Fossil Hunting at Garden Park Fossil Area, Colorado
PROHIBITED
Not permitted at this location
Key Conditions
- All fossil and rock collecting is closed across the entire Garden Park Fossil Area, not just vertebrate material — the site carries a triple protective designation (BLM Area of Critical Environmental Concern since 1996, Colorado Research Natural Area since 1991, and National Natural Landmark, expanded to 3,208 acres in 2013) that closes the area to consumptive resource use altogether
- This is stricter than the PRPA default most BLM fossil sites on this list follow, where invertebrate and plant fossils stay open to 25 lb/day casual collecting while only vertebrate material is restricted — Garden Park's ACEC/Research Natural Area status removes that invertebrate carve-out entirely at this specific site
- Visitors are limited to two marked overlook pullouts along Shelf Road with interpretive signage; climbing on the quarry scarps or moving any rock or fossil material there is not permitted
- Casual rock and mineral collecting may still be possible on ordinary BLM land elsewhere in Fremont County outside the ACEC boundary under the standard 25 lb/day rule, but the boundary is not obvious on the ground — confirm it directly with the Royal Gorge Field Office before treating any nearby parcel as open
Why This Site Breaks the Usual PRPA Pattern
Almost every other fossil-hunting page on this site describes the same split: invertebrate and plant fossils are open to casual collecting on BLM land, up to 25 lb/day, while vertebrate material requires a research permit under PRPA 2009. Garden Park doesn't follow that pattern, and the reason isn't PRPA — it's a separate layer of protection. BLM designated the site an Area of Critical Environmental Concern in 1996 and a Colorado Research Natural Area in 1991, on top of its status as a National Natural Landmark (originally 1973, expanded to 3,208 acres in 2013). Those designations exist specifically to preserve scientific and geologic integrity, and they close the entire area to collecting of any kind — invertebrate, plant, and vertebrate alike. A visitor who has read another BLM fossil page on this site and expects the usual invertebrate carve-out will be wrong here.
In 1877, a rancher's tip led one of Othniel Marsh's Yale-financed collectors to a bone weathering out of a hillside eight miles north of Cañon City. Within the same year, Edward Cope's crews were digging a rival quarry less than a mile away. What followed was one of the more productive stretches of the Cope-Marsh Bone Wars: three of the most complete Stegosaurus skeletons ever found, the first known Camarasaurus and Ceratosaurus material, and Amphicoelias fragillimus — described from a single partial vertebra Cope's excavator Ormel Lucas pulled from the ground that same year, and still cited today as a candidate for one of the largest land animals ever documented, though the original bone was later lost and the size estimates remain contested.
The Marsh-Felch Quarry and the Cope-Lucas Quarries that produced that material are both visible today from marked overlooks along Shelf Road — but the ground itself is no longer a dig site open to anyone. Fourteen distinct Jurassic dinosaur species have now been documented from the Morrison Formation exposures across the two quarry complexes, a scientific record BLM and the National Park Service have chosen to protect in place rather than let continued casual removal erode it further.
Stay on the overlook paths — the quarry scarps themselves are off-limits
Access is limited to two marked pullouts on Shelf Road, about 6 miles north of Cañon City: a wheelchair-accessible kiosk at the Marsh-Felch Quarry overlook, and a half-mile gravel path to the Cope-Lucas Quarry overlook. Climbing on or moving rock or fossil material on the quarry scarps is not permitted, and drones are barred anywhere within the ACEC. This isn't a soft guideline — it's how BLM enforces the Research Natural Area's no-disturbance standard on a site that still has an active, if informal, hobbyist reputation from its dinosaur-quarry history.
Garden Park vs. Other Morrison Formation Fossil Sites
| Site | Invertebrate/plant collecting | Vertebrate material | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Garden Park Fossil Area, CO | Prohibited — entire ACEC closed | Prohibited | BLM ACEC + Research Natural Area + National Natural Landmark closure, not just PRPA |
| Como Bluff, WY (published on this site) | Allowed, 25 lb/day BLM casual-use | Prohibited (PRPA) | Standard BLM fossil site with no site-specific closure overlay |
| Picket Wire Canyonlands, CO (published on this site) | Not practically available — exposed rock is the trackway | Prohibited (PRPA) | Every visible fossil is a vertebrate trace fossil (dinosaur track) |
Verified against BLM Royal Gorge Field Office and BLM Rawlins Field Office sources, August 2026. Garden Park is the only one of the three closed by a site-specific land designation rather than by PRPA's material-type distinction alone.
