Fossil & Dinosaur Sites for RV Travelers

An NPS monument in western Nebraska known as the world's leading source of full-skeleton Miocene mammal fossils, plus the Cook Collection of Lakota artifacts. Open to the public with a visitor center and hiking trails.

A National Natural Landmark in northeast Nebraska where Miocene-era animals lie entombed in volcanic ash. The park is a joint project of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and the University of Nebraska State Museum, and it operates seasonally — typically closed mid-October through April.

A South Dakota national park with one of the world's richest fossil beds, where the NPS says ancient horses and rhinos once roamed. The park spans 244,000 acres and holds extensive museum collections. Open to the public year-round, with seasonal services.

A New Mexico state park near Clayton with well-preserved dinosaur trackways near the lake spillway, plus a visitor center on the region's geology. Managed by the New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department, State Parks Division.

A BLM-managed dinosaur bone bed at Jurassic National Monument in Emery County, Utah, roughly 30 miles south of Price. Its visitor center features an Allosaurus skeleton mount and bone-bed exhibits; the quarry's fossils are overwhelmingly from Jurassic predators.

An NPS monument spanning Utah and Colorado, famous for the Quarry Exhibit Hall — a cliff face with over 1,500 dinosaur fossils still in the rock. The wider monument covers 210,000-plus acres of canyons and rivers. A memorable, science-rich stop for an RV family.

A Texas state park near Glen Rose where dinosaur tracks are preserved in the bed of the Paluxy River. Track visibility depends on river and trail conditions, so check the official Texas Parks & Wildlife page before you go.

An Indiana DNR state park in Clarksville, on the Ohio River, protecting roughly 220 acres of 390-million-year-old Devonian fossil beds — among the largest exposed in the world — with an interpretive center. More than 600 fossil species have been documented here.

An NPS monument in central Colorado preserving petrified redwood stumps and over 1,800 described fossil species — insects, plants, fish, birds, and mammals — from roughly 34 million years ago. Open to the public with trails and a visitor center.

An NPS monument in southwest Wyoming holding some of the world's best-preserved fossils, formed around a 52-million-year-old freshwater lake. Fossils include fishes, insects, plants, reptiles, birds, and mammals — among them stingrays, turtles, and early horses.

A large BLM-managed national monument in southern Utah whose Cretaceous-age badlands, including the Kaiparowits region, hold a rich and actively studied fossil record. Discoveries here include dinosaur material and even tiny dinosaur eggs reported from the Kaiparowits Formation.

An NPS monument in south-central Idaho preserving Pliocene fossils from about three to four million years ago, famous for the Hagerman Horse (Equus simplicidens). Open to the public via the Thousand Springs Visitor Center, with scenic overlooks and fossil exhibits.

An NPS monument in Oregon with three units — Sheep Rock, Painted Hills, and Clarno — recording the Age of Mammals. Fossils include brontotheres, three-toed horses, saber-tooth cats, and camels. The Thomas Condon Paleontology Center displays unearthed fossils.

An active Ice Age fossil excavation and museum on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles, managed by the Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County. Visitors can see the Lake Pit asphalt seep, the Fossil Lab, and exhibits of dire wolves, mammoths, and mastodons recovered on site.

A free city park near Mineral Wells, Texas, where eroded sediments expose abundant Pennsylvanian-Period marine fossils. Open daily year-round; the city states that visitors may collect fossils for personal use. Confirm details on the official City of Mineral Wells page.

An Arizona national park managed by the NPS, protecting fossil logs over 200 million years old that have turned to almost solid quartz, colored by iron, carbon, and manganese. The park also takes in part of the Painted Desert — a striking, fossil-rich RV destination.

A county-managed dinosaur tracksite and National Natural Landmark in Roseland, New Jersey. The dinosaur portion is not open to the public for casual visits; Essex County Parks runs guided field trips to the late-Triassic Grallator trackways. Check the official Essex County Parks page to arrange a visit.