Fossil Finding, Collecting and Viewing

Finding fossils is an exciting and educational activity. Many areas of the desert were once seabeds or swampy basins. Be sure to check local regulations about fossil collecting, which is often prohibited. If collecting is not allowed, take a camera and shoot plenty of photos but leave the fossils behind for future generations.

Introduce yourself to fossil collecting, read our selection of articles:

• Finding Fossilized Insects in the Mojave
  
  
• Searching for Ancient Seashells in the Desert
  
  
• Bone Collections - Dinosaur Triangle in Western Colorado Rich in Fossils
  
  
• A Visit to Fossil Canyon and Painted Gorge
  
• Road Trip: Fossil Hunting in the Yuha Basin
  
  
• Dinosaurs and the Desert
  
  

• Desert Dinosaur Hunting Grounds
  
  
• Hunting Dinosaurs in the Desert
  
  
• Fossil Falls
  
  
• Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry
  
  
• Tucson Gem and Mineral Show (show features fossils as well)
  
  
• Concretions (Concretions occur when a considerable amount of cementing material precipitates locally around a nucleus, often organic, such as a leaf, tooth, piece of shell or fossil.)
  
  
• Dinosaur National Monument
  
  
• Petrified Forest National Park
  
  
• Florissant Fossil Beds
  
  
• Bisti Badlands
  
  
• DesertUSA Forums: Working with Fossils