Fossil Butte National Monument
In the ridges of southwest Wyoming are some of the best-preserved fossils in the world. They tell the story of ancient life in a warm, wet environment in and around a freshwater lake. Stingrays swam in the lake. Turtles basked in the sun. Leaves rustled in the breeze while early horses darted between the trunks. We reveal more of the past with each fossil found.
Alerts
- InformationTemporary Phone Number for Visitor Center
Our main phone number for the visitor center is temporarily disconnected. Please call 307-877-4456 to reach a ranger.
Fees & passes
Free. No entrance fee here.
Hours
| Fossil Butte National Monument | Daily · Sunrise to Sunset |
When to go
July draws the most visits here and January the fewest, averaged over 2021 to 2025.
Visitor centers
- Fossil Butte Visitor CenterPassport stamp
Over 2000 fossils are on exhibit. Video programs feature what scientists have learned from the fossils and the rocks they're found in, and how fossils are excavated and prepared. Visitor Center hours vary by the season.
No campgrounds, no webcams or events in Park Service data. What is here comes from the official page. The rest lives there.
Checked nightly. Modules appear as soon as the Park Service publishes the data.
Explore
Things to do
- Eagle Nest Point Trail1-2 Hours
This unmaintained trail is 2 miles (3.2 km) round trip along an old dirt road. The trail goes along a ridge to an overlook amid limber pine and Douglas fir. The overlook provides a great vantage point to view the canyons and ridges in the distance.
Opens on the Park Service site - Cundick Ridge Trail1-2 Hours
This unmaintained trail is 2 miles (3.2 km) round trip along an old dirt road. The trail follows Cundick Ridge to an overlook which provides an excellent view of the valley below.
Opens on the Park Service site - Rubey Point Trail2-3 Hours
This unmaintained trail is 3 miles / 4.8 km round trip along an old dirt road. The hike traverses a ridge to an overlook which provides a panoramic view.
Opens on the Park Service site - Fossil Butte Visitor Center Exhibits20-60 Minutes
Stop by the visitor center to see the fossils of the animals that lived in Fossil Lake 52 million years ago.
Opens on the Park Service site - Fossil Butte Scenic Drive
The scenic drive is 5.5 miles one way. The road takes you to the top of the ridgeline where you get great views of the valleys below. Wayside signs interpret the landscape.
Opens on the Park Service site - Historic Quarry Trail1-2 Hours
This 2.5 mile (4 km) loop trail provides an overview of the geology and paleontology of the park and surrounding area.
Opens on the Park Service site
Show all 7Hide
- Ranger Programs at Fossil Butte
Fossil Butte NM offers several different programs during the summer. Ask about the schedule at the visitor center.
Opens on the Park Service site
Films
National Park Service productions, public domain.
Map
Interactive map by the National Park Service
On the National Register nearby
- Haddenham CabinBuilding · Kemmerer · 2.4 mi
- Fossil Oregon Short Line DepotBuilding · Kemmerer · 3.3 mi
- Lincoln County CourthouseBuilding · Kemmerer · 12.2 mi
- US Post Office–Kemmerer MainBuilding · Kemmerer · 12.3 mi
Public land nearby
Distances are approximate. Wilderness Atlas publishes a center point and an acreage for each area rather than a boundary, so each area is treated here as a circle of the same size and the figure is the gap to that circle.
Guidebooks for Wyoming's national parks
We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.
Compass American Guides: Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks (Full-color Travel Guide)Fodor's, 2014Find at Bookshop.org
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject.
Reference
Wildlife
Seen this monthPronghorn 3× · Sandhill Crane 1×Research-grade observations within 25 km, last 30 days, via iNaturalist
Full checklist: 154 birds, 57 mammalsHide
Raptors & owlsAmerican Kestrel · Bald Eagle · Barn-Owl · Burrowing Owl · Cooper's Hawk · Ferruginous Hawk · Flammulated Owl · Golden Eagle · Great Horned Owl · Long-eared Owl · Northern Harrier · Northern Pygmy-owl · Northern Saw-whet Owl · Peregrine Falcon · Prairie Falcon · Red-tailed Hawk · Rough-legged Hawk · Sharp-shinned Hawk · Short-eared Owl · Swainson's Hawk · Turkey Vulture · Western Screech-owl
Waterfowl & wadersAmerican Coot · American Wigeon · Blue-winged Teal · Canada goose · Cinnamon Teal · Green-winged Teal · Northern Pintail · Sandhill Crane · White-faced Ibis
Shorebirds & seabirdsCalifornia Gull · Franklin's Gull · Killdeer · Red-necked Phalarope · Ring-billed Gull · Spotted Sandpiper · Willet · Wilson's Snipe
Gamebirds & dovesBlue Grouse · Greater Sage-grouse · Mourning Dove · Rock Dove · Ruffed Grouse
WoodpeckersAmerican Three-toed Woodpecker · Downy Woodpecker · Hairy Woodpecker · Lewis' Woodpecker · Northern Flicker · Red-naped Sapsucker · Williamson's Sapsucker
Hummingbirds & swiftsBlack-chinned Hummingbird · Broad-tailed Hummingbird · Rufous Hummingbird · White-throated Swift
