Quarry Stories: Nature’s Treasures Fossil Fish Adventures
Being able to dig into over 50 million years of sediment is part of what makes Fossil Basin so special; visitors have the rare opportunity to find fossils from the past and rediscover them as treasures of the present. Nature’s Treasures not only understands this, but with their Fossil Fish Adventures quarry outside of Kemmerer, WY, they make it their mission to give visitors the perfect paleontological adventure of a lifetime.
Located on a private ranch outside of Kemmerer, WY, Fossil Fish Adventures operates on some of the oldest functioning quarry land in the Fossil Basin, where the old Smith-Hollow fossil quarry used to be. What makes this location unique is that unlike some quarries, Fossil Fish Adventures is set up over the center of the Green River Formation lakebed, meaning that the fossilized fish found there can be larger than some other dig sites. If visitors are looking for top-quality and high quantities of large fossilized fish and critters, then the Fossil Fish Adventures quarry is a great place to start!
Led by archeologists and paleontologists from around the country, the primary focus of Nature’s Treasures’ team is to educate, inspire, and give fun experiences to new and old fossil diggers. With group and time-tailored excursions, Fossil Fish Adventures Visitors are allowed to keep all of the fossils they find, only the ultra-rare fossils go to the quarry or a museum. Working with the Fossil Basin National Monument and fossil enthusiasts from all over, Fossil Fish Adventures enjoys not only giving the tools for successful excavations but also giving visitors the knowledge about what they find.
On the quarry, visitors have the option of a day or night excavation, and can expect to find a wide variety of fossilized fish, mammals, birds, plants, and other cool creatures! Some notable finds are a 4-foot long Amia fish fossil that was recently discovered, an ancient songbird fossil (that’s now displayed at the Fossil Basin National Monument), and some fossilized turtles found last year! No matter what you’re looking for, you’re guaranteed to unearth some treasures of your own at Nature’s Treasures Fossil Fish Adventure quarry!
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Hi. My wife and I are retired and have never hunted for fossils, but would like a new adventure especially since we love fossils.
Can you please recommend the best time of year to visit – mild weather for day-time hunting. Also, please recommend an airport for arrival (we live in Virginia) and hotel. Any information you think we need is appreciated. We are looking forward to joining you.
Thanks,
Dominic and Carlotta Cundari
Hello!
We’d love to have you visit!
Regarding the best time of year, most fossil quarries open for guest fossil digs in late May or early June. Mid-June to mid-July is generally the mildest portion of the summer. It can get quite hot in late July through August.
You have a few options for nearby airports. Southwest Wyoming Regional Airport (near Rock Springs, WY) would likely be the closest—about 1.5 hours from the Fossil Basin (Kemmerer, WY) area. Salt Lake City International Airport is a little over 2 hours away and will likely have the most flight options. Jackson Hole Airport is about 3 hours away, and is a great option if you’d like to see Grand Teton and/or Yellowstone national parks during the same trip.
As far as hotels go, the Best Western Plus Fossil Country Inn & Suites and the Super 8 are the largest hotels in the Kemmerer-Diamondville area. There are several other motels and vacation rentals in the area, too.
Let us know if you have any other questions we can help answer!