Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
A view of Brașov’s Old Town.
Romania • 12 days, 11 nights
Legends of Romania: Castles, Ruins & Culinary Delights
from
Balkans road trip
Bosnia and Herzegovina • 9 days, 8 nights
Balkans Road Trip: Serbia, Croatia & Bosnia and Herzegovina
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The ‘Old Secretariat’ government building in New Delhi.
The 'Old Secretariat'
This set is inspired by a Roman arena.
Bozdağ Film Platolari
The Sea Water Distilling Plant.
Sea Water Distilling Plant
Contemplative paths.
Ayo Rock Formations
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Names on the bartop.
The Dive
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Wortley built the wooden backpack she used while retracing Alexandra David-Néel’s journey from a chair she found on the street in London.
How Elise Wortley Climbed Mont Blanc in 1830s Women’s Attire
27 days ago
Simplicity is key: Just a slice of bread with a sprinkling of salt and pepper is the perfect accompaniment.
The Sweet Second Life of Creole Cream Cheese
27 days ago
My rendition of frog legs, popping mushroom curry, pad prik khing with salted egg yolk, and sweet khanom thuai.
Recreating My Favorite Meal From Thailand
27 days ago
Inside London’s Gorgeously Curated ‘Art Restaurants’
27 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Texas Mineral Wells Mineral Wells Fossil Park

Mineral Wells Fossil Park

This former Texas landfill is flush with 300 million-year-old fossils, all fit for the taking.

Mineral Wells, Texas

Added By
Rachel
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Mineral Wells Fossil Park.   Mineral Wells Fossil Park/Used with permission
Mineral Wells Fossil Park.   Mineral Wells Fossil Park/Used with permission
Mineral Wells Fossil Park   Springer / Atlas Obscura User
Good example of 2 or more fossils in one collection from Mineral Wells Fossil Park.   TheMagnificentScreachOwl / Atlas Obscura User
Fossil Park Rules   Springer / Atlas Obscura User
History and Fossil Board   Springer / Atlas Obscura User
Rewards   Springer / Atlas Obscura User
Two Fossils   Springer / Atlas Obscura User
One Fossil   Springer / Atlas Obscura User
Crinoid Columnals and Column sections Examples   Springer / Atlas Obscura User
Digging area   Springer / Atlas Obscura User
Digging area   Springer / Atlas Obscura User
Digging area   Springer / Atlas Obscura User
Columnals and Column sections   Springer / Atlas Obscura User
Digging for fossils.   Mineral Wells Fossil Park/Used with permission
Mineral Wells Fossil Park.   Mineral Wells Fossil Park/Used with permission
Some fossils found at the park.   Mineral Wells Fossil Park/Used with permission
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

At first, Mineral Wells Fossil Park seems to be only a large pit of rocks. Dig a bit deeper, and you’ll find the park contains a fossil formation from an ancient seabed. Each handful of gravel is full of fossils more than 300 million years old.

A myriad of ancient fossils from the Pennsylvanian Period awaits those willing to get their hands a bit dirty. You can expect to find paleontological treasures from creatures like corals, urchins, clams, oysters, trilobites, sharks, and miscellaneous plants. The most common fossil species is crinoids (sea lilies), also often called “Indian beads” or “Indian buttons” in reference to their button or bead-like shape.

Roughly eight acres, the park was formerly part of a gravel pit at the old landfill. Eventually, wind and rain unearthed its feature fossil formation. Now, it’s one of the few parks in the nation where you can remove artifacts from the site and take fossils home with you.

The park is a haven for paleontologists and fossil collectors. It’s open to everyone and admission is free.

Related Tags

Fossils Parks Paleontology Rocks Geology

Know Before You Go

Large equipment is not allowed in the park, though small gardening tools are permitted and are recommended. Also be sure to bring a bag for the fossils, sunscreen, and plenty of water! The best time for fossil hunting is following storms or rain. Mineral Wells Fossil Park is open daily from 8 a.m. to sundown.

Community Contributors

Added By

felgueirosa

Edited By

ninfaann, Michael Inscoe, Springer, TheMagnificentScreachOwl...

  • ninfaann
  • Michael Inscoe
  • Springer
  • TheMagnificentScreachOwl
  • AddictedToBadIdeas

Published

November 30, 2017

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://texasfortstrail.com/plan-your-adventure/historic-sites-and-cities/sites/mineral-wells-fossil-park
  • http://www.austinchronicle.com/columns/2010-05-14/1028266/
  • http://www.dallasnews.com/news/texas/2010/08/04/Visitors-hunt-for-history-at-Mineral-3991
  • https://dps.wildapricot.org/Mineral-Wells-Fossil-Park
Mineral Wells Fossil Park
2375 Indian Creek Road
Mineral Wells, Texas
United States
32.825762, -98.190393
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

The Baker Hotel

Mineral Wells, Texas

miles away

Camp Wolters

Mineral Wells, Texas

miles away

Possum Kingdom Stone Arch Bridge

Graford, Texas

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Mineral Wells

Mineral Wells

Texas

Places 3

Nearby Places

The Baker Hotel

Mineral Wells, Texas

miles away

Camp Wolters

Mineral Wells, Texas

miles away

Possum Kingdom Stone Arch Bridge

Graford, Texas

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Mineral Wells

Mineral Wells

Texas

Places 3

Related Places

  • Blasdell, New York

    Penn Dixie Fossil Park

    More than 350 million years ago, western New York was covered in a vast sea. Today, you can dig up the remains of the plants and animals that lived there.

  • A polished Petoskey Stone.

    Harbor Springs, Michigan

    Petoskey State Park

    A popular place to pick up prehistoric coral fossils from the time when Michigan was an ocean.

  • Rock formations in Kokkala Gorge.

    Shayyr, Kazakhstan

    Kokkala Gorge

    Jurassic clays where the dinosaurs once roamed.

  • Fluorescent Andersonite from Utah.

    Tempe, Arizona

    Miners Rock Shop

    A family-owned store specializing in minerals, geodes, gemstones, and more.

  • Danville, Pennsylvania

    Montour Preserve Fossil Pit

    Construction uncovered this trove of fossils, which visitors are welcome to add to their own collections.

  • Skull and vertebrae of the mosasaurid Yaguarasaurus columbianus

    Bogotá, Colombia

    Museo Geológico Nacional José Royo y Gómez

    A small museum filled with unique fossil finds, including one of the oldest specimens of ground sloths found in Colombia.

  • Felsenmeer

    Hemer, Germany

    Hemer Felsenmeer

    Wooden pathways run through this rocky landscape, which legend says was created when a dwarven king pulled down his own castle to stop raiding giants.

  • Devon Meadows, Australia

    Crystal World Exhibition Centre

    A potpourri of rocks, fossils, and crystals is rounded out by a dinosaur garden and a 15-foot great white shark.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.