fossils at wheeler high school

LLP1957

Parking was close and there so many fossils. Even my youngest grandchild was able to find some. The only thing I didn't like is that it was so freakin' cold!

JackyOregon

After paying our $15 we were disappointed to only be able to dig through the scree. The main fossil "wall" was now in a "conservation area" & we could not access it.

beezyfromthemitten

Cruise up the Wheeler high school and park around back to the right of the school. There is a kiosk (read it!) and a fee box, (5 bucks per person), and tools to lend.It is the ONLY place you can dig for and keep you millions of years old fossils!And its not hard. Almost any rock you pick up will have leaf prints.We were felt just a tiny bit Indian Jonsey. Tiny bit.We are 30 something nerds, hikers and city folk.

gritd2014

It is just plain fun to pound rocks. And if they cleave to reveal a bit of fern or partial leaf imprint, so much the better.lots of kids asking us if we found anything great. Good family outing to combine with Chinese museum and Painted Hills. Modest looking entrance and do donate to the school. You'll be glad to add some karma points.

WestwardBound54

The wife and I were looking forward to finding some interesting plant fossils from this area. We found the site easily enough behind the high school. We got our tools and proceeded on up the hill. We passed a covered picnic table that was used to pound some rocks apart. After digging in the hill side for about an hour and finding very little if nothing we decided to go back to the picnic table. There we found several pieces just by breaking up the rocks that were already there. I guess compared to other fossil sites in Wyoming and Utah this one requires a little more work. At least the cost was very reasonable ($5 / person - $15/family of four).

Froukje2014

We wandered about and enjoyed learning all sorts of history. Great weather at the time of year helped.

lookin4luxury

The trip to Fossil is a bit more difficult than it looked on the map. Be sure you have a full tank of gas as services are sparse in this area. My 10 year old is into geology and fossils so we sought out a place to dig and take authentic fossils. Behind Wheeler HS there is a small slope at about 30-45 degrees on which you can look for small plant fossils. Honestly, it felt like we were digging through soil and rocks many others had already taken all the good pieces from. I expected it to be much more expansive and level. We took several small partial imprints of plants and headed back to our hotel a whopping 2 1/2 hrs away. If you are driving near or through anyway I would recommend, otherwise, not worth the drive IMO.

kv52

We went here because of all the positive reviews and we were looking for something "different" to do. It was quite a drive, and there is not much to the town. BUT, it was actually pretty fun and interesting. Just donate $5 (donation box), pick a spot on the hill behind the field, and start digging. We found some pretty neat plant fossils in no time. Tips: If you can, bring your own tools, because the freebie selection is limited. (We used mini hammers, chisel, and plastic trowel, and yard gloves and did just fine.) Bring something to carry your finds- small box would work great. Dig into the hillside, try to find a "big-ish" piece of limestone, and split it- hopefully you will find a fossil or two between the halves.

The5Adventurers

My triplet 10 year old boys had a great time digging for their own fossils (plants). We spent about an hour and that was plenty to get some very nice specimens.

thenorthcascades1234

My 7 year old Son and I dug for fossils here last summer, and we had a great time. There is plenty of space for everyone to dig, and the set up is efficient. The staff was helpful, and we would do it again.

388kims

We drove in to Fossil not expecting much but to see a small historic town. We saw a sign stating that we could dig for fossils in an area behind the high school. We walked over, truly not expecting to find anything and within ten minutes we all were shouting out "I found one!". Who knew it would be so much fun!

crcrumsey

OK, sorry for the poor joke. I really liked my overnight stay in Fossil. Dinner at RJs, breakfast at the Country Cafe, a good night's sleep at the Fossil Motel and RV Park (where I could see the stars at night and hear the rooster crow in the morning--or the peacocks!). But the most fun was digging at the fossil beds behind the high school. You quickly learn which rocks to look for, and my friend and I came away with around a dozen leaf fossils after about 30 minutes of whacking.The hillside is easy to get to, and the instructions very clear. The variety of hammers was impressive! But be sure to stop by the Fossil General Mercantile store and get something to drink, because it gets really hot on that hillside (even at 9 in the morning, when I was there). And DON'T forget to leave your contribution to help support the local schools. Fossil deserves it!

HermistonNana

Our granddaughters, ages 6 and 8, really enjoyed searching for fossils. Everyone was successful finding a good specimen. The granddaughters used a chart provided by the caretaker to identify their finds.We were there on a Saturday, but it wasn't crowded. It was very hot and there was no shade. Make sure you take sun screen, wear a shade hat, and bring water. Tools were provided, but bring a container to carry your finds.I highly recommend this activity for families. It's educational and hands- on, and success is guaranteed.

Rmac1164

a must do when in town, you can spend a little time in the field and find a real fossil! tools are provided, just return them when you are finished. No charge.

StevenF213

While in town kind of one of those things you feel you have to do, so we did it. We ended up there on our own which was nice and quite. It was a little hot out and no shaded area really so that got kind of old. We did find a bunch of fossils though. After a little bit we petered out. This could be really fun with kids.