Fossil Hunting at the Lance Formation, Wyoming (BLM)
ALLOWED
No permit required
Key Conditions
- Casual collecting of common invertebrate fossils (mollusks, ostracods) and plant fossils is allowed without a permit under PRPA 2009 and 43 CFR Part 49, up to a reasonable personal-use amount
- Vertebrate fossils — dinosaur bone, teeth, and any other vertebrate material — cannot be collected without a research permit, and this rule carries unusual weight here: the Lance Formation is named for this exact creek, where John Bell Hatcher collected more than 50 ceratopsian skeletons for O.C. Marsh between 1889 and 1892, including the first known Triceratops and Torosaurus specimens
- The BLM recreation site sits in sagebrush steppe with no developed facilities — dispersed camping is allowed, but there's no visitor center, water, or marked collecting trail
- Motorized vehicle use is limited to designated roads; off-road travel across the fragile badlands exposures is not permitted
- If you find what looks like a significant vertebrate specimen, the correct move is to leave it in place, photograph it, record the GPS location, and report it to the BLM Newcastle Field Office — not to extract it yourself
In 1887, John Bell Hatcher — collecting for the Yale paleontologist O.C. Marsh, then locked in the ruinous rivalry with Edward Drinker Cope that historians call the Bone Wars — found part of a dinosaur horn core in the Cretaceous rock northwest of Lusk. Over the next five years he returned to this drainage and pulled more than 50 ceratopsian skeletons out of the ground, more than 30 of them enormous frilled skulls, including the specimens that gave science its first Triceratops and Torosaurus. The formation took its name directly from the creek.
That history is the reason the standard PRPA rule — invertebrates and plants free to collect, vertebrates locked behind a research permit — carries more weight here than at a typical BLM parcel. This ground has produced an outsized share of North America's understanding of the last dinosaurs before the end-Cretaceous extinction, and the fossils are still coming out of the same badlands exposures today, under active research programs rather than as a settled historical footnote.
Famous for Dinosaurs Doesn't Mean Open to Bone Hunters
It's tempting to read the Lance Formation's history as an invitation — this is, after all, the place Triceratops came from. It isn't. 43 CFR Part 49 prohibits collecting any vertebrate fossil material, including dinosaur bone and tooth fragments, without a research permit issued to a qualified institution. The site's fame doesn't loosen that rule; if anything, BLM and the paleontological community treat unpermitted vertebrate removal from this specific formation as a more serious loss than at a less historically significant location.
The Lance Formation and the End of the Dinosaurs
The Lance Formation dates to the Maastrichtian, the final stage of the Late Cretaceous, roughly 66 to 69 million years ago — right up against the Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary where the dinosaurs disappear from the fossil record. Its fine floodplain and channel deposits preserve an unusually complete snapshot of that last terrestrial ecosystem, with Triceratops so dominant in the fossil assemblage that some studies estimate it made up more than 40% of North America's large dinosaur population in the formation's final layers. Wyoming named Triceratops its official state dinosaur in 1994, a designation that traces directly back to this formation's fossil record.
How to Report a Significant Fossil Find
- 1
Leave it in place
Do not extract, chip at, or move the specimen, even partially — geological context matters as much to researchers as the fossil itself.
- 2
Photograph it thoroughly
Take multiple angles, including wide shots that show the surrounding rock layers and any nearby landmarks.
- 3
Record the exact location
GPS coordinates if you have a device or app; otherwise note distance and direction from a known road or landmark.
- 4
Contact the Newcastle Field Office
Call 307-746-6600 or email during business hours (7:45 a.m.–4:30 p.m., Monday–Friday) to report the find and location.
- 5
Follow up if asked
BLM or an affiliated researcher may want to visit the site; be prepared to guide them back to the exact spot.
Getting There and Staying
Verified against BLM.gov Lance Creek Fossil Site and Newcastle Field Office pages, August 2026.
Lance Creek Fossil Site at a Glance
No — permit only
Vertebrate fossils collectable?
Yes, 25 lb/day
Invertebrate/plant fossils?
None required
Permit for casual collecting?
