A dark brown, football-shaped fossil fish with a fan-shaped tail and spines standing up on its back.
Cockerellites liops is one of the more commonly found fishes in and around Fossil Butte National Monument. NPS Photo

Fossil Butte National Monument

National Monument · Wyoming · National Park Service

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.

Plan your visit

Trails & hiking

Hiking

Know before you go

Phone
3078774455
Official site
www.nps.gov
Managed by
National Park Service

Getting there

Directions on Google Maps →

Things to do

Highlights: Schools and Education · Fossils and Paleontology · Geology

Activities & features: Junior Ranger Program · Wildlife Watching · Birdwatching · Museum Exhibits · Shopping · Bookstore and Park Store

Photos

  • Hills with tan and red sediments partially covered with green vegetation.
    NPS Photo / John Collins
  • A fossil frog facing left with its back legs splayed out.
    NPS Photo / Arvid Aase
  • The moon over a snow-covered butte
    NPS Photo
  • A dark brown, long, thin fossil fish with a forked tail
    NPS Photo / Arvid Aase
  • A green valley with a ridgeline across the way with a tan top not covered with vegetation.
    NPS Photo
  • A fossil of a turtle with a short tail about the same length as the legs
    NPS Photo
  • A butte with sagebrush and blue flowers on long stalks in the foreground.
    NPS Photo / John Collins

Nearby parks

Parks of Wyoming

Grand Teton National ParkHot Springs State ParkSinks Canyon State ParkRegister Cliff State Historic SitePoint of Rocks Stage Station Historic SiteWyoming Pioneer Memorial MuseumOregon Trail RutsKeyhole State ParkTrail End State Historic SiteIndependence Rock State Historic SiteCurt Gowdy State ParkBuffalo Bill State ParkSouth Pass City State Historic SiteFort Fred Steele State Historic SiteLegend Rock State Petroglyph SiteCamp Douglas Officers' Club State Historic SIteFort Bridger State Historic SiteBear River State ParkFort Fetterman State Historic SiteGlendo State ParkHistoric Governors' MansionFort Phil Kearny State Historic SiteGuernsey State ParkDevils Tower National MonumentFort Laramie National Historic SiteBoysen State ParkWyoming Territorial PrisonGranger Stage Station State Historic SiteYellowstone National ParkNames Hill State Historic SiteAmes Monument State Historic SiteHawk Springs State Recreation Area

33 parks mapped in Wyoming

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Guides for the trip

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Sources: National Park Service, Google Places · updated 2026-08-12