Petrified Redwood Stump at the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument

Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, Colorado

on a 4-Star Scale

The Monument Florissant Fossil Beds claim to fame is its collection of plant and insect fossils and gigantic petrified redwood stumps.  In addition to the petrified inhabitants, the monument is also home to a wide variety of wildflowers and a Colorado homestead preserved from the 1800s.  The monument is located off US 24 about 30 miles west of Colorado Springs.

Our Visit We visited the fossil beds in July 2003 on our way back from a camping trip near 11-mile reservoir. We spent about 2 hours there.

Our Weather It was partly cloudy, a little rainy, and very warm.

Overall Impression If you plan a big trip from New York just to see the Florissant Fossil Beds, you'll probably be disappointed as the monument lacks the breathtaking beauty of a National Park or some other National Monuments.   However, if you're in the Colorado Springs/Denver area and are just looking for a place away from the city to experience some of Colorado's beauty, then the fossil beds are a good place to escape and relax for a few hours.  If you're going to bring kids along, make sure you explain beforehand that "fossil" doesn't always mean "dinosaur" to avoid disappointing them when you get there. 

Visiting Plan on 1 hour to 1/2 a day.  In one hour, you can take the short trail around the meadow and see several petrified redwood stumps.  The hike is easy, and the atmosphere is very relaxed.  You may not be awestruck by the fossils or the stumps, but the area is a fine display of Colorado high-plains meadow with tons of wildflowers for you flora buffs.   If you have additional time, there are some fossil displays and lectures by the park rangers. There's also an old homestead nearby that's part of the monument that would probably be interesting to see.

Other Nearby Attractions Plenty of camping; Cripple Creek, Colorado - an old mining (now gambling) town and home of the Cripple Creek & Victor narrow gauge railroad.

Photos Click on thumbnails to view larger image

High-plains meadow and petrified stump at Florissant Fossil Beds	The meadows at the fossil beds are full of Colorado wildflowers
One of the largest of the petrified Redwood stumps

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