Nearby city: Colorado Springs, CO
About 35 miles west of Colorado Springs, high in the Rockies, you can find the last relics of an ancient, bygone era. In the Eocene Epoch (approximately 34 million years ago), this now-mountainous area was a large lake. This aquatic environment was home to fish, clams, snails, mollusks, a wide variety of insects, and perhaps most interesting of all: groves of large redwood trees. These trees had some differences with today's redwoods in Northern California, but they were very similar. This unique environment was destroyed by copious amounts of ash and lahars due to nearby and ferocious volcanic activity. This ash helped preserve the large collection of fossilized remains found here.
The most striking fossilized remains at this site are the large stumps of petrified redwood trees. Early pioneers discovered these large petrified stumps in the late 1800s, and they became quite popular with tourists. Unfortunately, many tourists would chip off pieces of the petrified stumps to take home as souvenirs. Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument was established in 1969. Geologic and paleontological research is ongoing at the site.
Head to the Visitor Center and go through the exhibits. We then took the short Petrified Forest Loop trail. It's only about 1.5-2 miles. The petrified redwood tree stumps were pretty cool to see.
Stop by the Hornbek Homestead about a mile's drive north of the Visitor Center and learn about some of the first people that settled in this area.
For more info on the park: https://www.nps.gov/flfo/index.htm
BONUS: Colorado Springs is a very scenic town and is worth a stop of a couple of days or so. We went to Garden of the Gods. The remarkable and craggy rock formations just outside of town are quite fascinating. The colors of the rocks are vibrant and stunning. Take the scenic drive through the "Garden" and make sure to get out of the car and walk among the towering spires.
Seven Falls is also a neat place to visit in town. A towering waterfall cascades down a cliffside. There's a nice restaurant at the base of the falls and you can take the stairs (it's tiring, but not too bad) all the way to the top of the waterfall.
the restaurant at Seven Falls
We got to feed the giraffes. 😀
Once you leave the zoo, take the road further up the mountain to the Will Rogers Shrine. It offers fantastic views of the entire city.
The nearby town of Manitou Springs is also a good stop. You can take the cog railway all the way up to the top of Pikes Peak. The cog railway wasn't running at the time of our visit, but I have been up to the top of the famous mountain years ago. There is also a replica of a cliffside dwelling. Spend some time at the arcade and drink some of the mineral water you can get at the fountains throughout the town.
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