Florissant Fossil Quary

This place may not look like much, but it is a perfect place to spend an afternoon if you like rocks and are interested in fossils. Located in the small town of Florrisant, this is a family run business which makes it extra special. Dixie, who gave us the tools and showed us how to open the shale to find the fossils, was friendly and pleasant. She explained that her 91-year-old mother still owns the quarry and her and her sisters as well as her nephew take turns running it. The cost is $10 an hour. My husband and I had so much fun, that we decided to stay for two hours. We used a razor blade and a knife to pull back the delicate layers of shale, and were lucky enough to find fossils of leaves, mosquitos, a cattail, and even a feather. It is a small operation. They hand you a box of shale that has been dug out of the side of a hill. You sit at a picnic table, some are shaded some aren't, and use tools to pull the layers of rock apart. Also, you get to take home a box of the fossils that you found. We packed them up and were able to fly them home with no damage. It was an amazing experience very relaxing. I would love to do it again.

We went here earlier today because we were not able to get a campsite so took a day trip from Denver. It's a driveway off to the right and really easy to miss. I even had to turn around. It really isn't much more than a driveway, a shed, and piles of rocks.$10 an hour per person and it's literally them digging a section out, letting it dry, and you chipping away at the dried out shale. It's great to kill an hour and can get tedious but worth it. We found a really good mirror example of a leaf and lots of pieces. She also had bags for $20 you could take with you for later on. She is very clear that certain samples if you are lucky enough to find are forwarded to the college. Overall we had a good time. The shale was damp so it didn't split well but I would absolutely go here again. My younger one although easily distracted, had a good time. Plus it's on the way to the national park anyway.

We took our two teens to the quarry for a unique and fun experience. As other reviews stated, the quarry is very rudimentary and easy to miss from the highway. Once we got there, we paid $15/hour per person and were seated at a shady table. We spent the next hour splitting shale rock looking for fossils. We all enjoyed it and the hour really flew by. The owner and staff are super friendly and helpful. Great activity off the beaten track. Be sure to bring wet wipes or some water to wash off your dusty hands afterwards.

This place is literally the side of a hill that is slowly being dug into. And it is incredibly cool!Pay attention because you could easily drove by this place. There's no real building. Just a table where the owner has tools for you to use. There are piles of rocks dug from the huge hill nearby. You sit at picnic tables and bring your collected rocks to carefully open, pull apart the delicate layers and see what you find. I actually found an extinct fern. Really cool!Even my mother joined in on the fun and thoroughly enjoyed herself!You get to be your own fossil hunter! I wasn't sure how my boys would do -- ages 5 and 7. They actually were quite enthralled. Fossil digging. AND you get to bring home what you find. The boys loved it and I can easily see returning here every summer to see what we unearth.Don't expect fancy. This quarry is as rudimentary as you can get. But if you like history and fossils, you just won't be able to help yourself but have fun.

Fantastic fun for our family! Helpful owners and great energy. We had a blast trying to find fossils. We found many and they helped us identify them. Highly recommend!!!

I wouldn't listen to the people who say there is nothing in the shale or that the owners are rude. We had a wonderful experience today and the owners were so nice and helpful!

We stopped by here after staying in Manitou Springs. The place is family owned and all the workers were super friendly. You use a variety of tools to open and split rocks that you can even choose from a pile. My family found a variety of leaves, feathers, and even a flower. We saw others find a perfect fish imprint. You can keep all of the fossils you find. It was $20 per person per hour in July of 2023

Very disappointed!!!! Drove 2+ hours one way to find out they were hosting a group and couldn't accommodate us for 1 1/2 hours which didn't fit our schedule. Spoke to the office yesterday, confirmed arrival time, directions, etc and not a mention of the closure. I wouldn't make this a destination...if you're in the area it might work. Poor customer service.

Great place for the kids. Owners have been here 80 years and open to the public for 30.They offer outstanding customer service and insure the kids are having a fun time while also learning about fossils and history.

policy requires one adult pays and digs with child for fossils. the other parent/adult can go down the hill and sit in a "comfy" chair to watch groundhogs. So I paid $45 for my two girls and husband to dig and I can not watch. RIDICULOUS. I'm only here for the kids and I can't even enjoy watching them. Stupid Policy.