Fossil Butte National Monument

Fossil palm fronds and other plants indicate a climate similar to the Gulf Coast states.
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.
Map showing location of park.
A dark brown, football-shaped fossil fish with a fan-shaped tail and spines standing up on its back.
Photo by NPS Photo
Hills with tan and red sediments partially covered with green vegetation.
Photo by NPS Photo / John Collins
A fossil frog facing left with its back legs splayed out.
Photo by NPS Photo / Arvid Aase
The moon over a snow-covered butte
Photo by NPS Photo
A dark brown, long, thin fossil fish with a forked tail
Photo by NPS Photo / Arvid Aase
A green valley with a ridgeline across the way with a tan top not covered with vegetation.
Photo by NPS Photo
A fossil of a turtle with a short tail about the same length as the legs
Photo by NPS Photo
A butte with sagebrush and blue flowers on long stalks in the foreground.
Photo by NPS Photo / John Collins