Giant petrified redwood stumps and exquisite fossil insects, at 8,400 feet.
Photo: James St. John · CC BY 2.0 · via Wikimedia Commons
In a high mountain meadow 35 miles west of Colorado Springs, a 34-million-year-old volcanic lake bed preserved one of the richest fossil deposits on Earth — delicate insects, leaves, spiders and fish pressed into fine shale, alongside giant petrified redwood stumps up to 14 feet across. Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument tells that story with an outdoor fossil exhibit, short interpretive loops, and surprising solitude at nearly 8,400 feet, with Pikes Peak on the horizon.
Start at the visitor center, where an 18-minute film and the exhibits explain the ancient lake — the museum is the only place in the monument you'll see the fragile insect and leaf fossils. Then walk the Petrified Forest Loop to the massive Big Stump, and drive up the county road to the 1878 Hornbek Homestead. More than 14 miles of meadow and ponderosa trails wind beyond for those who want them. Fossil collecting is prohibited everywhere in the monument — but a private pay-dig quarry in town lets you split shale and keep what you find.
Time your visit for the morning. The three self-guided fossil trails are only open 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and the altitude surprises people: even summer mornings are chilly, and afternoon thunderstorms with lightning and hail build almost daily in summer. Winters are cold and snowy. There's no lodging or camping in the monument; base in Woodland Park, Cripple Creek, or Colorado Springs.
Florissant is a high mountain valley at 8,400 feet full of fossil beds, and the driving that matters is getting there — it sits between Colorado Springs and the old gold camp at Cripple Creek, on roads that climb hard out of the Front Range. Inside the monument it's just Teller County Road 1: the visitor center lot, then a mile and a half further north to the Hornbek Homestead lot.
Climbs out of Colorado Springs through Manitou Springs and Ute Pass to the high valleys, about an hour to the monument turn-off. The gain in elevation is substantial and noticeable.
South from Divide over the shoulder of Pikes Peak to Cripple Creek and Victor. A good mountain road and the reason to combine the monument with the mining towns rather than driving back the way you came.
Climb from Colorado Springs, spend the morning among petrified redwood stumps at 8,400 feet, then drop south to the gold camps and come back round. It turns a small monument into a proper driving day.
TipDo the monument first: its self-guided trails shut at 4:30 p.m., while Cripple Creek doesn't care what time you turn up. The Gold Camp Road back toward Colorado Springs is unpaved and partly closed — check before relying on it. CO-67 is the reliable route.
Hands-on exhibits and an 18-minute film, "Shadows of the Past," tell the story of ancient Lake Florissant. The museum is the only place in the monument you can see the fragile fossil insects, spiders, leaves and fish — outdoors you'll only ever see petrified stumps.
Insider tipAsk for the film at the desk and see the exhibits first; it makes the stumps outside far more meaningful. Free Junior Ranger books for kids, a Rocky Mountain Conservancy bookstore, and 99 parking spaces including nine oversize.
Plan a trip to this spot →A 1.1-mile self-guided loop through the bed of ancient Lake Florissant, past massive petrified redwood stumps — the colorful Big Stump is up to 14 feet wide — buried at the base by a volcanic mudflow. Easy, with only 70 feet of elevation change, starting behind the outdoor exhibit area.
Insider tipThe must-do trail — short and the showpiece; do it even on a quick visit. It's open 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. only, and pets aren't allowed on it. The wheelchair-accessible 0.4-mile Ponderosa Loop leaves from the same place.
Plan a trip to this spot →The 1878 homestead of Adeline Hornbek, a widow who claimed land under the Homestead Act with four children and built a prosperous ranch. The grounds are self-guided year-round, with exhibit panels telling her story.
Insider tipIt has its own 20-space parking lot about a mile and a half north on Teller County Road 1 — drive it rather than walk, since the Hornbek Trail from the visitor center is 3.9 miles. Included in your entrance fee. The buildings themselves only open on scheduled summer days, so check the park calendar if you want to see inside; ask for the Guide to the Hornbek Homestead at the visitor center either way.
Plan a trip to this spot →A 0.6-mile self-guided trail, one way, covering more than a billion years of Florissant valley geology. It crosses the ancient lake bed and Teller County Road 1, climbs past the remnants of a huge pyroclastic flow, and ends at an overlook of the valley.
