About
Fossil Lake Safari is a you-dig quarry located outside Kemmerer, Wyoming, where visitors can split rocks to find 52 million-year-old fish fossils. The quarry is located on a nearshore deposit of the Green River Formation, a famous fossil-bearing formation that used to be the bed of a prehistoric lake! Fossil Lake Safari used to be Warfield Quarry, and has been operating since the late ’60s. Some specimens found here are in Chicago’s Field Museum, the nearby Fossil Butte National Monument, and numerous other Green River collections around the world.
These kinds of quarries charge flat rates for certain amounts of dig times, and pretty much whatever you find, you get to take home! The staff show you how to use provided tools to split rock, and how to look for fossils in the rocks. Once you get into the rhythm you could split fish all day!
There's always the chance that a visitor or the quarry operators make an exciting discovery: earlier this year the operators found three as-yet unidentified mammal fossils while moving overburden! They're working with experts at Fossil Butte National Monument to identify them.
Know Before You Go
The quarry is about a half hour outside the town of Kemmerer, Wyoming, and is located at the end of a dirt road that passes through private ranch land. Be sure to follow the orange signs on your way up! The quarry has wi-fi, water, and restrooms, but bring lots of sunscreen and prepare for both high temperatures and altitude.
The quarry is open every day until the end of September from 8 to 5. Visitors can pay for dig times of 2 hours, 4 hours, or full days.
Published
October 8, 2025
