GO PLACES! DO THINGS!

Along the ICE AGE FLOODS
NATIONAL GEOLOGIC TRAIL


The Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail covers some 16,000 square miles (41,440 km2) in present day Montana, Idaho, Washington, and Oregon. We have hand picked some of the best of the best places along the Trail and present them here for you enjoy and explore! Check back often, we will be adding new and wonderful destinations for your entire Family to enjoy!

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SOME PLACES TO GO and THINGS TO DO in MONTANA

Glacial Lake Missoula National Natural Landmark

Glacial Lake Missoula National Natural Landmark Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail Glacial Lake Missoula was the largest of several lakes impounded by the Cordilleran Ice Sheet in the Northern Rocky Mountains during the Quaternary period. The lake was approximately 2,900 square miles in size and contained more than 500 cubic miles of water. It occupied the Mission, Jocko and Little Bitterroot valleys, drained by the Flathead River; and the Missoula, Ninemile and Bitterroot valleys, drained by the Clark Fork River. The lake was formed by an ice dam across the mouth of the Clark Fork River at Lake Pend Oreille, Idaho, a result of successive advances of a lobe of the Cordilleran Ice Sheet. The site is located 12 miles north of Perma, Montana. At least three and possibly more than 100 separate collapses of the ice dam, possibly coincident with periods of ice retreat, caused the lake to drain, producing catastrophic floods across the Columbia Plateau and down the Columbia River Basin. It is estimated that the waters of Glacial Lake Missoula, 1,000 feet deep at Eddy Narrows, were withdrawn at a peak discharge rate of 10 cubic miles per hour. Approximately 550 cubic miles of water passed through those narrows during withdrawal. Evidence of this catastrophic withdrawal can be found in scourings, high eddy deposits of flood debris, flood bars of boulders and course gravel, and successions of giant arcuate ripples or ridges of gravel resting on bedrock surfaces. Ripples appear as ridges 15 to 50 feet high, 100 to 250 feet wide, and from 300 feet to a half-mile long. While the form, structure and arrangement of these features are similar to that of ordinary current ripple marks, they are termed giant flood ripples, due to their large size. The giant flood ripples at this site are unusual due to their being on the down-current side of notches in a ridge separating two basins that were both subsidiary to the main course of Lake Missoula in the Clark Fork Valley. The best examples of giant flood ripples are found in Camas Prairie. Quick Facts Designation:National Natural Landmark OPEN TO PUBLIC:Private Land, closed to the public, but features throughout the area are visible from many vantage points.

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Little Money Creek Gulch Fill

Mounds of soil, sand, gravel, and other coarse materials covered with light vegetation can be seen in the side gulches all along the Flathead River where tributaries drained into what was Glacial Lake Missoula.  They were deposited by currents eddying into the slower water in these gulches and also by the drop in velocity of the streams carrying deposits from higher elevations on the far side of the river along the path of the escaping floodwaters.  The flow of floodwaters through this narrow valley was estimated by J.T. Pardee at between 8 and 10 cubic miles per hours – more than the combined flow of all modern rivers in the world.  Similar gulch fill can be seen in many locations along this beautiful stretch of the river, which today generally flows smoothly and looks completely flat. There are numerous pull-outs along MT 200 between Perma and Paradise; the view pictured here is at mile marker 91.

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Bison Range

Bison Range The Bison Range was established by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1908 to conserve the American Bison.  Since that time it has been managed as a wildlife refuge and native grassland. Today the management is done by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes. The range is a small, low-rolling mountain connected to the Mission Mountain Range by a gradually descending spur. Range elevation varies from 2,585 feet (788 m) at headquarters to 4,885 feet (1,489 m) at High Point on Red Sleep Mountain, the highest point on the Range.  Much of the Bison Range was once under prehistoric Glacial Lake Missoula. The upper part of the Range was above water. Red Sleep Mountain scenic drive leads to this high point, which has spectacular views across what was once the lake to the Mission Mountains on the other side.  Other flood features are evident on Buffalo Prairie scenic drive. Old beach lines (strandlines) can be seen on north-facing slopes and some large erratics are located near the old corrals. There is a visitor center near the entrance which has a display and videos of Glacial Lake Missoula as well as information on the tribes of the Flathead Reservation and the abundant wildlife, including birds, bears and antelope.  There is also a gift shop.  Camas Prairie ripples and several other important features of Glacial Lake Missoula are in close proximity to this site, much of them are located on tribal lands.  The entrance is off US 93 and MT 212 N about an hour north of Missoula. Bison Range58355 Bison Range Rd, Moiese, MT (406) 644-2661 bisonrange.org FEES – there is a fee for entrance, including the day use area, except for CSKT tribal members OPEN HOURSWinter Hours (Nov-April)Gate: 8am–6pmVisitors Center: 8am–5pm Red Sleep Drive: closed Buffalo Prairie Drive: 8am-6pm Summer Hours (May-Oct)Gate: 7am–8pmVisitors Center: 8am–7pm Red Sleep Drive: 8am–7pm Buffalo Prairie Drive:8am–8pm  Restrictions: Vehicles over 30 feet long and those owing trailers as well as motorcycles, ATVs, and bicycles are not allowed on either drive.  Visitors must remain inside vehicles at all times except for designated areas      

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SOME PLACES TO GO and THINGS TO DO in IDAHO