Getting to the Overlooks
Directions and contact info confirmed via BLM.gov, August 2026. Afternoon thunderstorms are common June–August; winter can leave the gravel paths icy.
Garden Park Fossil Area at a Glance
No — entire ACEC
Collecting allowed?
14
Dinosaur species documented
3,208 acres
NNL acreage (2013 expansion)
1877
First quarried
None
Entry fee
Before You Go
- Plan to observe only — leave rock hammers, chisels, and collecting bags in the vehicle
- Bring your own water; none is available at either overlook
- Download offline directions for Shelf Road — cell coverage is unreliable
- Wear closed-toe shoes for the half-mile gravel path to the Cope-Lucas overlook
- Call the Royal Gorge Field Office first if you're hoping to rockhound nearby BLM land outside the ACEC boundary
Permits & Licenses
| Permit | Required? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Recreational fossil or rock collecting permit | No | Not offered. The entire ACEC is closed to casual collecting of any fossil or rock material, so there is no permit pathway available to recreational visitors — unlike a standard BLM fossil site where the question would be whether you need a permit for vertebrate material specifically. |
| Research excavation permit | Yes | Issued only to qualified paleontologists affiliated with an academic institution or museum, under formal BLM and PRPA authorization. Not available to hobbyists or the general public under any circumstance. |
Time & Seasonal Restrictions
- No collecting, moving, or disturbing any rock or fossil material anywhere within the designated ACEC/Research Natural Area boundary, including loose surface float that elsewhere on BLM land would qualify as casual-use invertebrate or plant material
- Visitors must stay on the two marked overlook paths (the wheelchair-accessible Marsh-Felch Quarry overlook and the half-mile gravel path to the Cope-Lucas Quarry overlook) — climbing on or approaching the quarry scarps directly is not permitted
- Drones are prohibited within the ACEC
- Pets must be leashed on the overlook paths
- No restrooms, water, or reliable cell coverage anywhere in the fossil area — plan the visit as you would a remote stop, even though it's a short drive from Cañon City
Equipment Notes
- None for collecting — this is an observation-only site regardless of what's carried in; leave rock hammers and chisels in the vehicle
- Camera or phone — the two overlooks are set up specifically for photography of the quarry scarps and interpretive signage
- Sturdy, closed-toe shoes for the half-mile gravel path to the Cope-Lucas Quarry overlook, which has some grade and loose gravel
- Water carried in — none is available on-site, and the pullouts have no shade structure
- A paper or offline map of Shelf Road — cell coverage is intermittent along this stretch of the Gold Belt Back Country Scenic Byway
What People Find Here
- Nothing collectable today — the historical finds below are why the site exists as a protected landmark, not a hint about what's still legally available
- Three of the most complete Stegosaurus skeletons ever recovered came out of Garden Park's quarries
- The first known remains of Camarasaurus and Ceratosaurus, along with early Diplodocus material, were excavated here beginning in 1877
- Amphicoelias fragillimus, excavated in 1877 by Ormel Lucas working for Edward Cope, was described from a single partial vertebra and is still cited in paleontology literature as a candidate for one of the largest land animals ever documented, with early estimates placing it near 190 feet long — though the original fossil was lost and the size claims remain debated
- 14 distinct Jurassic dinosaur species have been documented from the Morrison Formation exposures across the site's two historic quarry complexes, the Marsh-Felch Quarry and the Cope-Lucas Quarries
Penalties for Violations
← Scroll to see all columns
| Violation | Statute | Penalty |
|---|---|---|
| Collecting, moving, or disturbing rock or fossil material within the ACEC/Research Natural Area | BLM Royal Gorge Resource Management Plan ACEC closure designation; 43 CFR § 8365.1-5 (unauthorized use of public lands); Paleontological Resources Preservation Act, 16 U.S.C. § 470aaa | Confiscation of material and equipment; civil citation under BLM land-use regulations, with enhanced federal penalties under PRPA if any vertebrate material is involved |
