Student Tours and Classes at Grand Canyon

"Canyon Dave" Thayer was undergraduate professor of geology for eight years. He taught classes and led many field trips in Grand Canyon and throughout the southwest. He was also a faculty member of the Audubon Desert Institute. Dave has written two books and numerous articles on Grand Canyon topics. He has backpacked over 3,000 miles on inner Grand Canyon trails and floated the Colorado River ten times through the entire Canyon. He was nominated and accepted a membership in the academic honorary society, Phi Beta Kappa.

While all Canyon Dave guides have university degrees, Dave has deepened their knowledge of Grand Canyon geology--he holds regular classes in geology, required for his guides. Each guide is also trained in the biology, ecology, history, and native cultures of the Grand Canyon region.

"Canyon Dave" and his wife, Dora (B.S. in Biology and a former Grand Canyon ranger) each have extensive coursework in teaching, plus experience in presentations to Arizona and Colorado elementary schools. As a team, Dave and Dora have taught geology, minerals and rocks, paleontology, and biology to various school grades. They have also led many elementary school field courses under the auspices of the Grand Canyon Field Institute. In addition, they led and set up an on-going program of field collection and fossil identification for a consortium of Tucson, Arizona schools.