{"id":"nps-fobu","slug":"fossil-butte-national-monument","name":"Fossil Butte National Monument","designation":"National Monument","category":"national-monument","categoryLabel":"National Monument","agency":{"code":"NPS","name":"National Park Service","department":"U.S. Department of the Interior","url":"https://www.nps.gov"},"managedBy":[{"code":"NPS","name":"National Park Service","department":"U.S. Department of the Interior","url":"https://www.nps.gov","unitCode":"FOBU","designation":"National Monument","sourceId":"nps-fobu"}],"states":["WY"],"stateNames":["Wyoming"],"location":{"lat":41.85635223,"lon":-110.7624754},"bbox":[-110.8147,41.8235,-110.7181,41.899],"acres":{"value":8212,"kind":"gis-estimate","source":"Computed from the simplified boundary","note":"Approximate. The managing agency publishes official acreage."},"firstProtected":null,"established":null,"administrations":[],"designationHistory":[],"summary":"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.","summarySource":"National Park Service","guide":{},"trConnection":null,"trConnections":[],"trTypes":[],"links":{"official":"https://www.nps.gov/fobu/index.htm","social":{},"recreationGov":null,"alltrails":null,"alltrailsExplore":"https://www.alltrails.com/explore?b_tl_lat=41.899&b_tl_lng=-110.8147&b_br_lat=41.8235&b_br_lng=-110.7181","recreationGovSearch":"https://www.recreation.gov/search?q=Fossil%20Butte%20National%20Monument","directions":"http://www.nps.gov/fobu/planyourvisit/directions.htm"},"images":[{"url":"https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/structured_data/61BEF069-FA75-032B-0BEB6DFEF0E0B08C.jpg","title":"Cockerellites liops","alt":"A dark brown, football-shaped fossil fish with a fan-shaped tail and spines standing up on its back.","caption":"Cockerellites liops is one of the more commonly found fishes in and around Fossil Butte National Monument.","credit":"NPS Photo","source":"NPS"},{"url":"https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/structured_data/61DBCCFF-F26C-C09B-F3332EF37FEA78A0.jpg","title":"Fossil Butte and the Wasatch Formation","alt":"Hills with tan and red sediments partially covered with green vegetation.","caption":"The red and purple layers of the Wasatch Formation sit below the ridgeline of Fossil Butte.","credit":"NPS Photo / John Collins","source":"NPS"},{"url":"https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/structured_data/6200C1A0-927C-E2CD-5BFE26747056626D.jpg","title":"Aerugoamnis paulus","alt":"A fossil frog facing left with its back legs splayed out.","caption":"Only two fossil frogs have been found in the sediments remaining from Fossil Lake.","credit":"NPS Photo / Arvid Aase","source":"NPS"},{"url":"https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/structured_data/620761CA-CAC7-7DDC-E382ECAF8CBA7A00.jpg","title":"Moon over Fossil Butte","alt":"The moon over a snow-covered butte","caption":"The moon over a snow-covered Fossil Butte, the namesake of the park.","credit":"NPS Photo","source":"NPS"},{"url":"https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/structured_data/622D9559-0338-5B2B-65A91C231E02308C.jpg","title":"Knightia eocaena","alt":"A dark brown, long, thin fossil fish with a forked tail","caption":"Knightia eocaena is the most common fossil fish found in and around Fossil Butte National Monument.","credit":"NPS Photo / Arvid Aase","source":"NPS"},{"url":"https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/structured_data/625309F4-BE49-54BA-691E81ADCFFAE497.jpg","title":"View of Fossil Butte from Cundick Ridge","alt":"A green valley with a ridgeline across the way with a tan top not covered with vegetation.","caption":"View of Fossil Butte from Cundick Ridge","credit":"NPS