Waco Mammoth

Waco Mammoth National Monument in Texas preserves the active dig site for the remains of a group of at least 24 prehistoric Columbian mammoths. While the first bones were discovered in 1978, the site wasn’t opened to the public until 2009 as a joint venture between the city of Waco and nearby Baylor University. In 2015, the site was designated as a National Monument making it one of the newest in the National Park System.

Visitor Rating (write your own review below)

ILNP Rating

ILNP Park Review

This view shows how close you are to the bones, just a few feet above them with no glass obscuring the view.

Our Visit. I visited Waco National Monument in May while on a trip to Fort Worth, Texas

Our Weather. Sunny and unseasonably warm in the mid-90s

Overall Impression. While small in scope, Waco Mammoth National Monument is a totally unique and educational experience. This park is home to one of only two fully enclosed, climate controlled archaeological dig sites in the world, and seeing the animals as they were buried, preserved and uncovered is very different from seeing a reconstructed skeleton in a museum. If you’re unfamiliar with the Columbian mammoth, it’s the bigger cousin of the more well known woolly mammoth, and the male’s tusks could grow up to 16 feet long, and even seeing their skeletons in the dirt is a memorable experience well worth the trip.

Visiting. Because of its small size, Waco Mammoth National Monument can be visited in about an hour. In this time, you can browse the visitors center, hike the 300 yards to the dig site, spend 20-30 minutes listening to the knowledgeable guides and staring at bones, and hike back. The dig site is locked, so you can only visit with a ranger/tour guide. It appeared tours departed about every 15-30 min while I was there, so even if you miss it, you shouldn’t have to wait long. Be aware the last tour departs around 45 min before the park closes. Also, because this site is jointly managed, there is a small fee for the tour that your National Park Pass will not cover (but it’s totally worth the price).

This is the largest skeleton that can be seen here, a male mammoth with 12 foot long tusks.

The hike down to the dig site starts at the Visitors Center and takes about 10 minutes. The route is paved and gentle, but if you can’t hike, there are carts that the guides can use to get you from the visitors center to the dig site building. Along the way, the tour guide will orient you to some of the local fauna, the history of the area, and the discovery of the first mammoth bones.

Most of the tour is conducted inside the dig site building where an L-shaped walkway is suspended about 5-10 feet above the bones. Along the walls are artists depictions of the herd and even a life-size portrait of a Columbian mammoth. When I was there, we were allowed to wander freely about the walkway to look at all the bones, but I found it was worth staying within earshot of the guide to hear the information about the mammoths, the dig, and the theories behind why there are so many buried here. Even when the tour was over, we were allowed to stay inside the building for a while longer to look into any crannies we’d missed.

A white-tailed deer as seen from the Eagle Trail

If you have extra time, you can hike the 1/2 mile Eagle Trail back to the visitors center. There’s nothing spectacular about the scenery, but it is mostly shaded and quiet, and I did see a white-tailed deer.

Suggestions. Texas is hot–I recommend drinking water before you hike to the dig site. You can’t take food or drink inside the building. Also, the only restroom facilities at the visitors center, so plan ahead to make your stay at the dig site more pleasant.

Nearby Towns Waco, Forth Worth, Dallas (Texas)

Other Nearby Attractions Lyndon B. Johnson NHS

Official NPS Website Waco Mammoth NM

Write Your Own Review