Where can I see fossils?
Museums, visitor centers, and hiking areas offer opportunities to explore the fossil heritage of America’s public lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management. The list below includes only fossil sites located on BLM lands and museums that feature fossils from these lands.
Plan ahead and prepare, as some facilities may have seasonal hours, and certain trailheads or outdoor sites may require extra time and care to access.
Places to Visit
- Alaska
University of Alaska Museum of the North - Fairbanks, Alaska (Indoor exhibit)
- Arizona
Arizona Museum of Natural History – Mesa, Arizona (Indoor exhibit)
Bear Springs Badlands - Safford, Arizona (Outdoor)
Murray Springs Clovis Site - Sierra Vista, Arizona (Outdoor)
- California
Chambless Rock Collecting Area - Needles, California (Outdoor)
El Paso Mountains Wilderness - Armistead, California (Outdoor)
Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County - Los Angeles, California (Indoor exhibit)
San Diego Natural History Museum - San Diego, California (Indoor exhibit)
Rainbow Basin Natural Area - Barstow, California (Outdoor)
Raymond Alf Museum of Paleontology - Claremont, California (Indoor exhibit)
Trilobite Wilderness - Needles, California (Outdoor)
University of California Museum of Paleontology - Berkeley, California (Indoor exhibit)
Western Science Center - Hemet, California (Indoor exhibit)
Wiley Well District Geode Beds - Blythe, California (Outdoor)
- Colorado
Grand Junction
- Dinosaur Hill Trailhead - Fruita, Colorado (Outdoor)
- Dinosaur Journey Museum of Western Colorado - Fruita, Colorado (Indoor exhibit)
- Fruita Paleo Area - Fruita, Colorado (Outdoor)
- McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area - Fruita, Colorado (Outdoor)
- Rabbit Valley Trail Through Time - Mack, Colorado (Outdoor)
Cleveland Quarry Rec Site - Cañon City, Colorado (Outdoor)
Denver Museum of Nature & Science - Denver, Colorado (Indoor exhibit)
Garden Park Fossil Area - Cañon City, Colorado (Outdoor)
University of Colorado Museum of Natural History - Boulder, Colorado (Indoor exhibit)
Wolford Recreation Special Recreation Management Area - Kremmling, Colorado (Outdoor)
- Idaho
Idaho State University Museum of Natural History - Pocatello, Idaho (Indoor exhibit)
- Maryland
Douglas Point Special Recreation Management Area - Nanjemoy, Maryland (Outdoor)
- Minnesota
Science Museum of Minnesota - Saint Paul, Minnesota (Indoor exhibit)
- Montana
Montana State University Museum of the Rockies - Bozeman, Montana (Indoor exhibit)
Carter County Museum - Ekalaka, Montana (Indoor exhibit)
- Nevada
Oak Springs Trilobite Site - Caliente, Nevada (Outdoor)
Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area - Mountain Springs, Nevada (Indoor exhibit / Outdoor)
- New Mexico
Farmington
- Ah-Shi-Sle-Pah Wilderness - Farmington, New Mexico (Outdoor)
- Angel Peak Scenic Area - Farmington, New Mexico (Outdoor)
- Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness Area - Farmington, New Mexico (Outdoor)
Museum of Nature and Science – Las Cruces, New Mexico (Indoor exhibit)
New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science - Albuquerque, New Mexico (Indoor exhibit)
Prehistoric Trackways National Monument - Las Cruces, New Mexico (Outdoor)
White Ridge Bike Trails - San Ysidro, New Mexico (Outdoor)
- North Dakota
Pioneer Trails Regional Museum - Bowman, North Dakota (Indoor exhibit)
- Oregon
Lost Forest/Dunes/Fossil ACEC - Christmas Valley, Oregon (Outdoor)
Sutton Mountain Back Country Byway - Mitchell, Oregon (Outdoor)
Sutton Mountain and Pats Cabin Wilderness Study Area - Mitchell, Oregon (Outdoor)
Thomas Condon Visitor Center, John Day Fossil Beds National Monument - John Day, Oregon (Indoor exhibit / Outdoor)
University of Oregon Museum of Natural and Cultural History - Eugene, Oregon (Indoor exhibit)
- Utah
Kanab
- Big Water Visitor Center, Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument - Kanab, Utah (Indoor exhibit)
- Bunting Trail - Kanab, Utah (Outdoor)
- Moccasin Mountain Dinosaur Tracksite - Kanab, Utah (Outdoor)
Moab
- Copper Ridge Dinosaur Tracks Interpretive Site - Moab, Utah (Outdoor)
- Dinosaur Stomping Grounds Trailhead - Moab, Utah (Outdoor)
- Mill Canyon Dinosaur Bone and Track Site - Moab, Utah (Outdoor)
- Moab Information Center - Moab, Utah (Indoor exhibit)
- Poison Spider Mesa Trailhead - Moab, Utah (Outdoor)
Price / Green River
- Buckhorn Dino Track - Price, Utah (Outdoor)
- Cleveland Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry, Jurassic National Monument - Price, Utah (Indoor exhibit / Outdoor)
- Fossil Point Trailhead - Green River, Utah (Outdoor)
- San Rafael Swell Recreation Area - Green River, Utah (Outdoor)
- Utah State University Prehistoric Museum - Price, Utah (Indoor exhibit)
Saint George
- Silver Reef Trail and Red Cliffs Dinosaur Tracksite - Saint George, Utah (Outdoor)
- Warner Valley Dinosaur Track Site - Saint George, Utah (Outdoor)
Salt Lake City
- Natural History Museum of Utah - Salt Lake City, Utah (Indoor exhibit)
- Utah Field House of Natural History State Park Museum - Salt Lake City, Utah (Indoor exhibit)
Fossil Mountain - Fillmore, Utah (Outdoor)
Dinosaur Trackway Trailhead - Vernal, Utah (Outdoor)
- Washington D.C.
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History - Washington, D.C. (Indoor exhibit)
- Wyoming
Big Cedar Ridge - Worland, Wyoming (Outdoor)
Dry Creek Petrified Tree Environmental Education Area - Buffalo, Wyoming (Outdoor)
Red Gulch Dinosaur Tracksite - Worland, Wyoming (Outdoor)
The Power of Partnerships
Museums and universities collaborate with BLM for fossil excavation and research. Their permitted work on BLM-managed public lands results in valuable insights into prehistoric life and environments.
Museums and universities also play the invaluable role of partnering with BLM to manage fossils found on BLM-managed public lands for perpetuity. Fossils from BLM-managed public lands are housed in over 80 museum collections nationwide. This dispersed, partnership-dependent curation model ensures community investment in our nation’s shared heritage.