The 11 best places to see dinosaur and plant fossils in the US

10.01.2025 - 22:51 / lonelyplanet.com

Jan 10, 2025 • 8 min read

Dinosaurs and other ancient plants and animals inspire fascination, even though it might seem like we can only see them in movies like Jurassic Park. But did you know fossils are everywhere in North America? The US is covered in fossil sites featuring ancient critters, big and small. Some are found in deserts that were once ocean floors, others in busy cities where continents shifted millions of years ago.

Whether you've got fossil-obsessed kids at home or are a science geek yourself, here are some of the best places in the US to see fossils and investigate the prehistoric past firsthand.

Located just across the Colorado border in Utah's Unita Mountains, Dinosaur National Monument is considered one of the country's most well-known fossil hot-spots. Here, dinosaurs like the Stegosaurus, Allosaurus, and Apatosaurus are embedded in rock at the Carnegie Quarry. If you head out to McKee Springs, you’ll find petroglyphs created by the Fremont indigenous group over 1,000 years ago, the ancestors of the Ute and Shoshone people who live in the area now. 

While the monument is a great place to learn about paleontology and see fossils in their natural state, fossil hunting and collecting are strictly prohibited throughout the park, including backcountry areas. This rule ensures the preservation of fossils for scientific research and public education. 

There are six campgrounds in Dinosaur National Monument itself, but if you prefer a turnkey glamping site with a tent already set up, head to nearby Vernal, Utah to camp in Steinaker State Park or Red Fleet State Park.

While dinosaurs may get all the glory, mammals take the stage at Agate Fossil Beds. The fossils here are about 20 million years old and include creatures such as the Moropus (part donkey, part anteater), the Dinohyus (a boar as big as a bison) and the Beardog (wolf and hyena-like). Walk the Fossil Hills Trail to see the quarries where some of the monument’s most important fossils were found in the early 1900s. Or hop onto the Daemonelix Trail to see the “corkscrew” homes of ancient dry-land beavers, the Palaeocastor. 

Please note fossil hunting and collecting are not allowed anywhere within the monument, as all fossils are protected by federal law to preserve the area's scientific and educational value. 

There's no camping at Agate Fossil Beds National Monument, but you can find sites at Toadstool Geologic Park – where you can continue to learn about ancient fossils.

Dinosaur State Park is one of the largest dinosaur track sites on the continent. It is home to 2,000 dinosaur tracks made during the Jurassic period, 500 of which are housed in the Exhibit Center, a large dome at the park's center. You can also explore trails outside