Geological Society of Minnesota
Barn Bluff Field Trip
Saturday, May 30
10 AM in Redwing, MN
Highlights.
Join us for a field trip to the bluff country surrounding Red Wing Minnesota.
Julie Maxson, Assistant Professor of Geology and Randy Strobel, Associate
Professor of Biology, both from Metropolitan State University in St. Paul will
be guiding us. We will be observing late Cambrian and early Ordovician
sedimentary rocks and their sedimentary structures, observe a dip-slip fault
with 150 feet of displacement on Barn Bluff, discuss the glacial and
post-glacial evolution of the Red Wing landscape, and enjoy a guided tour of
the Goodhue County Historical Museum. The trip will conclude with a 2.2 mile,
roundtrip hike (with 330 feet of vertical elevation gain) to the top of Barn
Bluff where we will get breathtaking views of the Mississippi River Valley. We
will also likely pause to marvel at rock climbers scaling vertical cliffs of
Oneota dolomite.
Logistics
Come prepared for any type of weather. Be prepared for stressful hiking
up. Bring water, and a box lunch. Rock hammers and hand lenses might also be
useful.
For single people $ 5.00 dollars for members, $10.00 dollars for non-member.
For family, $10.00 dollars for members, and $20.00 dollars for non-members. You
can pay on the day of the field trip. There is no need to register for this
trip. Simply show up at Caribou Coffee before 10 am or meet at 3rd and
Bluff Street at 10 am. Feel free to e-mail Randy Strobel at Randy.Strobel@metrostate.edu with
any questions. Randy can be reached by cell phone throughout the trip at
651-285-7710.
The star labeled “A” below is the first stop of the trip. To print the map at
another scale enter the following at mapquest.com:
E 3rd St & Bluff St
Red Wing, MN 55066
Agenda
10 am Optional coffee at Caribou Coffee on Main Street in Red Wing.
11 am We will assemble at 3rd and Bluff Street where there is plenty of
on-street parking. We will walk a short distance to the highway 63 bridge to
observe the Red Wing Fault
12 pm We will then drive to the top of Sorin Bluff for an excellent view of
Barn Bluff. Other highlights include observing the contact between the Jordan
Sandstone and Oneota dolomite and observing a GSM plaque from 1955 at the
overlook. We will lunch on top of Sorin bluff. Bring a bag lunch.
1 pm Coon Hill. Julie will be showing us sedimentary structures in an
excellent outcrop of Jordan Sandstone that outcrops very close to this park now
called the Billings –Tomfohr Conservation Area. We will attempt to determine
paleocurrent direction from outcrop evidence.
2 pm Tour of Goodhue County Historical Museum. We will first get an excellent
view of the southwest end of Barn Bluff and the Red Wing Fault from the overlook
at the museum. The outlook also has another GSM marker from the 1950’s. The
museum has a small exhibit room on the local geology, several exhibits on the
archeology of the Cannon RiverValley, and quite a bit on the human history of
the area. A guided tour will be available to our group, but you are welcome to
explore on your own. There will be a $5 admission fee. Feel free to remain at
the museum until they close at 5pm if you will not be doing the hike up Barn
Bluff.
3:30 Carlson Kiln Trail. We will hike a very short trail to observe a lime
kiln from 1882 at the base of Barn Bluff. It is on the National Historical
Register.
4:00 Hike to the top of Barn Bluff. We will hike the south trail to the top of
the bluff. Up top we will also walk the crest on the prairie trail and enjoy a
restored natural prairie. Most of the group will likely return via the south
trail, which is a very easy descent with stairs in the steep areas. For those
interested in a very challenging route back, the north trail is an option. Note
that this trail is steep and rocky, does not have stairs, and is definitely not
recommended if you have any fear at all of heights! That being said, it is
routinely hiked by Red Wing locals.
6:00 Optional dinner at the Bierstube restaurant in Red Wing.
