Land of Liberty Explorers

Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument was established in 1969 to preserve and study the geology and history of the area near Florissant, Colorado. During the Eocene, approximately 34 million years ago, the area was covered by a large lake surrounded by giant redwoods – like the trees that still exist in California. Eruptions from the nearby Thirty-nine Mile Volcanic Field covered the lake bed with ash resulting in perfectly fossilized plants and animals.

The largest fossils are the petrified stumps of the ancient redwoods. More delicate, smaller fossils perfectly preserve insects like the paleovespa florissantia, an ancient wasp that serves as the park’s unofficial mascot.

Visitor Center & Museum

The visitor center houses an interactive museum that tells the story of how the fossil beds were created 34 million years ago. Many of the delicate fossils of animals and plants are on display. We especially enjoyed seeing the fossilized leaves that show so many details of the ancient plants from which they fell.

Hiking Trails

The monument has over 14 miles of hiking trials. We took the Petrified Forest Loop, which is a 1.1 mile loop through the ancient lake bed. Several of the large petrified redwood stumps, including the Big Stump, are located next to the Petrified Forest Loop.

Interestingly enough, the most famous stump from the Florissant Valley is likely the stump purchased by Walt Disney before the creation of the national monument. Walt’s stump is still on display in the Frontierland section of Disneyland.

We also did the Geologic Trail – a 1.2 mile out-and-back trail that leads across the ancient lake bed and up a large pyroclastic flow. The trail ends at a viewpoint above the valley. We enjoyed seeing and listening to many different bird species along this trail.

Hornbek Homestead

The Florissant Valley was opened for settlement in 1878. Adeline Hornbek filed the first Homestead Act claim in the valley. She was also the first woman to file a homestead claim in Colorado. With the help of neighbors, Hornbek built a two story, five room log cabin that still stands in its original location within the monument’s boundaries. Park guests can hike to the Hornbek Homestead or take a short drive from the visitor center.