Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument

Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument is a National Park Service Unit in Teller County, Colorado, 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