Guide to Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument – Colorado

Said to be one of the ‘richest fossil bed deposits in the world’, Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument in Colorado was given National Monument status in 1969 to protect these deposits. Here, you can see all kinds of insect fossils, petrified redwood trees, as well as an old homestead. I visited Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument when I was staying in nearby Cripple Creek, Colorado, and figured I might as well check it out since I was in the area. In this guide to Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, I’ll give you the low-down on what a visit here might entail, as well as my thoughts on this National Monument.

Where is Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument?

Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument is located about 30 minutes from Cripple Creek, Colorado (that’s where I was traveling from), but the closest major city to this National Monument is Colorado Springs, Colorado – it’s about a 45 minute drive, one way, from here.

Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument – Quick Overview

• $10 per person, age 16 and older unless you have an America the Beautiful pass.
• Offers several hiking trails that go through ancient lakebeds and petrified redwood forests.
• Indoor museum with lots of fossils to view
• Outdoor amphitheater with exhibits
• Dogs are not allowed on the trails. There is a dog relief area in the parking lot.
• Time needed: I spent about an hour here and I’m not into fossils. I’d say about an hour is good, depending on how into fossils you or anyone you’re traveling with is.

Visiting Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument

During my visit, the museum and any inside exhibits were closed, but the ranger had a collection of fossils spread out on a card table for viewing for anyone who was interested.

Behind the visitors center you’ll find an outdoor amphitheater, with some exhibits. You’ll also find a few very large petrified redwood stumps, including a set of three redwood stumps grouped together.

If this is all you see, you can call it good, if you’re just not that compelled by this ‘stuff.’ Don’t feel bad about not going for a hike here; trust me, you’re not missing out on much.

I did do a hike here, despite not being all that interested in the subject matter. I hiked the Petrified Forest loop trail, which is 1 mile round trip. This trail starts at the visitor center and loops around, going around some redwood stumps and passes by the “Big Stump.” This is an extremely easy trail with hardly any elevation change. I hiked it in flip flops. It was a nice walk, but I didn’t find the trail very enthralling.

I’ll be straight with you – I did not find anything here very interesting. I’ve seen petrified wood before, I’ve seen fossils and honestly, I’m not into either one. Maybe if the exhibits in the museum would’ve been open, I might’ve found Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument more interesting, but I didn’t. It just not my thing.

That said, it’s not to say that Florissant Fossil Beds doesn’t deserve National Monument status – it does. It serves as an important place for scientific research – in fact, scientists had instruments out in the field, doing research right in the field, literally.

It’s just, as a visitor, it’s just not that interesting and despite being in Colorado, the surrounding scenery is pretty boring – you won’t see any good views of the Rockies from here – they’re too far off in the distance. And there just are better places to see petrified trees and fossils in the US. For example, if you want to see petrified trees, Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona is awesome. For fossils, Dinosaur National Monument is really cool.

But then again, what, exactly did I expect here?!

Final Thoughts – Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument

Is Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument worth visiting? You’ll have to be honest with yourself on how much you like fossils and petrified trees. If those sorts of things really float your boat, you will love this place. Otherwise, I don’t think I’d recommend visiting here to the average person. It’s out in the middle of nowhere (so it’s unlikely you’ll be passing by on accident) but if you happen to be in the area and want to cross off another National Park Service unit off your list, then it’s worth swinging in here and giving it a look-see.

Have you been to Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument? What did you think?