NPS Fossil Sites

Four images of fossils: petrified wood, trilobite, Grallator track, and butterfly fossil
Top to bottom: petrified wood from Petrified Forest National Park; trilobite from Grand Canyon National Park; Grallator track from Zion National Park; and butterfly fossil from Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument.

All NPS images

Did you know that more than 230 National Park Service sites preserve fossil resources? Dinosaur National Monument is one of more than 30 NPS sites where visitors can see and learn about fossils from the Mesozoic Era. Other NPS sites feature fossils from the Precambrian, Paleozoic, and Cenozoic eras.

Some NPS sites--including Petrified Forest National Park, Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, and Fossil Butte National Monument--are known for their fossil resources.

But did you know you can learn about fossils at the National Capital Parks in Virginia, Maryland, and Washington D.C.? At Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area in California? Or at Niobrara National Wild and Scenic River in South Dakota and Nebraska?

Want to learn more about fossils resources at NPS sites across the country? Find a list with links to the more than 230 NPS sites with fossil resources or see NPS sites with fossil resources grouped by geologic time period.

Last updated: February 24, 2015

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Contact Info

Mailing Address:

4545 Hwy 40
Dinosaur, CO 81610

Phone:

435 781-7700

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