Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument: An RV Traveler's Guide

Florissant's story begins with an ancient lake and a volcanic landscape. Fine ash and lake sediments entombed plants and animals so gently that the NPS describes some of the most delicate fossils found anywhere — insects, spiders, and even pollen grains and diatoms preserved at microscopic scale.

The monument is best known for two very different kinds of fossils side by side: massive petrified redwood stumps, some from trees the NPS estimates once stood over 230 feet tall, and the famously fine-grained shale that holds butterflies, moths, fish, and leaves. The Park Service notes the site may hold more species of these delicate insects than any other fossil site in the world.

Congress established the monument in 1969 to protect the beds from development and uncontrolled collecting. Today the fossils stay in the ground or in the collection — visitors come to walk the trails and see the petrified stumps in place, not to dig. Check the National Park Service site for current hours, trail conditions, and the nearest RV-friendly camping in the Pikes Peak region before you go.