Smallish visitor center but with excellent fossils - quite a variety complete with explanations. There's a 12-minute movie on how they found it. There are periodic ranger talks. We spent a little under an hour and were impressed. Includes a small gift shop. They tell you specific hiking and scenic areas nearby. And... it is free! read more

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Very small but full of information. Staff is friendly and bathrooms were well maintained with information about fossilized poop on the walls. read more

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! read more

Fossil Butte National Monument - Museums Near Me - Kemmerer, Wyoming

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Fossil Butte is amazing! The museum showcases a stunning collection of fossils found nearby, including fish, reptiles, bats, a crocodile, and a variety of plants. Our visit to this National Monument was fantastic. read more

What an underrated National Park site! This is very small, but so well done! They have hundreds of fossils displayed beautifully. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable. They add fossils regularly. They have walking trails, but we didn't take advantage of those. I highly recommend this park and will be back! read more

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Phenomenal visitor center. The collection and how they find fossils are so clearly explained. There is a time line from the entrance through the center that highlights the entire earth development. Seeing the catastrophic events and how it changed things became clear. The rangers have been there for years and have so much knowledge. Take the time to watch the movie. They celebrate there junior ranger program as well. read more

There is no camping or food as of yet, and the interstate is a ways away, so maybe you too learned the existence of this monument from signs on US 30. Either way, if you're driving through the badlands of SW Wyoming, make this your destination, and up the hill you go! The exhibits start right at the walkway, and inside the plant and animal fossils get more detailed and interactive. Life frozen in limestone--and how we get to see it--is inspiring. At the visitor center are a whopping four National Parks Passport stamps plus a few souvenir stickers for purchase (similar to, but not passport stickers). For kids and kids at heart, there are papers and crayons at the fossil crayon rubbing station. The fossil penny press is free, but donations are accepted. Like other National Parks and National Monuments kids can earn a Junior Ranger badge. Please do yourself a favor and attend those ranger programs! If they add camping, we'll be back. If not, we'll still be back. There is no entry fee here, and having RV parking in the lot made this memorable pit stop possible for us. Really, come here! read more

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If you in the area this is worth the visit. Anything related to our National Parks centers are. 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. read more

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I feel like this place is in the middle of nowhere. But worth the hour drive from Bear Lake to see this place. The visitor center is actually pretty cool. And the Jr Ranger booklet here is super fun. The Ranger was nice and fun to talk to! Awesome experience here and lots of cool history. read more

Fossil Butte National Monument - Jr Ranger Badge - Museums Near Me - Kemmerer, Wyoming

I've been fortunate to have visited a number of National Parks this summer with my family. Not knowing a whole lot about Fossil Butte, I added it to our itinerary on the way home to Utah from Grand Teton National Park. I knew my five year old (and her parents) would find the fossils quite fascinating, and we did. But really the park site has way more than the hundreds of fossils inside the visitor center that is worth mentioning. Their attention to making the visitor experience interesting really goes above and beyond. It starts when you are driving in and encounter the iconic National Parks entrance sign. Who doesn't love a family photo at the sign of each NP they visit? But the age-old problem is: who doesn't get to be in the photo? If you are lucky, you might encounter another family with whom you can swap photographer duties. If you are well-prepared, you may have a tripod. At Fossil Butte, you need none of these: they've actually provided a camera stand for you at the sign site, where you can place your camera, set the self-timer, and get the perfect family snapshot. That is some serious attention to detail and understanding of what makes a good park experience. Nice job! Next, you will see off to the side a timeline of earth's history, marking time in 1 million year increments every nine inches travelled, with signs showing notable events at that point (super continents formed, new life forms, etc.). When you reach the visitor center, you begin to see more recognizable events on the timeline, such as the emergence of recognizable species, and then after travelling miles along the timeline both in your car and then the last few hundred million years on foot, at the very last panel you see how tiny human history is in the grand scheme, and how even much smaller recorded history is, in it's pin-point size mark along the timeline. This sort of exhibit really puts into perspective the fossils one will soon see, or the terrain one is surrounded by. Inside the visitor center, the exhibits are well arranged and interpreted. You can watch an archeologist uncovering "new" fossils before your very eyes. Yes, you can be among the only humans in all of history to ever have seen those emerging fossils as the archeologist blasts away layers of limestone that have trapped the fossil over the last millions of years. A very cool experience. The junior ranger program is well executed, also, with meaningful exercises and challenges appealing to and appropriate to all age levels. We've experienced some junior ranger programs that seem to include more busy work than necessary. The Fossil Butte Junior Ranger program puts forth meaningful activities that encourage the children to get out and explore the site rather than "do homework". Rangers are knowledgeable and friendly, very approachable with questions you or your kids may have. The trails are interesting as well. We hiked the historic quarry trail, visited the quarry, saw the old cabin, and learnt a lot about the history of fossil collecting in this part of Wyoming. Very cool. Don't skip the scenic drive, which is an easy 11-mile round trip up into the hills overlooking the fossil butte itself as well as the surrounding landscape. Hard to believe this was all once a tropical sea. The visitor center also has a small but nice gift shop with the obligatory photo postcards and some replica fossils, as well as relevant books and the like. It would be cool if they sold some actual fossils, but I know those might be out of the price range of the typical buyers. For those collecting the National Parks passport stamps, Fossil Butte has a well-maintained passport stamping station with some nice site-specific cancellations of their actual fossils. Again, super cool, and a nice treat for visitors who are into this. I agree with a previous reviewer who said that Fossil Butte is a real gem of the National Parks system. Don't overlook this one, and make sure you give yourself plenty of time to explore it. It's easy to spend the whole day here, so bring plenty of water and a picnic lunch! Thanks, Fossil Butte, for an excellent day out! read more

