Best Places to Find Fossils in Texas
Whoever said don’t dig up the past obviously had never felt the thrill of hunting for fossils. There are literally thousands of these prehistoric remnants hiding in the deep soils all across Texas, just waiting for someone to discover them. From state parks to dense forest diggeries, here are a few of the best places to go looking for fossils … and what you can expect to find!
Note: If you’re hunting at a state park, remember to leave the fossils where they lie; it’s against the law to take them off the premises.
Dinosaur Valley State Park
Where it is: Glen Rose, Texas
What you can find: Although you can’t keep any findings from this state park, you can traipse in the footprints of the dinosaurs and trace the prehistoric migration of such creatures as the elephant-like Sauroposeidon proteles, or the three-toed Acrocanthosaurus.
Ladonia Fossil Park
Where it is: Ladonia, Texas
What you can find: Deep in the North Sulphur River Canyon you’ll discover cretaceous fossils like mosasaur bones and ammonites, but also bivalves, shark teeth, and mammoth bones.
Mineral Wells Fossil Park
Where it is: Mineral Wells, Texas
What you can find: Make sure to bring a Ziploc bag to carry home these 300 million-year-old fossils that range from crinoids and bivalves to brachiopods, corals, trilobites, and more.
Post Oak Creek
Where it is: Sherman, Texas
What you can find: The best way to enter the creek is to park off Travis Street, just north of the bridge. There you can find fossilized shells and even shark’s teeth.
Looking for more adventures throughout the Lone Star State? Check out our guide to the Ultimate Texas Road Trip.
