Day 1

As the tour group leaves Regina, you will see the Dirt Hills in the distance: a section of hummocky moraine area made up of glacial debris that was formed either along a large ice-front or around masses of stagnant ice. From the top you stand about 220 meters above the surrounding plain. The top is dominated by knobs and kettle topography. It is part of the vast Missouri Coteau glacial complex that extends in Canada from Manitoba to western Saskatchewan.

When we come to the base of the hills, we will visit the old Claybank Brick factory, built in 1912. For more than seven decades it extracted clay from the hills and left behind pits that have since been shaped by the elements into elaborate geological wonders of clay. In its heyday, the factory shipped bricks as far away as England and South Africa. We will have lunch on the grounds of the brick plant.

As we hike or drive to the top of the Dirt Hills in the afternoon, we will gain a perspective of human inhabitation that spans centuries, as we come across archaeological sites such as teepee rings and a 30-meter ceremonial circle used until recently by First Nations people.

We may hike down along the plateau, identifying wildflowers or birds and stopping for a mid-afternoon snack. If time allows, we will make our way back to the brick plant, through the field of old clay pits. The tailings remain as intriguing artworks shaped by the forces of erosion.

We will be back in Regina just before dinner.