Fossil Butte National Monument is a United States National Monument managed by the National Park Service, located 15 miles (24 km) west of Kemmerer, Wyoming, United States. It centers on an assemblage of Eocene Epoch (56 to 34 million years ago) animal and plant fossils associated with Fossil Lake—the smallest lake of the three great lakes which were then present in what are now Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado. The other two lakes were Lake Gosiute and Lake Uinta. Fossil Butte National Monument was established as a national monument on October 23, 1972.
Ulrich’s Fossil Gallery and Quarry has been in the same location since 1947, when Carl Ulrich started fossil hunting in the area. We are a working quarry, offering tours 7 days a week, where you can come dig for you own fossil fish! We also have an open fossil shop where we sell do-it-yourself prep kits, as well as professionally prepared fossils, all directly from our own quarry.
My Thought
Getting to visit Fossil Butte National Monument and the Ulrich Fossil Gallery was such a unique experience. It was amazing getting to see one of the most important fossil sites in Wyoming and learn more about the incredible life that existed there millions of years ago. The fossils from Fossil Butte really show just how different the world was during the Eocene, from fish and plants to the many other organisms preserved in the rock.
The Ulrich Fossil Gallery was especially cool because it gave a closer look at the work that goes into preparing and studying these amazing specimens. Seeing the fossils in person and learning about the history behind the discoveries made this stop feel like more than just looking at displays, it felt like getting a glimpse into the process of uncovering Earth’s past. This was another one of those stops that reminded me why visiting these places is so special, because every museum and site has its own story to tell.
ReBecca Hunt-Foster is an American paleontologist. She has worked with dinosaur remains from the Late Jurassic to Late Cretaceous of the Colorado Plateau, Rocky Mountains, Southcentral, and the Southwestern United States of America. She described the dinosaurArkansaurus fridayi and identified the first juvenile Torosaurus occurrences from Big Bend National Park in North America in 2008.
My Thoughts
So uh…I don’t know what happened, the audio just cut out and stopped working all together which is very sad, and annoying, but Dr. Rebecca is amazing and very kind, that just means I will have to get her back on for another interview.
Video (No Audio sorry)
^if you can lip read or somehow get the audio have fun^ sorry for the no audio.
The Natural History Museum of Utah is a museum located in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The museum shows exhibits of natural history subjects, with an emphasis on Utah and the Intermountain West. The mission of the museum is to illuminate the natural world and the place of humans within it. A new building, named the Rio Tinto Center, opened in November 2011. The museum is part of the University of Utah and is located in the university’s Research Park.
My Thoughts
Getting to visit the Natural History Museum of Utah was honestly one of the biggest highlights of the entire trip. From the moment I walked in, it was clear this was a special place. I also had the opportunity to meet Alex Straley, who was incredibly kind, and getting to see the museum’s prep lab was such a cool behind-the-scenes experience. Being able to get up close to fossils that are still being prepared and see recently discovered dinosaurs before they become finished exhibits was something I’ll never forget.
The exhibits themselves were absolutely incredible. One of my favorite displays was the wall of ceratopsian skulls arranged as a taxonomic tree. It is such a unique way to show how these horned dinosaurs are related, and seeing so many different skulls side by side really puts their diversity into perspective.
The Barosaurus facing off against a pack of Allosaurus was easily one of my favorite museum displays I’ve ever seen. Those are probably my two favorite dinosaurs, and since Barosaurus is so underrepresented in museums, finally seeing such an incredible mount featuring it was amazing. It tells such a dynamic story and immediately grabs your attention. On top of that, getting to see Lythronax in person was another huge highlight. Between the incredible exhibits, the behind-the-scenes access, and meeting such passionate people, this museum has easily become one of the coolest museums I’ve ever had the chance to visit.
Travel back in time and explore what life was like over 65 million years ago in the Mountain America Museum of Ancient Life! With 60 complete dinosaur skeletons, this museum has one of the world’s largest displays of mounted dinosaurs right here in Lehi, Utah! More than 50 hands-on exhibits, like the Erosion Table and the Quarry Dig, make it easy to interact with prehistory. You can even watch our paleontologists and volunteers unearth a 150-million-year-old Barosaurus. Whether you come by day or night, the Museum of Ancient Life is a lively adventure you’ll never forget. With so much to explore and interact with, it’s one of the best dinosaur museums in Utah.
My Thoughts
Getting to visit the Mountain America Museum of Ancient Life at Thanksgiving Point was an awesome way to wrap up this part of the trip. The museum is packed with incredible dinosaur mounts and exhibits, and no matter where you look, there is something amazing to see. From towering skeletons to beautifully recreated prehistoric scenes, it is one of those museums where you could spend hours exploring and still notice something new.
What really stood out to me was how immersive the museum feels. The displays don’t just show fossils, they tell the story of prehistoric life in a way that makes you feel like you’ve stepped back into the Mesozoic. Every exhibit is thoughtfully put together, and the sheer number of dinosaurs on display is impressive.
This was the perfect final museum stop on my journey. After spending days traveling across Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah visiting so many incredible museums, fossil sites, and national monuments, ending at the Mountain America Museum of Ancient Life felt like the perfect conclusion. It was an amazing experience and another reminder of just how many incredible places there are to learn about Earth’s prehistoric past.
The Brigham Young University Museum of Paleontology was started in 1976 around the collection of James A. Jensen. For many years, it was known as the BYU Earth Science Museum,and most of the collection was in storage under the LaVell Edwards Stadium.
My Thoughts
Getting to visit the BYU Museum of Paleontology was such a cool experience and another amazing stop on this trip. The museum has so many unique displays and does a great job showcasing the incredible fossils that have been discovered and studied over the years.
One of the highlights was getting to see their Torvosaurus display. Seeing such an incredible predator up close was awesome, especially because it is a dinosaur that does not always get the same attention as some of the more famous theropods. The museum really captures the diversity of prehistoric life and shows just how many amazing animals once lived.
Walking through the exhibits and seeing the different fossils, mounts, and displays was a great reminder of why museum visits are such a big part of paleontology. Every institution has its own stories to tell, and BYU’s collection was definitely a memorable part of this trip.
