacial flood features that can be observed there include the scoured scabland channel, flood-related gravel bars, palouse ‘islands’ (erosional remnants left by the floods), and potholes. Fishtrap Lake is thought to be the remains of a recessional cataract & plunge pool channel carved into the Priest Rapids member of the Miocene Wanapum basalt flow.
- Flood Basalts and Glacier Floods-Roadside Geology of Parts of Walla Walla, Franklin, and Columbia Counties, Washington- Carson, Robert J., and Kevin R. Pogue, 1996, "Flood Basalts and Glacier Floods--Roadside Geology of Parts of Walla Walla, Franklin, and Columbia Counties, Washington," Division of Geology and Earth Resources Information Circular 90, Washington Dept. of Natural Resources, Olympia, Wash.
- Geologic Road Trips in Grant County- 1996; Amara; Mark S.; and George E. Neff: Washington; ; Adam East (Now Moses Lake) Museum and Art Center ( 509-766-9395); Moses Lake; Wash.
- Ginkgo Petrified Forest Virtual Field Trip- 2020, Stephen P. Reidel and George V. Last - Explore the settings and origins of the Ginkgo Petrified Forest in this virtual field trip to the Wanapum Recreation Area near Vantage, WA.
- HOODOO CHANNEL AND VALLEY: Remnants of the Ice Age Floods- When travelling north on Idaho State Hwy 95 out of Coeur d’Alene, you will be travelling on Ice Age Flood deposits that constitute the Rathdrum/Spokane Aquifer, the primary source of water for over 500K people living between Spokane, WA and Careywood, ID.
- Ice Age Floods Features in the Vicinity of the Pasco Basin and Hanford Reach National Monument- 2002; Bjornstad; B.N. and K.R. Fecht: This field guide and roadlog provide an introduction to ice-age flood features that occur in the vicinity of the Pasco Basin and the Hanford Reach National Monument. (Bechtel Hanford Inc.)
- Ice Age Floods Influence on Yakima Valley Wine Country Terroirs, 2004- George V. Last, Bruce N. Bjornstad, Alan J. Busacca, Ph.D. - Examines local geologic features created by cataclysmic Ice-Age floods of the Channeled Scabland system and the related soils underlying some of Washington's best vineyards and wineries within the Red Mountain and Walla Walla appellations.
- Ice Age Floods Influence on Yakima Valley Wine Country Terroirs, 2008- George V. Last, Bruce N. Bjornstad, Alan J. Busacca, Ph.D. - Examines local geologic features created by cataclysmic Ice Age floods and the related soils underlying some of Washington's best vineyards and wineries within the Red Mountain, Yakima Valley, and Rattlesnake Hills wine-growing regions.
- Ice Age floods through the western Channeled Scabland in Gorges; Clays and Coulees- 2004; Bjornstad; B.N.: Field Trip Guide No. 1 and 3; Missoula Floods and the Channeled Scabland; PNNL-SA-41991; Pacific Northwest National Laboratory; Richland; Washington.
- Ice Harbor Volcano Field Trip Guide- 2020, September 26; Stephen P. Reidel, George V. Last: Prepared for Earth’s History and Evolution, School of the Environment (SOE) - 210, Washington State University Tri-Cities
- Lake Missoula Flood Channels Obstacles and Overlooks in the Portland / Vancouver Area- 2006; Thompson; R.: Geology Field Trip Series; Lower Columbia Floods Chapter; Ice Age Floods Institute
- Leavenworth to Wellington Field Trip Guide- This field trip will take us on a transect from the eastern edge of the northeastern Cascades in Leavenworth to just west of the Cascade Crest at the old Great Northern railstop of Wellington. Enroute, we will see evidence for a variety of rock types, geologic structures, climates, glaciations, river and stream processes, vegetation, landslides, wildfires, and snow avalanches. This transect is an area of much historical significance because it has been a main transportation corridor since 1893. It is perhaps because of the intersection of transportation with geology, topography, climate, and vegetation that this area is most famous. While fire and avalanches have impacted this area for centuries, it is only in the last century with the growth of human population and infrastructure in the mountains that that these events have truly become hazards. Our final stop will explore a classic Cascade hazard—snow avalanches--at Wellington, the site of the deadliest snow avalanche disaster in North America. Leader: Karl Lillquist - CWU Geography. 4.5 MB Field Trip Guide
- Lower Grand Coulee Field Trip Guide- The Lower Grand Coulee extends from Dry Falls to Soap Lake. It is perhaps the most striking of the coulees of the Missoula Flood-created Channeled Scablands. We will explore saline lakes, ice age lakes, hanging valleys, flood bars, giant current ripples, folded Columbia River Basalts, butte and basin topography, potholes, caves, rhino casts, and human activity related to the ice age floods in the Lower Grand Coulee. Stops will include the Ephrata Expansion Bar south of Soap, Soap Lake (a closed basin lake at the downstream end of the Lower Grand Coulee), a flood bar covered with giant current ripples at the mouth of East Lenore Coulee, Lake Lenore caves (notable as models of human occupation sites in the area), and Dry Falls at the head of the coulee. Leader: Karl Lillquist - CWU Geography.
- Missoula Flood Features of the Channeled Scabland of Eastern Washington (Emphasizing the Othello Washington Area)- 2006; Cunderla; B.: Othello Sandhill Crane Festival; March 25; 2006.
