Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
TOP OF CHAPTER
Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument
In 1873, Dr AC Peale, as part of the United States Geological Survey (USGS) Hayden ex-
pedition, was on his way to survey and map the South Park area, when he reputedly dis-
covered these ancient lake deposits, which were buried by the dust and ash from a series
of volcanic eruptions. This has since been recognized as one of the world's greatest col-
lections of Eocene fossils (34 million years old), though unfortunately most of it lies be-
neath your feet. The excellent
visitor center
( 719-748-3253;
www.nps.gov/flfo
;
County Rd 1; adult/child
$3/free; 8am-6pm summer, 9am-5pm rest of yr)
does contain a small sampling of some of the
50,000 fossils that have been excavated (which includes the only fossilized tsetse flies in
existence), but the only thing you can really see in the open are a series of spectacular pet-
rified sequoia stumps.
Sights & Activities
Although the sights apart from the petrified stumps are pretty underwhelming, the location
itself is quite beautiful and a great place for a hike. The gorgeous swatch of high country
features dozens of wildflower-freckled meadows, boulder-crusted hills and views of the
back of Pikes Peak. The park has 15 miles of trails through open meadows and rolling
hills. The most accessible trails include the half-mile
Ponderosa Loop
and the 1-mile
Petrified
Forest Loop
. The latter leads to several petrified stumps, including the remains of a truly gi-
ant sequoia measuring 38ft in circumference.
Signs of mule deer and elk are often seen along the southeastern segment of the
Horn-
beck Wildlife Loop
(4 miles), which crosses the highway in front of the visitor center. After a
mile it intersects the
Shootin' Star Trail
(1.2 miles), which leads to the Barksdale Picnic area,
near Lower Twin Rock Rd. Between late June and mid-August, visitors make special trips
to Florissant (French for 'blooming') for ranger-guided walks held at 10:30am on Friday.
Admire, but don't pick.
Another sight on the Hornbeck Wildlife Loop is the
Hornbeck House
, a 160-acre
homestead settled by Adeline Hornbeck in 1878 with her four children. The outbuildings
include a bunkhouse, carriage shed, barn and root cellar. All have been restored or rebuilt
by the NPS.