Celebration Park – Home of Melon Gravel

17,000 years ago, a massive Ice Age lake – now called Lake Bonneville – filled a large portion of present-day Utah. As temperatures changed, the influx of ice melt caused the lake level to rise. In addition, the Bear River, once a tributary of the Snake, was diverted by volcanic activity back into Lake Bonneville. These factors ultimately led to the breaching of a sedimentary rock dam at Red Rocks Pass, Idaho. There was only one ice-age Bonneville Flood because Lake Bonneville broke through a rock dam, unlike the Missoula Floods whose glacial ice dam repeatedly dammed Glacial Lake Missoula, then broke and rebuilt.  1,100 cubic miles of Lake Bonneville water rushed through the Snake River Canyon, and it took only six weeks for Lake Bonneville to empty the equivalent volume of modern-day Lake Michigan. The Great Salt Lake we know today is a remnant of Lake Bonneville, but at one tenth the size, it is a mere puddle compared to what the lake used to be.  The power of this catastrophic flood widened canyons as the force of the water pulled huge chunks of basalt off the cliffs and tumbled them around, smoothing their jagged edges along the way. As the canyon width narrowed, the force and velocity of the flood increased. Wherever the canyons widened, the flood lost force and velocity, the waters slowed and began dropping its bedload – in this case, giant tumbled basalt boulders instead of your typical river gravel.  These flood-rounded boulders, named melon gravel due to their distinct shape, are scattered over vast areas of land. The rocks’ unique outlines and smooth surfaces caught the eye of Native American tribes in the area, who have used them as canvases for petroglyphs for thousands of years. Visitors can see the medium sized flood deposits just outside the visitor center, or hike upriver to see gigantic melon gravel the size of heavy-duty trucks.  Celebration Park is located in the Snake River Canyon, approximately 23 miles south of Nampa, Idaho. It is home to an enormous melon gravel field deposited by the Bonneville Flood. 

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Farragut State Park

Farragut State Park Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail Farragut State Park is located at the “breakout” of Glacial Lake Missoula floods, where the ice dam in the Clark Fork valley and the 20-mile-long tongue of ice occupying the Lake Pend Oreille basin failed. From there, a torrent of water and ice burst from the south end of the lake. Farragut State Park is located at the “breakout” of Glacial Lake Missoula floods. Failure of the ice dam in the Clark Fork valley fractured and broke apart the 20-mile-long tongue of ice occupying the Lake Pend Oreille basin, and a torrent of water and ice burst from the south end of the lake. That churning slurry of flood waters, ice, boulders and other debris erupted from the south end of Lake Pend Oreille, flowing 2000 ft deep across Farragut State Park. Nearly all of the water escaping from Glacial Lake Missoula passed through this area. Discharge estimates range from 14 to 21 million cubic meters per second! Vic Baker’s definition of a megaflood is one which has a discharge of at least 1mil cubic m/s, so we are possibly looking at ground zero for the worst Pleistocene flood in the world. Farragut State Park includes many geologic features left by glaciation and megafoods.Hoodoo channel, an abandoned outlet of Lake Pend Oreille provided a pathway for late-glacial meltwater and for the last outbursts from Glacial Lake Missoula. The channel is marked with a number of closed depressions, probably the result of melting icebergs. One of the largest of these features have been proposed, including kettles, potholes, and sub-glacial meltwater. Some of that debris was deposited to form the Rathdrum Prairie Outburst Plain, an extensive, heterogeneous mix of flood deposits. Farragut State Park offers unique scenery, history and an abundance of recreational opportunities. Quick Facts Location:13550 E. Hwy 54 Athol, ID 83801 

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Museum of North Idaho

Museum of North Idaho IceAgeFloods National GeologicTrail “The Museum of North Idaho collects, preserves and interprets the history of the Coeur d’Alene Region. to foster appreciation of the area’s heritage.” In the 1960s, the North Idaho Hoo Hoo Club, an organization of loggers, lumbermen and foresters, first entertained the idea of establishing a museum. They incorporated on May 1, 1968 for a museum focusing on the history of the Coeur d’Alene Region (Kootenai, Benewah and part of Shoshone counties). Through the efforts of volunteers and community support, the Museum opened its doors on the North Idaho College campus on July 28, 1973. In 1979, they remodeled a City-owned building and relocated to its current location. Quick Facts Location: 115 Northwest Blvd, Coeur d’Alene, ID 83814Phone: (208) 664-3448 The Museum is open Tuesday to Saturday from 11 am – 5 pm.

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SOME PLACES TO GO and THINGS TO DO in WASHINGTON

Ginkgo Petrified Forest National Natural Landmark

Ginkgo Petrified Forest National Natural Landmark Did you know that petrified wood is Washington’s official state gem? Considered one of the most diverse fossil forests in North America, Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park is famous for its rare specimens of petrified Ginkgo tree discovered there

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Beacon Rock

Beacon Rock Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail, Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail Outside Skamania, Washington is the 848 foot-tall Beacon Rock that overlooks a breathtaking section of the mighty Columbia River. Beacon Rock State Park is a 4,464-acre, year-round camping park sitting in

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SOME PLACES TO GO and THINGS TO DO in OREGON

Tualatin Public Library

Tualatin Public Library Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail The Tualatin Public Library, located just off Interstate 5 in Tualatin, Oregon, is home to a display of Ice Age Megafauna. The Library features a striking display of an articulated partial mastodon skeleton, which was discovered

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Hat Rock State Park

Hat Rock State Park Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail, Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail Hat Rock is an erosion remnant warn way by floods from glaciers which melted over ten thousand years ago. Lewis and Clark saw this monument on their expedition and

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Columbia Gorge Discovery Center & Museum

Columbia Gorge Discovery Center & Museum Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail, Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail, Oregon National Historic Trail The Columbia Gorge Discovery Center & Museum is located on a 54-acre point of land adjacent to the Columbia River and is the

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