Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument
Florissant Fossil Beds is a national monument in Teller County, known for its abundant plant and insect fossils in the mudstone and shale. Additionally, there are a number of petrified redwood stumps from the Eocene epoch when the climate was much warmer. The area that is now the national monument was once a private attraction showcasing the petrified forest. The national monument was established in 1969.
Contact Information:
P.O. Box 185
Florissant, CO 80816
Phone: (719) 748-3253
Map:
Trails:
Petrified Forest Loop:
Petrified Forest Loop makes a 1 mile loop starting from behind the visitor center. The trail passes several stumps of petrified redwood trees, including the Big Stump.
Points of Interest:
Big Stump:
The Big Stump is a massive petrified redwood stump that can be seen from the Petrified Forest Loop.
The visitor center has a large display of insect and plant fossils discovered at Florissant.
Hornbek Homestead:
The Hornbek Homestead is located along County Road 1 before the visitor center.
Trio:
The Trio, as the name suggests, is the petrified stumps of three redwood trees. They are located behind the visitor center near the amphitheater.
Wildlife:
Indian paintbrush
One-sided penstemon (Penstemon unilateralis)
White thistle (Cirsium hookerianum)
Mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus)
Blog Entries:
05-Jul-2018: Mount Elbert
External Links:
National Park Service website: https://www.nps.gov/flfo/index.htm