2014 - Dinosaurs, Glaciers and Caribou!  Oh My! 

The 2014 ATLAS field trip saw 17 students travel around southern Alberta and the central Rockies. 
Over the four days of the trip we visited a wide breadth of sites and locations – first up on our route through the prairies were the Royal Tyrell Museum and the hoodoos near Drumheller; followed by an evening camping in Dinosaur Provincial Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

The second morning, having survived a plague of killer mosquitos, we started with an informative 
hike around the park’s interpretative trails and a stop at the visitors centre before heading west 
towards the foothills. We drove through the Triangle Zone, stopping to view drumlins and the Three Sisters before arriving in Banff.  We set up camp in the pouring rain before escaping in to town for dinner, and thankfully the weather picked up by the time we returned.  
Day three involved a round trip inside of Banff National Park – firstly a hike at Johnston Canyon with striking views of the local geology, before visiting the popular viewpoints at Lake Louise and Moraine Lake. We finished off the day with a short hop in to BC to see Emerald Lake with views across to the location where the Burgess Shale was discovered, and the natural rock bridge located near Field. 

Our last full day was spent traversing the Icefields Parkway with numerous stops to view the various glaciers and glacial lakes along the roadside, as well as the formations and associated features underlying the ice and which is still visible in the mountain tops, even in the height of summer.  After 
crossing the North Saskatchewan River we made our way to the Icefield Centre and up to the toe of the Athabasca glacier, crossing and viewing many types of moraines in the process. We made one last stop at the Athabasca falls and then completed our final leg of the drive in to Jasper, finishing up the trip with a big campfire, s’mores, and several exciting views of wildlife (including elk and wolves).  

The next morning we returned to Edmonton after loading up on treats from the Bearpaw Bakery and waving farewell to the mountains and foothills.