Fossil Butte National Monument

00:00     Title
00:15     Fossil Butte Scenic Drive
06:10     BLM Dispersed Camping
08:05     Historic Quarry Trailhead
09:38     Fin
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​Fossil Butte National Monument is located in southwestern Wyoming near the Idaho-Utah border. To put it mildly, this location is way out in the middle of nowhere, but a major highway does run nearby. From Green River Wyoming, Fossil Butte is about 80 miles away on old U.S. Highway 30. There are only a few gas stations and convenience stores in this region, so be sure to stock up while you can. Commercial campgrounds and modern accommodations are even sparser, so planning on where to spend the night requires some forethought. A neighboring BLM dispersed camping area that overlooks Fossil Butte was mentioned in a previous article and this actually is the best local camping option. 

The best place to start a Fossil Butte tour is the visitor center, which actually is a fossil museum. Hours can be spent browsing the exhibits and plenty can be learned. The park rangers are informative and they organize group events. Children's classrooms are also taught onsite, so this truly is a learning center. Information about the fossil quarry hiking trails and guided tours can be found here too. 

This entire region is abundant with ancient fossils and many of the discoveries are of great importance. The flat top hills in the Fossil Butte region harbor a wide variety of Cenozoic plant, mollusk, animal and fish fossils. Scientists have been able to use the vast amount of fossils to understand entire ecosystems that existed eons ago. Many game changing fossils have been unearthed at Fossil Butte and doing a tour of the fossil quarries will provide an idea of how much work was involved with unearthing the priceless artifacts in their entirety.

Fossil Butte National Monument certainly is a good learning experience for visitors of all ages. One tour is all it takes to inspire interesting memories to ponder over for a lifetime. This national monument is small enough to conquer in one day, so it is a great day trip destination. The hiking trails are easy, so this is a good place to stretch the legs after racking up highway mileage. When traveling to the famous national parks in western Wyoming, be sure to set some time aside to experience Fossil Butte!