Field Trips

Rockhounding is difficult due to legal and landowner issues.  See this link for information on collecting ammonite shell, fossils and petrified wood in Alberta.

2022 Trips

We held a successful field trip to Drumheller on 12 June lead by our new member Jeff W, attended by 17 adult and 8 junior members and found specimens of dinosaur bones, petrified wood, casts of branches and clams or mussel shells, and good examples of granite.  A special visit to private land was arranged.
This nice piece of petrified wood was found:
The next trip to the Drumheller area, again to be lead by Jeff, will be on Sunday, 26 June ( for details please visit the Club Facebook page postings ).
Further trips coordinated by the Club this year are proposed to these areas: Canal Flat in B C;  Crowsnest  Southern Alberta; Ice River in B C; and the Ice Caves, Bragg Creek.   Details will be posted on the Club

2021 Trips:
The next field trip will be in the spring 2021…fieldstone finds east and northeast of Calgary , then possible trips to the crows nest area, and back to the ice river [sept long wknd]

Where we went in 2020:

Glenbow museum mineral collection …Thursday, 6 February, 6:30
meet on mineral collection floor at the museum
wagon master/coordinator … Dave Gill.  See photos from this trip here.

Sodalite … west of Field, B.C. …. Aug. 1 to 3, 2020

The August long weekend field trip to the Ice River area west of Field B C was attended by 19 club members.  About 7 came for just the day, 12 stayed for 2-3 overnights.   Sodalite was found around the camping area, on the gravel bars of the Ice River and in Moose creek nearby.   Stories were told around the campfire 🔥.   The area is famous in geological circles for it’s ” intrusive ” minerals, including some ‘rare earth elements ‘, and sodalite, not to mention gold, etc..    this area might be worth another trip !
See photos from this trip here

Ice Caves area, limestone fossils, bring your camera … the October 11, 2020 field trip to the Bragg creek ice cave area was a success.  The weather was fine, 6 members took part, the fossils were great…see pictures …and the ice caves interesting, as usual. See photos from this trip here

Other ideas:

Other options for field trips include the Alberta Federation of Rock Clubs (AFRC)’s annual May Daze held at a different Alberta location every May long weekend.  The Silver Cove rocks shops typically organize field trips too.

You can also check out CRLC’s Rockhounding North America guide and our Rockhounding Montana guide.  The Traveller’s Guide to Geological Wonders of Alberta is also a good resource and can be found in the CRLC library.  In 2017 we organized a trip to Quartzsite, Arizona for their annual show.

These are some of our favourite locations you might want to try on your own.

Location Materials
Willow Creek, Alberta
S of Chain Lakes		 Selenite (gypsum) Crystals
Red Deer River, Alberta
Near Joffre Bridge		 Gold Panning & Sluicing
Canyon Creek, Alberta
West of Calgary		 Invertebrate Fossils
Buse Lake, B.C.
Near Monte Creek		 Agate, Chalcedony
North Saskatchewan River
Edmonton, Alberta		 Gold Panning & Sluicing
Canmore Mines, Alberta Plant Fossils
Kamloops – Clearwater, B.C. Lapidary, Minerals, Fossils
Campbell Ranch, Medicine River, AB
West of Rimby		 Artifacts, Calcite
SW Volcanics, Alberta
N & S of Crowsnest Pass		 Garnet, Feldspar, Pyrite, Magnetite
Rock Candy Mine
Grand Forks, B.C.		 Fluorite, Barite, Dolomite
Rimby Tufa Beds, Alberta Modern Fossils
Hand Hills, Alberta
NE of Drumheller near Delia		 Agate, Petrified Wood, Jasper,
Quartz, Calcite, Fossils, Artifacts
Columbia Valley, B.C.
Fort Steele to Spillimacheen		 Minerals, Fossils
Jubilee Mine, B.C. Barite, Gold, Lead, Zinc