This was such a fun activity! You pay the hourly fee and are provided with tools and a lesson in... read more
This was such a fun activity! You pay the hourly fee and are provided with tools and a lesson in... read more
Have two kids (10 and 7) and they loved the hour we spent here. I would go to the National... read more
After a stop to learn the science and history behind the area at the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, this was a great way to cap off the afternoon. The young lady running the site was both helpful and knowledgeable, not to mention very personable. We spent an hour and a half with our 8 and 12 year old girls searching for fossils and enjoyed every minute of it. If it weren't for the flight home, we would have bought several bags of shale to try with friends. This place is worth the drive out of the typical tourist traps.
My 11 year old is a bit of a rockhound and loves to collect insects..so what better way to spend an afternoon looking for insect fossils. We planned our trip out west to specifically include this spot and we were not disappointed. The site was smaller than the ones in Kemmerer,WY (where you find fish fossils), and had lots of shade and places to sit. The slate piles had plenty of rock to go through, and we found several intact leaves and a few insect fossils (closer examination of our specimens after we got home showed that we had a lot more insects than we originally thought). We also found a few live insects for her growing collection. The young lady who was managing the site that day (CeeCee) was helpful in showing us how to look for the specimens, and was very enthusiastic and helpful throughout our visit. There was a group of about 30 kids and leaders that showed up halfway through our time there, but she kept everything running smoothly and was pleasant and helpful to everyone there. It was a great day
I have been three times the first two times a lady was running the site and she was very friendly and demonstrated how to open up the rocks and the piles of slates were large and not picked over. The third time a guy was there and didn't seem to care much, nice enough just not into it like the ladies that had been there the years before. And the piles were very picked over. However, I purchased some rocks to take to my class and my students found lots of intact leaves which they love. So yes it is a great place to go.
We visited the fossil quarry at the very beginning of their season. My 9 year old son and I went to try and find some fossils. The cost was reasonable $10 per person, per hour. The quarry staff gave a brief lesson on what to look for in the shale and how to pick 'good' pieces. They have numerous piles of already quarried shale to pick through and provide tools (butter knives, putty knives, brushes, and razor blades) to use. The shale was slightly wet, making our fossil hunting though the pieces slightly difficult. During our hour, we found several pieces of shale with fossilized leaves and even an ant. At the end, you can keep the fossils you find and we were even given a few pieces of shale to take home and sort through later. This is a very no-frills set-up. The attendant was a young man whose family owns the property, he was very helpful and friendly. An older woman came by and she was also friendly and helped us to identify some of the fossils we were seeing. All in all, this was a great experience and I would definitely do it again, although a slightly drier time would be beneficial.
This place is literally the side of a hill that is slowly being dug into. And it is incredibly cool!
Pay attention because you could easily drove by this place. There's no real building. Just a table where the owner has tools for you to use.
There are piles of rocks dug from the huge hill nearby. You sit at picnic tables and bring your collected rocks to carefully open, pull apart the delicate layers and see what you find.
I actually found an extinct fern. Really cool!
Even my mother joined in on the fun and thoroughly enjoyed herself!
You get to be your own fossil hunter! I wasn't sure how my boys would do -- ages 5 and 7. They actually were quite enthralled. Fossil digging. AND you get to bring home what you find. The boys loved it and I can easily see returning here every summer to see what we unearth.
Don't expect fancy. This quarry is as rudimentary as you can get. But if you like history and fossils, you just won't be able to help yourself but have fun.
I went on a recent trip to Colorado Springs area and thought I would make the small drive out to Florissant Fossil Quarry. What an amazing time (I could have spent hours there if I had the time and no kids ;) !
Side note: make sure you have cash otherwise there is an ATM in town. I have a 7 and 4 year old and they had a blast. Tonka trucks to play with for my little one who went in and out of interest. This family run business was so patient with my 7 year old who kept asking about dinosaur bones… So thankful with our found treasure. Thanks for being there!