Fossil Butte National Monument
National Monument · WY
1 noticefrom the National Park Service
Information · Temporary Phone Number for Visitor Center
Our main phone number for the visitor center is temporarily disconnected. Please call 307-877-4456 to reach a ranger.
In the ridges of southwest Wyoming are some of the best-preserved fossils in the world. They tell the story of ancient life in a warm, wet environment in and around a freshwater lake. Stingrays swam in the lake. Turtles basked in the sun. Leaves rustled in the breeze while early horses darted between the trunks. We reveal more of the past with each fossil found.
- NPS site
- nps.gov/fobu
- Location
- Fossil Butte National Monument (41.856, -110.762)
Track your visit to Fossil Butte National Monument
NP Tracker keeps a record of every National Park Service unit you visit — all 430-plus of them. Log visits with dates and photos, collect passport stamps, plan trips, and watch your map fill in. It's free.
Passport stamp locations
- Fossil Butte Visitor Center
Hours
Fossil Butte National Monumenttoday: Sunrise to Sunset
- Sat Oct 3Sunrise to Sunset
- Sun Oct 4Sunrise to Sunset
- Mon Oct 5Sunrise to Sunset
- Tue Oct 6Sunrise to Sunset
- Wed Oct 7Sunrise to Sunset
- Thu Oct 8Sunrise to Sunset
- Fri Oct 9Sunrise to Sunset
Visitors may enter the park any day sunrise to sunset, but visitor services and motor vehicle access vary throughout the year. Camping is not available.
Hours are retrieved from the National Park Service and can change without notice — check the official site before you go.
Visitor centers
1
- Fossil Butte Visitor Centertoday: 8:00AM - 4:30PMDirections
Self-guided tours
2
Scenic Drive Wayside Tour30–60 minutes · 10 stops
Starting at the park entrance sign and continuing up the Scenic Drive are 10 wayside signs that provide information about geology and the landscape that can be seen from that stop. Past the Nature Trail the road becomes dirt and gravel and has steep switchbacks. This section is not recommended for RVs or if you are towing anything.
Visitor Center Tour: Abundance and Diversity10–20 minutes · 3 stops
Discover the most abundant and most diverse from Fossil Lake as you explore the visitor center.
Entrance fees
No entrance fee.