Also on the checklistAmerican Crow · American Goldfinch · American Robin · Ash-throated Flycatcher · Bank Swallow · Barn Swallow · Black Rosy-finch · Black-billed Magpie · Black-capped Chickadee · Black-headed Grosbeak · Black-throated Gray Warbler · Blue-gray Gnatcatcher · Brewer's Blackbird · Brewer's Sparrow · Brown Creeper · Brown-headed Cowbird · Canyon Wren · Cassin's Finch · Cedar Waxwing · Chipping Sparrow · Chukar · Clark's Nutcracker · Cliff Swallow · Common Nighthawk · Common Poorwill · Common Raven · Dark-eyed Junco · Dusky Flycatcher · European Starling · Evening Grosbeak · Fox Sparrow · Gadwall · Golden-crowned Kinglet · Grasshopper Sparrow · Gray Catbird · Gray Flycatcher · Gray Jay · Gray-crowned Rosy-finch · Green-tailed Towhee · Hammond's Flycatcher · Hermit Thrush · Hooded Warbler · Horned Lark · House Finch · House Wren · Lark Bunting · Lark Sparrow · Lazuli Bunting · Lesser Goldfinch · Lincoln's Sparrow · Loggerhead Shrike · MacGillivray's Warbler · Mallard · Mountain Bluebird · Mountain Chickadee · Northern Rough-winged Swallow · Northern Shrike · Olive-sided Flycatcher · Orange-crowned Warbler · Pine Grosbeak · Pine Siskin · Pinyon Jay · Plumbeous Vireo · Pygmy Nuthatch · Red Crossbill · Red-breasted Nuthatch · Red-winged Blackbird · Rock Wren · Ruby-crowned Kinglet · Sage Thrasher · Sagebrush Sparrow · Savannah Sparrow · Say's Phoebe · Scott's Oriole · Snow Bunting · Song Sparrow · Sora · Spotted Towhee · Steller's Jay · Swainson's Thrush · Townsend's Solitaire · Tree Swallow · Veery · Vesper Sparrow · Violet-green Swallow · Virginia's Warbler · Warbling Vireo · Western Bluebird · Western Cordilleran Flycatcher · Western Kingbird · Western Meadowlark · Western Tanager · Western Wood-Pewee · White-breasted Nuthatch · White-crowned Sparrow · Wilson's Warbler · Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay · Yellow Warbler · Yellow-rumped Warbler
Small mammalsAmerican Beaver · Bushy-tailed Woodrat · Deer Mouse · Desert Cottontail · Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel · Great Basin Pocket Mouse · Least Chipmunk · Long-tailed Vole · Masked Shrew · Meadow Vole · Montane Shrew · Montane Vole · Mountain Cottontail · North American Porcupine · Northern Flying Squirrel · Northern Grasshopper Mouse · Northern Pocket Gopher · Pygmy Rabbit · Red Squirrel · Richardson's Ground Squirrel · Sagebrush Vole · Snowshoe Hare · Southern Red-backed Vole · Uinta Ground Squirrel · Western Jumping Mouse · White-tailed Jackrabbit · White-tailed Prairie Dog · Wyoming Ground Squirrel · Yellow-bellied Marmot · Yellow-pine Chipmunk
PredatorsAmerican Badger · American Black Bear · Bobcat · Coyote · Ermine · Long-tailed Weasel · Mountain Lion · Northern Raccoon · Red Fox · Striped Skunk · Western Spotted Skunk
Hoofed mammalsElk · Moose · Mule Deer · Pronghorn
BatsBig Brown Bat · Brazilian Free-tailed Bat · Fringed Myotis · Hoary Bat · Little Brown Myotis · Long-eared Myotis · Long-legged Myotis · Silver-haired Bat · Spotted Bat · Townsend's Big-eared Bat · Western Small-footed Myotis · Yuma Myotis
Activities
Activity guides for this park Birdwatching in the national parks · Hiking in the national parks · Wildlife watching in the national parks
Weather & climate
Expect a variety of weather conditions no matter what time of year you visit. Spring, fall and winter can be very cold with snow and icy conditions. In spring, daytime temperatures usually range from 30 F to 65 F. Summer daytime temperatures range from 60 F to 90 F. Fall daytime temperatures range from 45 F to 70 F. Winter daytime temperatures range from -20 F to 30 F.
Questions people ask
Does Fossil Butte charge an entrance fee?
No. Fossil Butte is free to enter.
Source: National Park Service
What are the hours at Fossil Butte?
Standard hours are Sunrise to Sunset, every day.
Source: National Park Service
Is anything closed at Fossil Butte right now?
1 active alert as of October 14, 2026: Temporary Phone Number for Visitor Center.
Source: Alerts
How busy is Fossil Butte?
20,626 recreation visits in 2025, number 325 of 387 units that report visitation.
Source: Most visited parks
Is there cell service at Fossil Butte?
At the park's reference point, FCC coverage maps show AT&T 4G LTE. No reported coverage for Verizon and T-Mobile. Coverage inside the park varies by location.
Source: FCC Broadband Map
When was Fossil Butte established?
1972.
Source: Wikipedia
What is the weather like at Fossil Butte?
Expect a variety of weather conditions no matter what time of year you visit. Spring, fall and winter can be very cold with snow and icy conditions.
Source: Weather & climate
Follow this park
- Alerts feed (RSS)
- Every active Park Service alert for this unit, one item each, rebuilt with the nightly data refresh.
- Add dates to your calendar (.ics file)
- Fee-free entrance days that apply here and each published hours exception, as all-day events.
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