- Moses Coulee to Chelan Field Trip- The Mid-Columbia River between Moses Coulee and Chelan lies at a key natural boundary. Geology, physiography, climate, and vegetation change dramatically from west to east along this boundary. To the wetter west, lies the coniferous forest-shrouded Cascade Range and associated crystalline rocks of the Swakane and Chelan Mountains terranes. To the east, we see more arid, shrub steppe of the Columbia Plateau and underlying Columbia River Basalts. The northern portion of this area was shaped directly by the late Pleistocene Okanogan Lobe of the Cordilleran Icesheet while ice age floods impacted areas to the south. Our trip will focus on evidence for these intermingled glaciers and floods in this distinctive boundary environment. Stops will focus on key features of the flood and glacial story between Moses Coulee and Chelan. Leader: Karl Lillquist - CWU Geography. 4.5 Mb Field Trip Guide
- Old Blewett Pass field trip (Fall 2015)- Explore the geology of the Old Blewett Pass area with Leader Nick Zentner of CWU Geology. 6.7 Mb field guide
- On the Trail of the Ice Age Floods - Northern Reaches- 2012; Bruce Bjornstadt; Publisher: Keokee Co. Publishing Inc.; 480 pages. This remarkably detailed and authoritative guide leads you by trail; road and aerial tour to discover for yourself the amazing world of cataclysmic flood geology. Available through IAFI Boorkstore.
- On the Trail of the Ice Age Floods: A Geological Field Guide to the Mid Columbia Basin- 2006; Bjornstad; Bruce N.: Keokee Publishing Inc.; Sandpoint; Idaho; 307p. During the last great Ice Age that ended some 15;000 years ago; the Pacific Northwest was repeatedly decimated by cataclysmic floods unlike anything of modern times. Available through IAFI Bookstore.
- Rattlesnake Ridge Facies Field Trip- 2020, August 28: George V. Last, Stephen P. Reidel; Prepared for Earth’s History and Evolution, School of the Environment (SOE) - 210, Washington State University Tri-Cities. There are three stops on this 50+ mile road trip. The trip starts at the Benton City river access area (Recreation Area and Boat Launch) and will take approximately 2 hours to complete.
- Ringold Landslide Field Trip- 2020, September 14; George V. Last, Stephen P. Reidel; Prepared for Earth’s History and Evolution, School of the Environment (SOE) - 210, Washington State University Tri-Cities - This trip will take about a 30 minute drive from WSU-TC to the main parking area. There is also a 0.4 mile hike on a gravel road to the first stop at the Miocene-Pliocene Ringold Formation and landslide. The second stop will examine Pleistocene age Flood gravels.
- Roadside Geology of Idaho- 1989; Alt; David D.; and Donald W. Hyndman: Mountain Press; Missoula; Mont.
- Roadside Geology of Montana- 1986; Alt; David D.; and Donald W. Hyndman: Mountain Press; Missoula; Mont.
- Roadside Geology of Oregon- 1978; Alt; David D.; and Donald W. Hyndman: Mountain Press; Missoula; Mont.
- Roadside Geology of Washington- 1984; Alt; David D.; and Donald W. Hyndman: Mountain Press; Missoula; Mont.
- The Influence of Ice Age Floods on the Terroir of Washington Wines- 2004; Last; G.V.; B.N. Bjornstad and A.J. Busacca: Field trip guide for the Lake Lewis Chapter of the Ice-Age floods Institute; October 30; 2004; PNWD-SA-6753; Pacific Northwest National Laboratory; Richland; Washington.
- The Magnificent Gateway: A Layman’s Guide to the Geology of the Columbia River Gorge- Allen, John Eliot, 1984, Timber Press, Portland, Ore. Describes in layman's terms the geological forces which have produced the Columbia River Gorge.
- Washington’s Channeled Scabland- Bretz, J Harlen, 1959, "Washington’s Channeled Scabland," Bulletin No. 45, Washington Division of Mines and Geology, Olympia, Wash.
- Washington’s Channeled Scablands Guide- 2012; John Soennichsen; Mountaineers Books; 224 Pages Explore Washington's canyons of Ice Age wonders -- great trails; stunning scenery; and amazing history with thsi comprehensive guide to a fascinating region rich with
- Webber Canyon Field Trip- 2020, August 25; Stephen P. Reidel, George V. Last, Prepared for Earth’s History and Evolution, School of the Environment (SOE) - 210, Washington State University Tri-Cities; We are going to look at some Touchet beds, ash layers and 3 lava flows.
- Wenatchee Valley Ice Age Floods Geological Trail: Self Guided Driving Tours- Wenatchee Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau; 2005
- Western Quincy BasinField Trip- Ice Age floods entered the Quincy Basin from the northeast and east. Some of this water drained from the basin through the Drumheller Channels to the south. The remainder flowed west, exiting the basin through Frenchman Coulee, Potholes Coulee, and Crater Coulee on the western edge of the Quincy Basin. We will examine the landforms and sediment evidence for late Ice Age catastrophic flood origins and evolution of the western flood outlets. Along the way, you will see giant basalt columns, dry falls, potholes, plunge pools, buttes, mesas, flood bars, dunes, and more. Additionally, we will examine evidence of earlier Ice Age floods into the Quincy Basin from the Columbia River Valley - Apr 23, 2017, Nick Zentner
- Yakima Bluffs Virtual Field Trip- 2020, George V. Last and Stephen P. Reidel - This field trip is 9 miles (about a 15 minute drive) from WSU-TC. From there it involves about 0.9 miles on unimproved trail with some bushwhacking in sometimes steep, uneven terrain. There are 4 main stops to examine the geologic history over the last 8.5 million years - starting with the oldest rocks and proceeding upward to younger and younger geologic outcrops