Theodore Roosevelt Presidential LibraryPublic Lands Directory

Alerts and conditions

Information Winter Hours Begin September 14

Winter Operating Hours in effect September 14, 2026: the visitor center is open five days a week, Wednesday through Sunday, closed on Monday and Tuesday.

Read the full alert

Information Florissant Fossil Beds has moved to cashless fee collection

Entrance fees and pass purchases must be made with a credit/debit card or payment app on a mobile device. Electronic payment reduces transaction times, saves money, and improves accountability.

Overview

Beneath a grassy mountain valley in central Colorado lies one of the richest and most diverse fossil deposits in the world. Petrified redwood stumps up to 14 feet wide and thousands of detailed fossils of insects and plants reveal the story of a very different, prehistoric Colorado.

From the National Park Service

History

The designation history for this site (every law, proclamation and order, and the administration behind each) is being researched and checked by the Library’s historians.

What to see and do

Activities

  • Astronomy
  • Stargazing
  • Food
  • Picnicking
  • Guided Tours
  • Self-Guided Tours - Walking
  • Hiking
  • Backcountry Hiking
  • Front-Country Hiking
  • Horse Trekking
  • Horseback Riding
  • Junior Ranger Program
  • Snowshoeing
  • Park Film
  • Museum Exhibits
  • Shopping
  • Bookstore and Park Store

Browse hiking, biking and paddling routes on AllTrails

Plan your visit

Hours

Hours: The Visitor Center is closed Mondays and Tuesdays during the winter season beginning September 14, 2026. Check the Visitor Center hours section for more information. The Visitor Center parking lot gate is locked daily at 4:30 pm. Be sure to park at the Hornbek Homestead if you think your hike may run late - this lot is open 24 hours a day as a designated Dark Sky viewing area.

Fees and passes

  • Entrance - Per Person — $10.00
  • Annual Entrance - Park — $35.00

The America the Beautiful pass covers entrance fees at federal recreation lands across all four agencies.

Getting there

Visitors traveling north/south on I-25: Exit at US 24 West, travel 35 miles to town of Florissant, then follow signs two miles south on Teller County Road 1 to the Visitor Center. Visitors traveling from town of Cripple Creek: Follow Teller County Road 1 north for 16 miles.

Visitor centers

  • Florissant Fossil Beds Visitor Center

Weather

Winter months - average high 40 degrees F; average low 5 degrees F; Summer months - average high 75 degrees F; average low 40 degrees F;

Phone: 7197483253

Whose lands these are

These lands are the ancestral and present-day homelands of Native nations. A section on whose lands these are is being prepared with tribal review. In the meantime, Native Land Digital offers a starting point.

Photos

palaeovespa, ancient wasp
Ancient Wasp Fossil · NPS Photo
Visitors at Hornbek Homestead
Hornbek Homestead Visitors · NPS Photo
Junior Rangers in Visitors Center
Junior Rangers · NPS Photo
View of the Florissant valley with grassy meadows and mountains in the distance
Self Guided Trails · NPS

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