Geology Field Trip

Geology Field Trip with the Draper Natural History Museum

June 12, 2024
8 a.m.–noon

$65 for students and Center of the West members
$85 for non-members

The geologic wonders of this region don’t stop at the boundaries of Yellowstone National Park! The 50-mile trip to Yellowstone from Cody, Wyoming, takes you past world-renown geology that goes unnoticed by most.

Join the Draper Natural History Museum for a roadside geology tour led by Larry Oliveria, host of the YouTube series Layers with Larry, and Digital and Outreach Educator, George Miller. Your hosts use a combination of hands-on objects, geologic maps, and the breathtaking scenery of the North Fork to make this high-caliber program memorable.

This four-hour field trip is designed for the student in all of us, starting and ending at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West and transporting you through 2.5 billion years of geologic history in the interim. Intended for an audience of age 18 and older, this programmatic offering is more than just a field trip—it’s an opportunity to gain intimate knowledge of your backyard!

Although there is limited hiking or walking on this tour, be prepared to get in and out of vehicles at six geologic stops. Water will be available, but we ask you to bring a water bottle to help cut down on waste.

This field trip, which is limited to a maximum of eight people, is $85 for non-members, and just $65 for Center of the West members and for students.

Due to the limited space, this field trip is fully refundable until 48 hours before the date of your tour. After 48 hours, 50 percent of the ticket price is refundable. Transportation is provided by the Center of the West.

Meet Our Instructors

Larry Oliveria retired from teaching high school science and moved to Cody in 2013. He is active in Park County schools and has led outdoor excursions in local geology/paleontology for adults in the “Spring Into Yellowstone” program. He has also led similar trips for local school children with the Science Kids Cody Program. For nine years, he served as a volunteer and now, as a research assistant, works part-time at the Draper Museum of Natural History dealing with things geological and working in the lab preparing various specimens for study.

Larry has been collecting rocks and fossils since he was a child and loves to share his extensive collections with fellow curious minds both young and old. A perpetual student, Larry continues to learn about and has developed a broad understanding of Bighorn Basin geology and paleontology. He is a long-time member of the local rock club the Cody 59ers and has given talks and led fossil exploration excursions. He says, “We live in a sort of geologic heaven exposing the history of the Earth and the life that has developed upon it spanning over two billion years that others must travel from all over the world to see, right in our backyard.”

George Miller is the Digital and Outreach Educator at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West. He has been teaching virtual geology classes for the last six years. His interests include the Yellowstone Hotspot and the Laramide Orogeny. He has collaborated with geologists from the University of Wyoming and the USGS in creating curricula for the museum.

George holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Utah in Anthropology, and a Master’s degree from Oregon State University in Adult Education. He has previously worked in Community Colleges and Universities and for private online education and training companies.

Future Geology Field Trip

If you can’t make this trip, more opportunities are coming up! Stay tuned.