Photo","source":"NPS"},{"url":"https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/structured_data/629CC5F6-EE6A-3E0B-4178B7E7DC6A9B98.jpg","title":"Echmatemys wyomingensis","alt":"A fossil of a turtle with a short tail about the same length as the legs","caption":"Echmatemys wyomingensis was a pond turtle that lived in ancient Fossil Lake.","credit":"NPS Photo","source":"NPS"},{"url":"https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/structured_data/62B064E8-BD46-2A7A-B1D27F27C78BF02B.jpg","title":"Fossil Butte and Blue Flax","alt":"A butte with sagebrush and blue flowers on long stalks in the foreground.","caption":"Fossil Butte with blue flax flowers in the foreground","credit":"NPS Photo / John Collins","source":"NPS"}],"activities":["Hiking","Junior Ranger Program","Wildlife Watching","Birdwatching","Museum Exhibits","Shopping","Bookstore and Park Store"],"topics":["Schools and Education","Fossils and Paleontology","Geology"],"fees":[],"passes":[],"hours":[{"name":"Fossil Butte National Monument","description":"Visitors may enter the park any day sunrise to sunset, but visitor services and motor vehicle access vary throughout the year. \nCamping is not available.","standardHours":{"wednesday":"Sunrise to Sunset","monday":"Sunrise to Sunset","thursday":"Sunrise to Sunset","sunday":"Sunrise to Sunset","tuesday":"Sunrise to Sunset","friday":"Sunrise to Sunset","saturday":"Sunrise to Sunset"},"exceptions":[]}],"directions":"By car: Travel 9 miles west of Kemmerer, Wyoming on U.S. Highway 30. There is a highway sign near mile post 44; turn right onto Lincoln County Road 300. The Historic Quarry Trail is approximately 1/2 mile on the right. Continue west on County Road 300 for approximately 1.5 miles to Chicken Creek Road which provides access to the visitor center, scenic drive, Nature Trail and picnic area. Closest airports: Rock Springs, Wyoming (130 miles); Salt Lake City, Utah (150 miles).","weatherInfo":"Expect a variety of weather conditions no matter what time of year you visit. Spring, fall and winter can be very cold with snow and icy conditions. In spring, daytime temperatures usually range from 30 F to 65 F. Summer daytime temperatures range from 60 F to 90 F. Fall daytime temperatures range from 45 F to 70 F. Winter daytime temperatures range from -20 F to 30 F.","contacts":{"phone":"3078774455","email":"fobu_information@nps.gov"},"visitorCenters":[{"name":"Fossil Butte Visitor Center","description":"Over 2000 fossils are on exhibit. Video programs feature what scientists have learned from the fossils and the rocks they're found in, and how fossils are excavated and prepared. Visitor Center hours vary by the season.","url":"http://www.nps.gov/fobu/planyourvisit/visitorcenteractivities.htm","lat":41.8365441313045,"lon":-110.77037356107894}],"campgrounds":[],"thingsToDo":[],"nearby":[{"slug":"cokeville-meadows-national-wildlife-refuge","km":20},{"slug":"bear-lake-national-wildlife-refuge","km":58},{"slug":"cache-national-forest","km":75},{"slug":"seedskadee-national-wildlife-refuge","km":77},{"slug":"bridger-national-forest","km":93},{"slug":"oregon-national-historic-trail","km":94}],"hasBoundary":true,"boundarySource":{"name":"NPS Land Resources Division","url":"https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/Reference/Profile/2224545"},"sources":[{"name":"NPS Data API","url":"https://developer.nps.gov/api/v1/parks?parkCode=fobu"},{"name":"NPS Land Resources Division boundaries","url":"https://services1.arcgis.com/fBc8EJBxQRMcHlei/arcgis/rest/services/NPS_Land_Resources_Division_Boundary_and_Tract_Data_Service/FeatureServer/2"}],"editorialStatus":"draft","synced":"2026-11-09T02:12:45.612Z","alerts":[],"url":"https://directory.labs.trlibrary.com/sites/fossil-butte-national-monument/","boundaryUrl":"https://directory.labs.trlibrary.com/boundaries/fossil-butte-national-monument.geojson"}