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Was such a fun place for my family. The park ranger is great and the visitor center gives a lot of information and it's also really really cool. I just feel bad that we went on a Sunday because the places in the area were not open so if you could go during the week. read more

Fossil Butte National Monument - Museums Near Me - Kemmerer, Wyoming

We had so much fun going to the Visitor center. The fossils did not disappoint! Well worth the drive.

This is a cool NPS site. The visitor center has very cool exhibits. Great junior ranger program. Limited but pleasant hiking options. In the middle of nowhere, but if in area, definitely worth stopping. read more

What a joke, all the fossils on display are man made, fabricated and painted They even have the gall to show the work station where they do the fakery Then to listen to the phoney docent wax poetic about global warming and green house gases He was asked by a visitor about his credentials and the docent replied "I'm an avid reader" read more

It's long way from anywhere to get to this spot, but I'm glad we made the trip on our trip home from Yellowstone and Grand Teton. The jewel in the crown is the Visitor Center which is chock full of fossils and fossil replicas excavated from nearby quarries. It is easy to spend an hour peering at insects, plants, turtles, and fish impressions here and if you do nothing else, your time will be well spent. There are two trails that you can explore. We chose the Historic Quarry Loop which climbs 600 feet to the last area in the monument where fossil hunters operated. The route is unshaded, so bring a hat. At the top, you can examine the rocks where fossil hunters (who quarried for the money, not the scientific interest) extracted specimens like those you see in the museum. Don't expect to see fossil fish lying out beneath the deep blue skies, but if you know what you are looking for (talk to a ranger at the visitor center), you can discern the traces that led collectors to the valuable prehistoric remains. The scenery is also interesting, if not on par with what you might see in other local NPS units. If you can make the time, swing by. read more

Fossil Butte National Monument - Entrance sign with Fossil Butte in background - Museums Near Me - Kemmerer, Wyoming

There are several hikes, scenic drive, and picnic possibilities, but most people will probably focus and perhaps limit time here to the visitor center - which starts with a time line of life on the planet on the outside and many examples and explanations inside of local fossils found. read more

Trip through time and hit the visitor center first. This is an unassuming location, not on most people's target list for park locations but truly a national gem! The boardwalk enroute to the visitor center takes you through the history of the planet and humbles even the most well learned. Humans on the scene in the timeline in particular show serious options for reflection! It's open hiking so all is free game. See a spot you want, just head to it. Watch for ticks carrying Rocky Mountain Fever or snakes of course but get off the trails and explore indeed. read more

The visitor center has extensive displays and exhibits, along with a small gift shop. The rangers here are very knowledgeable about all things fossil. They offer three ranger led programs, as well as self-guided tours and hikes. As soon as you pass the entrance sign (the one tourists take a picture of) start watching for informational signs next to the highway; this sequence of signs continues into the pedestrian path after you park. You should plan your visit to include all three ranger programs (they are short) and as many other activities as you have time for. read more

This is a small museum located near the bustling town of Kemmerer Wy. One thing you should know is the place is closed down in the winter. This is mainly due to the muddy, impassible roads. The visitors center is very small, but well worth it. There are a lot of cool fossils. I would have to say one of my favorites is of a palm leaf. Many of the fossils come from the area but there are a few that come from other areas, for instance the crocodile fossil. The staff is extremely friendly. I would defiantly make the trip out here to see this museum. read more

Wyoming is home to an abundance of fossils, thanks in part to the Green River Formation. I'll finish this later...gotta get the clothes out of the dryer! read more

Awesome! I am not a fossil guy but I really enjoyed this place. My kids, ages 9 and 10, totally loved it and learned stuff. The people that work here are super nice. VERY helpful. I highly recommend this place. We drove about an hour each way from Bear Lake, Utah and it was well worth the trip. This place is FIVE STAR! read more

This place IS amazing. I live here and have been there many times. There is a nice picnic area just up the road a spell. Chicken Creek picnic area. We have walked the trail and have pictures of deer that joined us for lunch. It never gets boring. read more

The visitor's center is nice, but there is little to do at this park. We stopped here largely because the official website's description of their Fossil Quarry Program says "Ever wonder how fossils are found and collected? Join us in our scientific research quarry to learn more about ongoing research, and help look for fossils! While you cannot keep any fossils, you can contribute to science." We would much rather contribute to research than participate in one of the various pay-to-dig commercial operations in the area and we wanted our son to experience what real archeological research entails. However, after hiking the 2 miles or so to the tiny 8'x3'x3' research quarry, we were informed that guests are not allowed to participate. This is a very reasonable restriction and would have been expected had the web site not suggested otherwise. While the ranger was very informative and friendly, we all left disappointed. Had we not been misled as to the nature of the program, we would not have gone out of our way to visit this tiny park. If you are already in the Kemmerer area, the visitor center is worth a visit, but there really isn't much here to justify traveling to. read more