Lower Crab Creek Field Trip—Saturday 11 April—10am to ~3p
Field Trip Leader: Karl Lillquist, Emeritus Professor, Geography Department, CWU What’s so cool about lower Crab Creek? Crab Creek is a perennial stream with headwaters not far from Spokane! It flows over 160 miles through semiarid eastern and central Washington to join the Columbia River just south of Beverly. Lower Crab Creek lies in a broad coulee adjacent to the towering faulted and folded Saddle Mountains. Ice Age floods from two directions scoured the coulee walls. More recent rockfall and landslide deposits veneer the coulee walls, and sand dunes and salt flats blanket the coulee floor. Native Americans have long frequented the river and shrub steppe environments of the area. In the past 150 years, the landscape has been altered by the coming of the railroad and by large scale irrigation. Currently, the area is a mecca for outdoor-minded folks included hunters, fishers, nature lovers, cyclists, and off road vehicle enthusiasts. Over the day, we will explore: 1) the tectonic origins of Crab Creek “Coulee” and the Saddle Mountains; 2) impacts of Ice Age flooding on the area; 3) formation of prominent rockfall and landslides from the Saddle Mountains; and 4) how geology, weather and climate, and human activity have shaped sand dunes and salt flats in the area. The trip will conclude around 3pm giving participants plenty of time to get back to Ellensburg for Nick Zentner’s lecture. What’s the plan for the day? 10:00am Stop 1—Beverly—geology and geography overview; Ice Age floods 11:00 Depart 11:15 Stop 2—Beverly Sand Dunes—weather, dunes, ORV’s, salt flats & Crab Creek 12:00 pm Depart 12:15 Stop 3—Smyrna Ice Cave—faulting, talus, cold air drainage & human uses of talus 1:00 Depart 1:15 Stop 4—West of Smyrna—landslides 2:00 Depart 2:15 Stop 5—Red Rock Coulee—Ice Age floods 3:00 Depart Where to meet and park? We will meet on the east end of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific railroad bridge in Beverly at 10:00am. The bridge and the old railroad right of way are now part of the Palouse to Cascades Trail. This trail forms the northern boundary of the town of Beverly and is our first stop. Beverly is located about 10 miles south of Vantage along the Columbia River. To get there from WA 243, take a left and head east on Lower Crab Creek Road for just under 0.2 mi. Turn left onto Seattle Street and drive north for ~0.2 mi to a trailhead just south of the Palouse to Cascade Trail. Park here or along Seattle Street, 1st Avenue SW, or Main Street. Make sure to pull off the streets as far as possible and don’t block resident’s driveways. What are the trip logistics and costs? All Ellensburg IAFI field trips are free of charge and involve participants driving their own vehicles to the various stops. Most trips involve several short walks or hikes. We may cross barbed wire fences, and walk over uneven terrain and through dryland vegetation. There are limited restrooms scattered along our route. There’s no need to reserve a place on the field trip—just show up! We provide a free digital copy of the field guide for you to download or print out (see “Field Guides” near the bottom of my CWU website => https://www.cwu.edu/academics/geography/_documents/karl-lillquist.php). I will post the Lower Crab Creek field guide on my website on about Monday 6 April. Due to budget constraints, hardcopies of the field guide will now only be available by prior request and subsequent donation (suggested $15). If you want a full color, hardcopy of the ~40 page field guide, email me at lillquis@cwu.edu to let me know how many copies you would like. I will place my order for hardcopies by 8:00am Monday 6 April so if you want a hardcopy, please get your request in before that day. Pick up your copy and make your donation to IAFI at Stop 1 on the field trip. Hope you can join us!
