Fossils in the Parks — Dinos, Creatures, and Other Really Cool Stuff!

Listen to the Full Podcast Episode:

Podcast Episode Overview

Today, we want to talk about something incredible that you can see in the parks — fossils!

When we were full-time RVers through the national parks, we noticed some fun themes. In this episode of Exploring the National Parks, we are diving into the theme of dinosaurs and all of the cool fossils you can see in the parks. 

As the parents of two little boys, we all geek out over stuff like this.  We are excited to share our favorite national parks with fossils today!

In this episode, we cover: 

• Why you need to see Dinosaur National Monument
• A cool trail nearby to find dinosaur bones
• The dinosaur bones you can see at Big Bend National Park
• Some fascinating dinosaur facts
• Where to find some amazing dinosaur footprints
• The human history in some of the parks 
• The footprints that were found in White Sands National Park
• The huge collection of fossils you can see at Badlands National Park
• Cool instances of people finding amazing fossils 
• Why the Mammoth Site is a must-see
• Fossils of other “really cool stuff” you have to see 
• What’s cool about the Guadalupe Mountains
• The fossils you can see in Petrified Forest 

We hope you enjoy our journey on the “dinosaur train” around these amazing national parks!

Fossils in the National Parks Overview

When we hit the road in our RV for nearly three years, one of our favorite parts of visiting so many national parks was noticing the patterns that emerged. We’d walk through visitor centers, talk to rangers, hike through canyons, and start seeing rock layers and colors we recognized from other national park sites. That’s when we realized just how many places across the United States are hiding a wild, prehistoric secret: fossils.

And not just any fossils. DINOSAUR FOSSILS!

With two dinosaur-obsessed little boys in tow, we started paying closer attention to the fossil sites where those ancient creatures once walked. Along the way, we discovered some of the best places in the entire national park system for fossil hunting. From roaring carnivores to towering petrified wood, these units of the National Park System bring the prehistoric world roaring back to life.

Dinosaur National Monument: The best place to see dinosaur bones in the ground

You absolutely cannot talk about dinosaur fossils in the national parks without talking about Dinosaur National Monument. Tucked away on the border of Utah and Colorado, this fossil park is a must-visit for any dinosaur enthusiasts. It’s the single best place we’ve ever seen real dinosaur bones still embedded in rock, right where they were discovered.

The star of the show is the Quarry Exhibit Hall, a building constructed over a giant wall of exposed fossils. Around 1,500 dinosaur bones from the Jurassic Period are visible right in the rock. This is one of the most ecologically complete dinosaur bone beds in North America, and you can even touch real 150-million-year-old fossils!

We’ve been in the exhibit when park staff and paleontologists were there answering questions, and even watched some working up on the fossil wall. The whole thing feels like nature’s version of Hollywood Boulevard, except instead of movie stars, you’re seeing the famous dinosaurs themselves.

Some of the notable species found here include the meat-eating Allosaurus, as well as five different sauropods (long-neck dinosaurs). You can actually make out full skulls and long tails in the rock layers, as if the dinosaurs laid down and fossilized in place. It’s that impressive.

Just outside the quarry, the Fossil Discovery Trail takes you on a short hike past even more trace fossils. Keep your eyes peeled as you walk. There are real dinosaur fossils still visible in the rocks along the trail.

Dinosaurs of the Lone Star State in Big Bend National Park

When you think of Big Bend National Park, fossils might not be the first thing that comes to mind. But this rugged West Texas park is actually one of the richest dinosaur fossil sites in the country.

More than 90 dinosaur species have been discovered here, including the enormous Alamosaurus, a long-necked sauropod from the Cretaceous Period. One specimen found in Big Bend measured over 100 feet long and weighed more than 50 tons – the biggest ever found in North America!

The Fossil Discovery Exhibit near Panther Junction is an easy stop as you enter the park, and it’s absolutely worth your time. Inside, you’ll see massive skeletons like a reconstructed flying Quetzalcoatlus with a 40-foot wingspan, and a Deinosuchus skull—a terrifying crocodile-like predator that lived during a time of active volcanic activity.

These creatures lived during a time when Big Bend was covered by a shallow sea, rich in marine fossils. You have to use your imagination to picture this arid desert teeming with ancient creatures and tropical vegetation.

And yes, that massive crocodile skull? We stood next to it, and it could literally eat us for breakfast.