Insider tipBest for understanding the ash-flow and lake-bed story behind everything else you'll see. Moderate, about 105 feet of climb, and it shares the 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. window with the other self-guided trails. Watch for traffic at the road crossing.
Plan a trip to this spot →More than 14 miles of trail across eight interconnected routes wind through wildflower meadows, aspen and ponderosa at 8,400 feet. The 2.6-mile Sawmill Trail climbs to ridge tops with Pikes Peak views and meadows the elk use.
Insider tipGo in the morning before storms build, and bring layers — even summer mornings are cold. Pets are barred from every trail in the monument, so a dog in the car means a short visit.
Plan a trip to this spot →Summer brings Meet a Geologist talks, Skats and Tracks hikes, Art in the Park, night-sky stargazing, and a Fossil Learning Lab set up in the yurt by the picnic area, with hand lenses and microscopes. Digging and collecting anything is prohibited monument-wide.
Insider tipTo dig and keep fossils, visit the private quarry and fossil shops in town, outside the monument. Check the park calendar for the current program schedule — the learning lab runs as staffing allows.
Plan a trip to this spot →A high mountain meadow at ~8,400 feet — not the warm Colorado plains. Summers are mild by day (highs mid-70s) but mornings and evenings are chilly (and freezes are possible even in summer); the defining hazard is near-daily summer afternoon thunderstorms with lightning and hail, so go in the morning. Winters are cold and snowy. Pace yourself and hydrate for the altitude.
One road in — Teller County Road 1, south off US-24 at Florissant.
15807 Teller County Road 1, about an hour and 35 miles west of Colorado Springs, or 2 to 2.5 hours from Denver. $10 per person 16 and up, good for 7 days, card or mobile only — there's no cash lane. Allow 2 to 3 hours. A separate small lot at the Barksdale picnic area, further east, serves the Shootin' Star Trail.
No lodging and no camping in the monument — stay in the nearby towns.
Woodland Park (~20 min) is the closest town with motels and dining; historic Cripple Creek (~30–40 min) adds gold-rush character.
Booking tipFor camping, the park points people to Mueller State Park, Eleven Mile State Park, Eleven Mile Canyon and the Pikes Peak Ranger District — all within a reasonable drive.
About an hour east down US-24, with the widest range of hotels and services.
Booking tipA good base for pairing with Pikes Peak and Garden of the Gods.
How much does it cost?
$10 per adult (16+), valid 7 days; kids 15 and under free. A $35 park annual pass covers the holder plus three other adults, and the $80 America the Beautiful pass works too. Card or mobile payment only — the park takes no cash. You can also buy the day pass ahead on Recreation.gov.
What's preserved here?
One of the world's richest fossil deposits — thousands of insects, spiders, leaves, seeds, fish and a few mammals and birds pressed into fine shale, plus giant petrified redwood stumps up to 14 feet wide, all about 34 million years old. There are no dinosaurs here; they had been extinct for roughly 30 million years by then. The shale fossils are almost all still underground, so the museum is where you actually see them.
Can I collect fossils?
No — digging for or collecting anything, fossil or otherwise, is prohibited everywhere in the monument. If you want to dig and keep fossils, a private quarry and fossil shops outside the monument let you split shale and keep what you find.
Can I bring my dog?
Not onto the trails or inside any building. Pets are limited to the parking lot and a designated pet exercise area by the picnic area, on a leash no longer than six feet, and can't be left unattended — and there's very little shade in the lot.
How high is it — what about weather?
About 8,400 feet, high enough that altitude affects many visitors (hydrate, use sunscreen, pace yourself). Summer afternoons bring near-daily thunderstorms with lightning and hail, so plan morning visits; mornings are chilly year-round.
What's the Hornbek Homestead?
The 1878 homestead of Adeline Hornbek, who claimed the land under the Homestead Act as a widow with four children and built a prosperous ranch. It sits about a mile and a half north of the visitor center with its own parking lot on Teller County Road 1, and is included in your entrance fee. The grounds and exhibit panels are self-guided year-round; the buildings themselves open only on scheduled summer days, so check the park calendar.
When should I go?
Late spring through early fall for full trail access, with mornings best in summer. Remember the self-guided fossil trails close at 4:30 p.m. The visitor center is open year-round but its hours change with the season — call (719) 748-3253 if you're arriving late in the day.
Pick your vehicle, line up the stops on the way in and out, and carry the whole route in your pocket.
