Dawson Tour (Joggins Fossil Cliffs)

Hi guys! Got my rock hunting fix last Saturday (May 14th, 2011) when I had the opportunity to join an interpretive guided tour organized by the Joggins Info Center. I told myself that this summer I would take the opportunity to visit as many different sites and take part of as many tours possible.

I did some digging and checked the popular sites in Nova Scotia and Joggins offered the earliest scheduled walking tours. On their guided tours they were offering 3 different walks: Logan (30-45 minutes tour); Lyell (90 minutes to 2 hours); and Dawson (4 hours). I picked the Dawson Tour (55$ incl. tax and museum access at the Info Center) as this would give me the opportunity to maximize my learning experience of the area and its history importance. Hard hats are provided by the Center and so are lunches.

I mentioned to a couple of my friends that I was planning to attend the guided tour offered at Joggins and my buddy Craig offered to come with me. Craig work in the geology field in the past before I met him and I knew that this type of activity would interest him.

We arrived there about two hours before the tour began. We paid the fee for the tour and I was happy to learn that it included the entry fee for their museum, which I wanted my bud to check out. It was nice as they had Hylonomus lyelli, the oldest known reptile - only found in Joggins, on display.

To make it short, it was an awesome experience. Our two tour guides/interpreters were very knowledgeable and fun, the staff at the center very cordial and down to earth, and the tour very informative. The food was good, especially those home made cookies! I was so excited to go that I forgot to drag my camera with me. Here's a picture that my friend Craig took:

Me standing on a big, BIG fossilized tree.


On the walk we saw so many trees in situ in the cliffs, different rock formations, fossil tracks of giant bugs and reptile-eating amphibians, and so much more.

All in all, anybody that loves to learn or even just being out there in the open air should visit the cliffs. The Dawson is recommended for the people who are really interested and are willing to walk 4 hours and dish out 55$. The other walks are more affordable and you can still see a lot of what little secrets Joggins loves to reveal.

More information on the Joggins Info Center Tours: Scheduled Guided Tours

Cheers!



Disclaimer: In Nova Scotia under the 'Special Places Protection Act', fossils cannot be dug up or disturbed without a permit. The province has a mandate to protect palaeontological sites and it is your civic duty to report any finds to the local museum, or the Department of Communities, Culture and Heritage (https://cch.novascotia.ca/exploring-our-past/special-places). This encourages the contribution these finds could make to science not just in the provice, but on the global stage. You must also seek permission if you are to enter private land.

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