Humans walk with giants at White Sands National Park

Fossils aren’t just about dinosaurs. At White Sands National Park, it’s all about Ice Age fossils of the Pleistocene and Miocene Epochs—and the humans who walked alongside them.

Researchers recently discovered human footprints from 23,000 years ago in the hardened playas under the sand dunes. These prints show a woman carrying a child, setting them down occasionally, and even shifting her hips from the weight. These are the oldest known human footprints in North America, and they helped push White Sands from a national monument to a full-fledged national park.

Even more incredible? Scientists found evidence that humans here interacted with extinct Ice Age animals, including Columbian mammoths, saber-toothed cats, dire wolves, and even giant ground sloths that stood 10 feet tall. The idea of walking among such enormous creatures is equal parts amazing and terrifying.

You can walk to a playa on the Playa Trail and imagine it all yourself – Ice Age humans, saber-toothed predators, mammoths, and sloths leaving trace fossils in the mud that would later be preserved for millennia.

Fossils beneath the prairie in Badlands National Park

Another fossil heavyweight is Badlands National Park in South Dakota. Though no dinosaur fossils have been found here (the area was underwater during that time), Badlands is packed with mammal fossils and other incredible paleontological resources.

In fact, the park is considered one of the world’s richest fossil sites for fossil collections of mammal species. The Ben Reifel Visitor Center has a world-class fossil preparation lab where you can see paleontologists working on real fossils in person. The Fossil Exhibit Trail offers a quick, kid-friendly walk to learn about what’s been found here.

The best part? Ordinary fossil hunters have made some of the park’s most significant fossil finds. A seven-year-old girl found a saber-toothed cat skull while working on her Junior Ranger badge. A couple of picnickers stumbled upon a fossil, leading to a massive dig site now called the Big Pig Dig, which uncovered over 19,000 fossils.

Fossils found here include thunderbeasts (like the rhino-like creatures in Ice Age), oreodonts (hooved mammals related to sheep and pigs), and even massive sea creatures like the mosasaur, a marine lizard from the Late Cretaceous.

The reef that became a mountain in Guadalupe Mountains National Park

If you want to go back even further in geologic age, Guadalupe Mountains National Park is the place to be. This park preserves one of the best paleontological sites from the Paleozoic Era, showcasing a Permian-era reef with fossilized marine invertebrates and algae.

Back when the continents were still forming, a shallow sea covered the area, and a 400-mile-long reef formed. Over time, tectonic forces pushed this reef skyward, forming the Guadalupe Mountains. Today, the park is home to eight of Texas’s ten highest peaks, and the reef fossils are visible throughout the landscape.

If you hike the Devil’s Hall Trail or the more challenging Permian Reef Trail, keep your eyes on the ground. You’ll see all kinds of marine fossils in the rocks. The layers here are part of the ancient Capitan Reef, and geologists come from around the world to study this incredible piece of geologic history.

Petrified logs frozen in time in Petrified Forest National Park

One of our all-time favorite places to see fossils is Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona. This park is mostly from the Triassic Period, which makes it older than the dinosaurs you see at Dinosaur National Monument. Here, the stars of the show are not animals, but petrified wood.

The area was once a vast river system with giant trees that fell, creating massive logjams. These trees were quickly buried by volcanic ash and sediment, cutting off oxygen and starting the fossilization process. Today, the logs have turned into colorful quartz and look more like crystals than wood.

Some trees here are estimated to have been up to 200 feet tall, and you can still see bark patterns on the petrified logs. Our favorite spots to explore are Crystal Forest, Giant Logs, and Long Logs. You can also hike out into the wilderness areas where shards of fossilized wood cover the ground like confetti.

And don’t miss the museum demonstration lab near the visitor center. Just like in Badlands, you can watch paleontologists working on recent discoveries and ask questions about the park’s rich fossil record.

​Plan your adventure to a fossil national park!

When we dreamed of seeing dinosaurs as kids, we never imagined how many national park service areas would actually bring those dreams to life. From full skeletons in the rock to Ice Age footprints and ancient underwater reefs, the public lands preserved by the National Park Service are filled with ancient fossils and valuable information from every era.

So grab your wishing radio, pack your hiking boots, and come walk among ancient creatures and explore these great places during the summer months or any time of year. National Fossil Day is every day in these incredible landscapes of scientific discovery!

---

Links mentioned in this episode:

Are you hoping to visit all of the national parks? Sign up for your FREE NATIONAL PARKS CHECKLIST so you can easily see where you’ve been and where you still need to go!