Fossil Butte National Monument
Personal Notes
This page contains our personal notes on our visit to Fossil Butte National Monument in Wyoming.
Monday, May 29, 2006
The weekend had been rainy and windy, with snow down to about the 5,000 foot level. But this Memorial Day morning it was clear, and when we checked the weather for Kemmerer, Wyoming it showed a high of 55 and sunny skies. So we decided to drive over to Fossil Butte National Monument for the day.
7:42 a.m.
When we left home it was 54 degrees out, and clear. We tanked up the Tacoma with gas at $2.92 per gallon, stopped at a local grocery store and picked up a few picnic items, an headed north on I-15. At Ogden we caught State Route 39 to the east, over the Wasatch Range.
9:42 a.m.
As we climbed up into the Wasatch Range we encountered snow on the sides of the road. Maybe an inch or so clinging to the branches of the trees and on the bushes and low plants along the ground. Most of the snow was on the northern slope, but some of it looked to be fresh. We did see some campers in some areas along the way; some covered in snow. That kind of camping is no longer something that I’m interested in. We proved ourselves a long time ago and now like to camp for pleasure and as a way to get out and enjoy Nature. We know what to do if the weather turns bad, but we don’t intentionally head out into bad conditions if we can avoid it. At that point the outside temperature was 40 degrees.
As we reached the higher passes we encountered up to three inches of slushy snow on the roads, especially where the aspens shaded the highway. We slipped into four wheel drive just for safety's sake, and made it through just fine.
Eventually 39 meets Highway 16 at Woodruff. We drove north through Randolph to Highway 30. From there we headed east into Wyoming. It is about 15 to 20 miles from the junction to the Monument.
11:09 a.m.
We entered Fossil Butte National Monument and stopped to use the vault toilets at the trailhead for the Historic Quarry Trail, at map coordinates 41 49.402000N; 110 44.127998W; at an elevation of 6,669 feet. There were two vehicles in the parking area. The landscape is mostly high rolling hills with exposed cliffs near the tops of the mesas. The colors range from red, through light oranges and tans, into some light purples. At this time of year there is a nice contrast between the lighter rock colors and the greens of the local vegetation. And on this day the sky was a deep blue with white to gray fluffy clouds. A very nice setting.
From there we drove about three miles to the Visitor Center. There were one or two tourist cars in the lot.
11:54 a.m.
The Visitor Center is nice, but small. I was a bit disappointed in the small number of fossils that were actually presented there. They present a nice history of the area, and have many photos and historic items, but many of the fossils that are on exhibit are replicas. But the presentation is nice, and on this day there was a paleontologist working in a small lab behind thick glass. Like a living diorama. You can stand and watch him work and ask him questions.
There is also a nice patio on the southeast side of the Visitor Center, with great views of the surrounding buttes and fossil quarries. There is a picnic table there, and drinking water and restrooms within the Visitor's Center.
1:38 p.m.
It is 65 degrees out, but it feels colder than that with the wind chill. We just finished the 1.5 mile Fossil Lake Quarry Trail up to the active quarry. The trailhead is at the approximate map coordinates: 41 52.126998N; 110 46.837001W; at an elevation of 7,288 feet. But the quarry is closed today and visitors are not allowed to poke around in the quarry without a Park Ranger present.
The trail leaves the picnic area, where there is a vault toilet, picnic tables, and drinking water, and, going counter clockwise, climbs up through a stand of aspen into an open area with some low brush. We spotted a couple of towhees in this area. The climb is steep, but provides great views of the surrounding landscape. We saw signs of both moose and elk along the trail. There are also interpretive signs along the way, describing what you are seeing.
The trail is in good condition, with a packed gravel and soil base.
Near the top, by the quarry, there is a group of benches that provide great views of the surrounding countryside. Because the clouds had rolled in and the wind had picked up we didn’t linger too long. We headed on down, to the north, along the trail toward the upper parking area.
This part of the trail passes through another stand of aspen, near several ponds, a small stream, what looks like a fenced in spring, and more signs of moose and elk. Along in here it stated to snow just a bit. More like flurries.
From the upper parking area we had to walk a short distance down the paved road to get back to the picnic area. There we pulled out our lunch fixings and walked down to the cluster of picnic tables and found one that was private and in the sun. The trees seemed to shelter us from most of the wind. There was another small group that used the tables on the other side of the trees while we were there.
While we ate lunch a couple of flickers were exploring the branches in the nearby trees.
Normally this would not have been a difficult hike, but because of my recent illness we hadn’t been able to get out and hike or even exercise for three weeks. It’s amazing how quickly the body loses its conditioning. The steep climbs left us a bit winded, and our legs felt like they were weighted down. In spite of our lack of conditioning, we would rate the trail as easy to moderate. Overall it was windy and chilly.
After we ate we drove up the dirt road to the top of the butte. The road is in great shape and I would think that most vehicles could make the steep climb up to the top. There are some great views from up there, and the road seems to continue on to at least the borders of the Monument. After we drove back a ways we turned around and headed back down.
2:18 p.m.
We drove back through the Monument to the Historic Quarry Trail parking area. There is a pair of vault toilets and a picnic table at this location, but no drinking water. The trail makes a 2.5 mile loop.
3:56 p.m.
We finished the trail. It's been a bit breezy. We hiked the trail counter clockwise, trying to get the steepest climb done first. Again, as with the shorter trail, we found ourselves gasping for air at a few points. Not our usual style. We’re just out of shape.
The trail climbs from the parking area to a junction. We hiked off to the right and the trail climbs in a series of steep slopes with brief flat sections, followed by another steep section, and so on, until the trail heads northwest below the bluffs. That stretch is mostly flat, with great views of the cliffs and the valley below. The trail crosses a large block slumping area and eventually comes to the historic A-frame cabin of one of the early fossil prospectors in the area. The small cabin is interesting and worth a brief stop to look around.
From there the trail continues to another intersection, where we took the right branch again and climbed the steep trail up to the Historic Quarry. They have the quarry set up with a good number of interpretive signs and an interesting little pathway up and over the quarry, describing the geology of the area and giving the visitor close up views of the fossil works.
From there we headed back down the packed gravel and dirt trail to the junction. Then we continued on down around the loop. This last section seems to be more gradual than the area where we had come up. Perhaps we should have gone in a clockwise direction. But either way it’s a pretty good climb.
There was one couple coming down as we went up, and on our way down we met one fellow heading up to the quarry. Otherwise we had the entire hike to ourselves.
We pulled off our boots and headed east to Kemmerer and then south to Evanston and I-80, which we took back to Salt Lake City.
