Skip to main content
Department of Geography, Geology, and the Environment

Accommodations

All accommodations costs for the Geology Field Camp are included in the Geology Field Camp Fee. Details for accommodations are listed below.

  • Day/ Night 1

    We will depart from Felmley Hall at 6:15 A.M., on May 19. The vans will arrive at the departure point shortly thereafter.

    External students must plan to arrive at the Central Illinois Regional Airport (BMI) on May 18, or you may be dropped off at the Normal Baymont Inn. Your room expenses in Normal will be covered as part of your Field Camp fee. You should plan to fly out of BMI on June 27. Your field camp fee will cover the local hotels on the day prior to departure and the day that we return.

    Bring a packed lunch for the travel day, as we will have lunch on route in Iowa.

    The first night is spent in Chamberlain, SD at a Best Western motel.

    • Please indicate any special dietary needs (including vegetarian) on the application form. Most needs can be accommodated.

  • Weeks 1-2

    Saturday, we will drive across western South Dakota and eastern Wyoming while taking a tour of the Badlands National Monument. We should arrive in Sheridan by 6:00 P.M. Thursday.

    Weeks 1-2 are spent at Sheridan College in Sheridan, WY.

    • Students are assigned two to a dorm in Founders Hall.
    • Dorm rooms are in small clusters with bedding provided. 
    • Each cluster has a lounge with television, bathrooms and showers, and a small kitchen.
    • Each room has two network ports for internet connection.
    • Lecture and drafting facilities are all in Founders Hall along with exercise equipment, a game room, and laundry faculties.
    • Meals are provided while in Sheridan with the exception of dinner on days off.

  • Week 3

    Weeks 3 will be spent at K-Z guest ranch. 

    • K-Z guest ranch is located at the base of Cathedral Cliffs.
    • Housing is in traditional cabins with bunk beds with bedding provided. 
    • There is very limited cell signal and access to wifi is limited to the main mess hall. 
    • Meals are provided during our stay here.
    • There is opportunity to fish or canoe on the private pond located on property. 

  • Week 4

    After a brief trip back to Sheridan to draft the Heart Mountain project, we will travel back to the Absaroka Mountains for a brief stay at Double Diamond X ranch. 
    • Double Diamond X guest ranch is located near the end of the South Fork of the Shoshone Valley. 
    • Housing is in cabins or houses with bedding provided. Some of the cabins are equipped with kitchens.
    • There is once again, very limited cell coverage and wifi.
    • Breafast and lunch will be on your own with dinner cooked by ISU faculty.

  • Weeks 5

    Weeks 5 will be spent back in Sheridan.

    • Students are assigned two to a dorm in Founders Hall.
    • Dorm rooms are in small clusters.
    • Each cluster has a lounge with television, bathrooms and showers, and a small kitchen.
    • Each room has two network ports for internet connection.
    • Lecture and drafting facilities are all in Founders Hall along with exercise equipment, a game room, and laundry faculties.
    • Meals are provided while in Sheridan with the exception of dinner on days off.

  • Final night

    The final night will be spent in Chamberlain, SD at a Best Western motel.

    • Lodgings cost is included in the field camp fee, but meals are the responsibility of the student.

    We will have the long drive back to Illinois on June 23.