Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
FOSSIL BUTTE NATIONAL MONUMENT
If you're interested in knowing what's been roaming around the Earth in the geologic
past, then you might want to visit the Fossil Butte National Monument, a unit of
the National Park Service just 15 miles west of Kemmerer. Here you'll see some of
the world's best preserved fossils—from fish, insects, and plants to reptiles, birds,
and mammals—found right in the flat-topped ridges of southwestern Wyoming's cold
sagebrush desert.
Spend time at the exhibits in the visitor center, watch a video showing fossils being
dug from the site, view fossil preparation demonstrations, or hike one of the interpret-
ive trails. For more information, visit
www.nps.gov/fobu
.
11.
Fishing Bridge
It'sbeen years since angling waslast permitted here, butthis still-popular stopoffersafine
vantage point for communing with nature. In summer you can watch the cutthroat trout as
they spawn, or hike nearby trails in hopes of catching a glimpse of a black bear. Moose
sightings are frequent along the north shore of Yellowstone Lake and east of the bridge.
Once you resume the journey north on the loop drive, follow the scent of rotten eggs (hy-
drogen sulfide gas) to the Mud Volcano Trail, less than one mile long. Though somewhat
infernal—replete with sulfurous fumes, churning mud springs, and yellow acid pools—the
ground is warm enough in winter to melt falling snow, providing a welcome haven for
bison.
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