Dispersed, no facilities
Camping
Before You Go
- Know the line between casual invertebrate/plant collecting and permit-only vertebrate material before you head out
- Download offline maps — there's no reliable cell coverage on site
- Bring hand tools only; no powered excavation equipment
- Pack in all water and supplies; there are no facilities
- Save the Newcastle Field Office number (307-746-6600) in case you find something significant
Permits & Licenses
| Permit | Required? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Casual collecting (invertebrate/plant fossils) | No | No permit needed for a reasonable personal-use amount of common invertebrate fossils or plant material — up to 25 lbs per person per day under standard BLM guidance. Material cannot be sold or bartered. |
| Vertebrate fossil collection permit | Yes | Required for any collection of dinosaur, mammal, fish, or other vertebrate fossil material, issued only to qualified researchers and institutions under 43 CFR Part 49. Not available to recreational visitors regardless of experience or intent. |
Time & Seasonal Restrictions
- No collection of vertebrate fossils — including any dinosaur bone or tooth fragment — without a research permit; only surface collection with non-powered hand tools is allowed for permitted invertebrate/plant material
- Non-vertebrate fossil collecting capped at 25 lbs per person per day for personal use; no commercial sale or bartering
- Motorized use limited to designated roads — the badlands terrain erodes easily and off-road travel damages both the landscape and exposed fossil beds
- No developed camping infrastructure; dispersed camping follows standard BLM Leave No Trace practice
- A find believed to be scientifically significant, vertebrate or otherwise, should be left in place, documented, and reported rather than removed
Equipment Notes
- Non-powered hand tools only for permitted invertebrate/plant collecting — a rock hammer and chisel cover most surface work in the formation's mudstone and sandstone exposures
- GPS unit or phone with offline maps — there's no cell coverage or marked trail system across the site's rolling sagebrush terrain
- High-clearance vehicle recommended for the unpaved final approach roads off WY-270
- Sun protection and extra water — the exposed badlands and sagebrush steppe offer minimal shade
What People Find Here
- Common Late Cretaceous invertebrates — freshwater mollusks and ostracods typical of the Lance Formation's floodplain and channel deposits — are the legal, collectable target here
- Plant fossils including leaf impressions from the formation's Maastrichtian-age floodplain environment
- Vertebrate material — most famously ceratopsian bone and horn-core fragments — is documented in this exact drainage from Hatcher's 1889–1892 collecting for O.C. Marsh, including the first scientifically described Triceratops and Torosaurus specimens; any vertebrate material encountered today must be left in place and reported, not collected
Penalties for Violations
← Scroll to see all columns
| Violation | Statute | Penalty |
|---|---|---|
| Collecting vertebrate fossil material without a research permit | PRPA 2009; 43 CFR Part 49 | Federal offense; fines and potential criminal charges for willful violations, with penalties scaling by the fossil's scientific and market value |
| Exceeding the reasonable daily amount for invertebrate/plant fossil collecting | BLM casual-collection guidance under PRPA | Citation; confiscation of excess material |
| Off-road motorized travel outside designated roads | BLM travel management regulations | Citation; fine under standard BLM off-road-vehicle enforcement |
Etiquette & Leave No Trace
- Photograph and record the location of anything that looks like bone rather than assuming it's safe to pocket — vertebrate material is documented from this exact ground and the PRPA line applies regardless of how eroded or fragmentary a piece looks
- Stay on designated roads even when a shortcut across open sagebrush looks harmless — the badlands exposures that make this formation collectable are also easily damaged by vehicle traffic
- Pack out everything from dispersed camp sites; there's no facility infrastructure to absorb visitor impact here
- Don't assume the site's fame as a dinosaur locality means casual bone-hunting is tolerated — if anything, BLM and researchers pay closer attention to vertebrate removal here than at a less historically significant parcel
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I collect dinosaur bones at the Lance Creek Fossil Site?
No. Vertebrate fossils, including any dinosaur bone or tooth, require a research permit under PRPA 2009 and cannot be collected recreationally anywhere on BLM land — a rule that applies here with particular weight, since this exact drainage produced the first scientifically described Triceratops and Torosaurus specimens. If you find bone, leave it in place and report it to the Newcastle Field Office.
What can I actually collect here without a permit?
Common invertebrate fossils like freshwater mollusks and ostracods, and plant fossils such as leaf impressions, up to a reasonable personal-use amount — generally 25 lbs per person per day under BLM guidance. This is casual, hand-tool surface collecting only; no permit or fee is required.
Is this the exact spot where the first Triceratops was found?
It's the namesake drainage, not necessarily one precise GPS point. John Bell Hatcher collected more than 50 ceratopsian skeletons for O.C. Marsh across this general area between 1889 and 1892, scattered across what was then open range and is now a mix of private and BLM land. The Lance Formation itself is named for this creek because of that concentration of historic finds, but the original quarry sites aren't marked or guaranteed to fall within today's BLM recreation site boundary.
Why does Wyoming's state dinosaur trace back to this formation?
Triceratops, designated Wyoming's official state dinosaur in 1994, is the single most common dinosaur recovered from the Lance Formation — some estimates suggest it made up more than 40% of North America's large dinosaur population just before the end-Cretaceous extinction. The formation's fine-grained floodplain deposits preserve an unusually complete record of that final pre-extinction ecosystem, which is why it remains a focus of active paleontological research rather than just a historic curiosity.
What should I do if I find what looks like a significant fossil?
Leave it exactly where it is, photograph it from multiple angles, record the GPS coordinates, and contact the BLM Newcastle Field Office at 307-746-6600. Removing or even shifting a vertebrate specimen — even to 'protect' it — can destroy the geological context researchers need and turns a legal observation into an unpermitted collection violation.
Is there camping or water available at the site?
Dispersed camping is allowed across the BLM recreation site, but there's no developed campground, potable water, or restroom facility. Bring everything you need; this is undeveloped sagebrush steppe with rolling hills, not a maintained park.
How do I get to the Lance Creek Fossil Site?
From Newcastle, take I-85 south about 59 miles, then WY-270 south about 15 miles. From Douglas, take I-25 south about 9 miles, then US-18/20 toward Lusk, continue on US-18 east about 33 miles, then WY-270 about 18 miles. Both routes end on unpaved approach roads with no posted trailhead signage.
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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
- BLM — Lance Creek Fossil Site(accessed 2026-08-19)
- BLM — Newcastle Field Office(accessed 2026-08-19)
- BLM — Can I Collect Fossils? (Paleontological Resources Program)(accessed 2026-08-19)
- WyoHistory.org — Niobrara County, Wyoming(accessed 2026-08-19)
- Wyoming State Symbols — Triceratops, State Dinosaur(accessed 2026-08-19)
Last verified: 2026-08-19 · Last updated: 2026-08-19