| Leaving the marked overlook paths to climb on or approach the quarry scarps | BLM site-specific area closure order, Royal Gorge Field Office | Citation and removal from the site; repeat or willful violations can escalate to federal misdemeanor charges |
| Operating a drone within the ACEC | BLM Royal Gorge Field Office ACEC restrictions | Citation; equipment may be confiscated pending review |
Etiquette & Leave No Trace
- Treat the overlooks as a look-only exhibit — the entire point of the ACEC and Research Natural Area designations is to keep the quarry faces scientifically undisturbed for future study, not just to deny hobbyists a souvenir
- Stay on the paved kiosk area or the marked gravel path to the Cope-Lucas overlook rather than cutting across the hillside for a closer look
- Photography is welcomed at both overlook stops — take the photo instead of the rock
- Keep dogs leashed on the overlook paths at all times
- If you want to see actual specimens up close, the Royal Gorge Field Office and Cañon City's dinosaur-history exhibits display material recovered under proper research permits — that's the legal way to get hands-on with what this site produced
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I collect any fossils at Garden Park Fossil Area?
No. Every category of fossil and rock material is closed to collecting across the entire designated area, including invertebrate and plant fossils that would normally be open to casual collecting on ordinary BLM land. The closure covers the whole ACEC, not just the historic dinosaur quarries.
Why is this site closed to all collecting when other BLM fossil sites on this list allow invertebrate fossils?
Most BLM fossil sites follow PRPA 2009's default: invertebrate and plant fossils stay open to 25 lb/day casual collecting, and only vertebrate material needs a research permit. Garden Park is different because BLM has separately designated the whole area an Area of Critical Environmental Concern and a Colorado Research Natural Area, on top of its National Natural Landmark status — designations meant to preserve the site's scientific and geologic integrity, which closes it to collecting of any kind, not only the vertebrate material PRPA already restricts everywhere.
What dinosaurs were actually discovered at Garden Park?
Three of the most complete Stegosaurus skeletons ever found came from here, along with the first known Camarasaurus and Ceratosaurus material and early Diplodocus specimens, all excavated starting in 1877 during the Cope-Marsh Bone Wars. The Marsh-Felch and Cope-Lucas quarries visible from the overlooks are where that work happened.
Can I collect rocks on BLM land near Garden Park if I stay away from the fossil quarries?
Possibly, but not by assumption. Standard BLM casual-use rock collecting rules may apply on land outside the ACEC boundary elsewhere in Fremont County, but the ACEC boundary isn't marked in a way that's obvious from the road. Call the Royal Gorge Field Office at (719) 269-8500 to confirm whether a specific parcel you're considering falls inside or outside the closure before collecting anything.
Is there an entrance fee or reservation needed to visit the overlooks?
No. Admission is free and the two Shelf Road pullouts are open year-round during daylight hours, with no reservation or permit needed to view the interpretive signage and quarry scarps from the marked paths.
Where can I see the actual fossils that came out of Garden Park?
The original Cope and Marsh specimens are held at institutions including the Yale Peabody Museum and the American Museum of Natural History, reflecting which of the two rival paleontologists funded a given quarry. Locally, Cañon City's dinosaur-history exhibits and the Royal Gorge Field Office display material and interpretation tied to the site.
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Disclaimer
Information is provided for general guidance only. Regulations change frequently. Always verify current rules with the official jurisdiction before relying on this information for legal decisions. Permitted Pursuits is not a substitute for official agency guidance. Report an error.
Sources
- Garden Park Fossil Area — Bureau of Land Management(accessed 2026-08-31)
- Royal Gorge Field Office — Bureau of Land Management(accessed 2026-08-31)
- Garden Park Fossil Area Earns National Recognition — Bureau of Land Management(accessed 2026-08-31)
- Paleontological Resources Preservation Act — 16 U.S.C. § 470aaa (PRPA 2009)(accessed 2026-08-31)
Last verified: 2026-08-31 · Last updated: 2026-08-31