INTRO:
Just west of Pike's Peak in Colorado, Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument offers the visitor a beautiful natural environment as well as some fabulous fossils and petrified wood. The current meadows, forests, wildlife and flora are worth the visit on their own, but beneath the surface is one of the most diverse and spectacular fossil deposits in the United States: from the massive fossilized Sequoia logs to fragile insects frozen in time during the Eocene Epoch.
FOSSILS:
The highly regarded Florissant Fossil Beds formed almost 35 million years ago when severe volcanic activity destroyed an ancient forest and the area filled with water. Plants and animals were covered in sediment at the bottom of a new lake, and they eventually fossilized in compressed layers of shale. You are not allowed to remove fossils from the park, but there have been birds, possums, horses, oreodonts, molluscs and more than 100 species of plants and 1,100 species of insects found there and many still remain in the mountain. Most of the discovered items are now residing in museums and universities across the globe, though the has a fair display. They also have exhibits on natural history and some of the Native American and homesteading life in the area.
ACTIVITIES:
In the summer there are interesting ranger-led talks and daily tours of various trails and the historic Hornbek Homestead. In the peak season, Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument has rotating seminars, programs and events. The rest of the year, there are self-guided tours along eight trails of varying lengths. The Ponderosa Loop goes past the giant petrified redwood stumps, while the Petrified Forest Loop goes further out past the Scudder excavation pit. Longer trips are available through the ancient lake bed, with fantastic views and much of natural interest for everyone. Instructional groups can be scheduled any time of the year, and there is a bookstore in the Visitor Center with gifts and educational materials.
LODGING AND RESTAURANTS:
Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument does not have a campground, but Forest Service and Mueller State Park campgrounds are nearby. About 20 miles east of the park in Manitou Springs there are a few hotels, with the Best Western a good bet. Another 10 miles further on, there are many chain hotels in Colorado Springs. There are restaurants two miles north of the monument in Florissant, Co, with the Thunderbird Inn and the Fossil Inn Restaurant being good options for a meal, while the Costello St Coffee House and One & Oney's Ice Cream & Pizza can satisfy other cravings.
PLAN YOUR VISIT:
The Visitor Center is open from 9:00am to 5:00pm all year, seven days a week, except for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Days. An annual membership for an adult costs $15, while a week-long pass is $3. There is no admission fee for children under the age of 17. Pets are not allowed in the park.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Where can I get more information and facts about Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument? To find out about the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, visit the National Park Service site (
http://www.nps.gov/flfo/)
