Activities Planned at Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument in July 2019 (Hours of Operation 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM)
Special Event Programs:
Night Sky Program
Friday, July 26, Night Sky Program, 8:30 PM – 10:30 PM. Join park staff and members of the Colorado Springs Astronomical Society to gaze at the dark skies above Florissant Fossil Beds in search of planets, galaxies, nebulas, and more. Meet at the visitor center.
History and Culture Open House (regular entrance fees apply)
Saturday, July 27, 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM, Celebrate the history and cultures of the Florissant valley. Take a tour of the homestead, learn why someone once tried to saw apart a petrified stump, and learn about tribal connections with the area.
Daily Interpretive Program Schedule (program schedule subject to change, call ahead for updated daily schedule)
Ranger Guided Walk, Every Day 11:00 AM, 1 mile guided hike on the Petrified Forest Trail
Fossil Learning Lab, Every Day 1:30 PM – 3:30 PM, learn how scientists discover and research fossils in the Yurt
Hornbek Homestead, Saturdays and Sundays, 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM, take a tour of an 1878 homestead
Interpretive Talk, Saturdays and Sundays, 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM, 30 minute interpretive presentation in the amphitheater
Weekly Programs:
Yoga Hikes, Mondays, 9:00 AM – 10:30 PM. Join a certified yoga instructor and a Park Ranger for a 1 hour and 30 minutes, 1 mile yoga hike. This will be a hike interspersed with standing yoga poses. This program is geared for beginner to intermediate yoga enthusiasts. Meet at the visitor center.
Fossil Demonstration Excavation Site, Wednesdays, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM. Meet geologist, Dr. Bob Carnein at the demonstration excavation site and see the fossil beds in situ and learn about how excavations are conducted. This site is located off the Petrified Forest Loop approximately 1 mile round trip from the visitor center.
Art in the Parks, Thursdays, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM. Everyone is an artist! Drop in and join volunteer artists and other visitors to sketch and/or water color paint scenes of Florissant Fossil Beds. Stay as long or as short as you would like anytime between 10 AM – 12:00 PM. Ask at the visitor center desk for location. Limited art supplies and seating available. Interested artists may also bring their own supplies and portable chairs.
There are no additional fees for any park programs beyond the daily entrance fee of $10.00 per adult (15 and younger are free). Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument offers 15 miles of beautiful, yet lesser known, hiking trails to explore, a free Junior Ranger Program, three short self-guided trails, a park video and museum exhibits, and bookstore.