U-Dig Fossils: Quarry — Attraction in Delta

We arrived late in the day at UDig. After we got a quick rundown of what we were looking for and advice, we headed down to the pit. The two people running the quarry were so helpful, giving me a hand (the wife, and one of the sweetest people I've ever met) as I made my way down into the pit. I was fine but I appreciated the concern, as I do have arthritis and use a walking stick. Do be aware of wearing the right kind of shoes. Shale can be treacherous. Wearing gloves and eye protection would be wise, especially if you've not worked with a rock hammer. Handing us each a rock hammer (I'd brought my own but theirs were better), she showed us a place where fossils had been found. I actually picked a trilobite up as I made my way across the bottom, so exciting! We then got down to the business of whacking away at the wall or the blocks that had been started on before. I seemed to be the queen of small, while my husband found the larger ones. We were shortly joined by another young man who was initially not very successful at finding any fossils (note--I'm still digging trilobites out of the rock we took home, like a little kid playing in mud). Therefore, the couple came back down into the pit and showed him a better place to hunt and how to correctly use his rock hammer. Meanwhile, I joyously whacked away at the rocks and extracted my tiny treasures. It was such a nice place, not at all what I expected. The temperature was comfortable, the air sweet, and I found fossils, secrets concealed deep in the rock. Afterward, we hauled our treasures up to the picnic tables where we learned some more about how to treat our treasures after we got them home. I could go on, but it's enough to say I would go back again, as would my husband, and would highly recommend you stop by.

I love that they gave us a paper that showed us what we were looking for, the names of each fossil, and the sizes for each. They explained that the back of the trilobite can be polished while the face cannot. I learned a lot about these little "bugs," right down to what was happening on the earth when the trilobites were crawling over the face of the earth. This was one of my best birthday trips ever...

This is a LOT MORE FUN than one might expect. This is a fun trip for the whole family or group. It does not matter the age. GO TO THE WEBSITE BEFOREHAND!! Use the directions provided on the website and DO NOT USE Google Maps or GPS [PRINT DIRECTIONS OUT]. There is also a waiver to fill out. They do have them at the quarry, but save yourself 20-minutes and have the waiver(s) filled out before you get there. Note that you ARE actually working in a rocky area with hammers. The road to get there isn't too bad. They do a good job keeping the gravel nice, but take it easy. While it won't hurt to have a nice SUV with 4-wheel drive, it's not necessary. A simple sedan or compact car will be able to make the drive without issue. Make sure your spare tire and kit are good though. Cell service is pretty sparse and weak (if available). They supply buckets and hammers at the site, but you will want to keep a bucket or box of your own in the car to stow your fossils on your trip home. We used a medium cooler, with a few old bath towels to help protect them. YOU WILL FIND FOSSILS!!...and lots of them. When I arrived, I was originally picking up any pieces I could find as I walked to the site. I ended up dumping most of those out as I found dozens of excellent specimens in far better condition within my first 30 minutes. I recommend arriving earlier in the day. Bring water, sunscreen, First Aid Kit (just in case, but they do have a light emergency kit on-site), Maybe a snack for the kids (or yourself ;-) ). When you're near or in Delta, I recommend checking your gas tank or power meter and topping off briefly, before heading west on Highway 6/50. This is just a great day, overall. Enjoy...

Fossils Fossils Fossils! If you want to find some fossils, U-Dig Fossils in Utah is the place to go! I was there to find something amazing for my grands. Little did I know that I would enjoy chipping 500 million year old shale and hunting for fossils myself. The finds are plentiful; trilobites, seaweed, brachiopods, and more. Brent was there assisting everyone in having the best experience possible. He teaches you what to look for and he tailors his informational talk to the geological level you are interested in. He makes sure all of your questions are answered. Then the fun begins, he loans you a bucket and a hammer, then he takes you to a good spot, shows you how to dig, use the tools and the best way to search, he shows you some slabs to chip away at before letting you loose to hunt on your own.

And then when you bring your bucket backup to sort, and identify, he offers to cut out some of your precious finds out with a saw, or teaches you how to dremel the crud off and gives you more assistance if you need it. And all of that assistance is free with the entrance fee, and that is well worth the trip. He treats you like you are the only customer around when he is helping you. Brent is very knowledgeable, attentive, and generous with his time and energy.

Be open to finding anything wonderful and you may find more than you expected to. Like perhaps a soft bodied arthropod.

Do as Brent says, “look with soft eyes.” I say; "look with a sense of wonder...