Fossil Butte National Monument
Fossil Butte National Monument things to do, attractions, restaurants, events info and trip planning
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Fossil Butte National Monument is a United States National Monument managed by the National Park Service, located 15 miles (24 km) west of Kemmerer, Wyoming, United States. It centers on an assemblage of Eocene Epoch (56 to 34 million years ago) animal and plant fossils associated with Fossil Lake—the smallest lake of the three great lakes which were then present in what are now Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado. The other two lakes were Lake Gosiute and Lake Uinta. Fossil Butte National Monument was established as a national monument on October 23, 1972. Fossil Butte National Monument preserves the best paleontological record of Cenozoic aquatic communities in North America and possibly the world, within the 50-million-year-old Green River Formation — the ancient lake bed. Fossils preserved include fish, alligators, bats, turtles, dog-sized horses, insects, and many other species of plants and animals — suggest that the region was a low, subtropical, freshwater basin when the sediments accumulated, over about a 2 million-year period.
Rasik Raj Yadav
00
One of the largest fossil deposits in the United States. You’ll see mainly fish and sea going creatures but others as well. There is actual work being done on collecting and preserving the fossils. Park Ranger Kyle did a great job on explaining the process. Intern Caroline works the dig on Friday and Saturdays and does a wonderful job of explaining what she was doing. The fossils on display are amazing and worth the trip. There is also a scenic drive you can take (no RVs). On Friday and Saturdays you can walk to the dig (less than a mile one way-not to difficult, bring bug spray). This was an unplanned stop for us and one we consider a must see.
Cynthia P
00
This is a very remote national monument but also an amazing look at fossilized history. The visitors center is basically a fossil museum. You'll find every kind of fish fossil, crocodiles, manta rays, leafs, poops and more! The area was once a lake which is how all the aquatic creatures came to fossilize. Entry is free and and there's no charge to walk or drive around. There are two films available to watch on demand and they actually do add a lot. Be sure to check out the restrooms in the visitors center because there's a really cool surprise inside them!
Michael Barton
00
Fossil Butte was an excellent stop! They have a really cool drive/walk through timeline of the geological history of the Earth outside. On the inside, they had some interesting fossils on displayed. The ranger was doing a live-feed "field trip" with a classroom which was really cool because we were able to listen in on additional information about the exhibits. We took the scenic drive and drove up to enjoy the incredible views. We would definitely recommend this as a quick stop if you're into geology and fossils.
C. Eaves
00
It's hard to not love a national monument. This park has big views and big silence. The pictures do not do justice to the open empty spaces and the peaceful nature of those views. We drove past where the blacktop ends on Chicken Creek Road, stopped and looked out at the view. At 8000 feet up, the view is breathtaking in many ways! We thoroughly enjoyed walking through the visitor center. We coupled that on this trip with an experience at one of the local quarries. It seems like it made the experience even richer.
Kent Roundy
00
All fish hands down. This was absolutely the most famous in my head of any fossil that I’ve seen in one place. It was amazing. The building was cool, but the amount of fossils was amazing. Plus they have the little penny machine, a couple movies that you can watch about the history and outside halfway around the building. It shows the timeline from 500 million years old, fabulous. let us not forget the people that made our experience so fun. Rudolph, Emily and John. I WOULD RECOMMEND
Cindy L
00
Learn more insights from Wanderboat AIBasic Info
Address
864 Chicken Creek Rd, Kemmerer, WY 83101
Map
Phone
(307) 877-4455
Call
Website
nps.gov
Visit
Reviews
Overview
4.8
(291 reviews)
Ratings & Description
outdoor
adventure
cultural
scenic
family friendly
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