I may not have been a huge dinosaur fanatic as a kid, but apparently as an adult, I can’t get enough of them! Every sign along the highway that indicated some sort of fossil, footprint, or other pre-human displays drew me off on another adventure. If you’re a lover of paleontolog, consider making any of all of these stops next time you’re on the road in Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado.
Idaho: Hagerman Fossil Beds
Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument near Hagerman, Idaho, contains the largest concentration of Hagerman horse fossils in North America. The fossil horses for which the monument is famous have been found in only one locale in the northern portion of the monument called the Hagerman Horse Quarry. Wikipedia
Hagerman, Idaho, is a small town in southern Idaho that would be easy to miss but it absolutely worth the stop. You descend from I-84 down into a beautiful river valley. Along the way, there’s a small pull-off introducing the fossil beds (visible across the valley). Emigrant Trail offers hiking opportunities through the beds, and a small visitor center further down the hill contains amazing specimens of horse, mastodon, and various other mamal fossils.
Wyoming: Fossil Butte
Fossil…
Utah: Dinosaur National Monument
Dinosaur…
Colorado: Dinosaur Ridge (and beyond)
Ridge…