There’s a lack of information about Fossil Butte National Monument online, probably because there’s a lack of tourists visiting it. I like tourist attractions that lack tourists, so I am going to share my experience and advice about this one.

Fossil Butte National Monument is near Kemmerer at elevations between 6,600 feet and 8,000 feet. Why does that matter? Studies have found that for every 1,000 feet of altitude you ascend, you gain an 8-10% increase in ultraviolet ray intensity. Translation? Expect to get more sunburned at Fossil Butte.

The electrolyte and fluid makeup of the body changes at higher altitudes prompted in part by hormonal alterations and fluid metabolism modifications. These changes can lead to increased urination. Translation? Dehydration is more likely at Fossil Butte. While I feel I should share those cautions, they aren’t the inconveniences we noticed most at the monument. The mosquitoes, on the other hand, we definitely noticed.

The average amount of time a visitor that’s “really into fossils” spends at Fossil Butte, according to Trip Advisor, is 40-45 minutes. We spent nine hours there. Does that mean we are completely bonkers about fossils? Maybe, or maybe we just don’t have TikTok-sized attention spans. Either way, if you like to explore, it’s easy to spend a day at the monument.

At the monument’s visitor center, impressive fossils are on display. There are even coprolite exhibits in the bathroom. If you understand why that’s hilarious, this monument should be on your must-see list. There are also ample opportunities to learn at the center. We went to a ranger program, If Rocks Could Talk, and watched a couple short videos on the park’s fossils and quarries.

Afterward, we went hiking on a few of the monument’s five trails. There is next to no information on the internet about the hiking trails in the park, so here’s my contribution to online knowledge. There are two maintained trails in the park, the Fossil Butte Nature Trail and the Historic Quarry Trail. The park’s three unmaintained paths are Cundick Ridge, Eagle Nest Point, and Rubey Point. Here are the deets on the three paths we did… and another great opportunity for me to remind you to bring your DEET.

Fossil Butte Nature Trail

We were expecting this trail to be overly tame and lame, as “nature trail” is often code for a route that barely qualifies as hiking. Instead, we found a delightful path through an aspen grove and up a sagebrush steppe that was draped in emerald and rainbowed by ample wildflowers. We counted 34 distinct flowering species as we climbed, including sego lily, larkspur, flax, arnica, and Indian paintbrush. The trail is 1.5 miles and leads to a viewpoint overlooking the monument. While it is short, it heads uphill for a significant portion of its length, making it a decent workout. The mosquitos are persistent in a few sections, even in the middle of the day, so spray yourself down! This was our favorite of the hikes we completed at the monument. It was also the only footpath there we saw other people on. We came across two groups on it. So crowded! Not!

Cundick Ridge Trail

Although we couldn’t find much information on the unmaintained trails in the monument, we decided to attempt one of them. All three paths are on old dirt roads. Two, Cundick Ridge and Eagle Nest Point, start at the same spot and later branch. Rubey Point begins just a few minutes from the others. We drove by all three, and Rubey looked more overgrown, so we opted to try one of the others. As we began walking down the road for the other two, we commented that it was in pretty good shape for an “unmaintained” path. That opinion didn’t last.

The Eagle Nest Point fork looked overrun and faint, so we opted to head toward Cundick Ridge. Although the path remained obvious during the entire hike, sections were being reclaimed by tall grasses very successfully. The trail passes a power station or cell tower or something along those lines about a third of a mile from its end. After that, it becomes much less distinct, probably because the only vehicles that have traveled it in years have come to access that technological apparatus.

The overlook at the terminus of Cundick Ridge, a windy endpoint, provides extensive views of the area. We saw no hint of humans from that vantage point or anywhere in route, which was a plus.

This trail is mostly flat, with just a few small hills. If you want a laid-back, secluded path and don’t mind wandering through vegetation, this could be a great option for you. As I have some issues with grasses, my calves became itchy from brushing against them repeatedly, but the reaction was manageable. Although the monument’s website claims this path is two miles, it turned out to be 2.5. This was the only hike we did at Fossil Butte on which we didn’t get bombarded by mosquitoes, probably either because of the higher elevation, wind, or lack of water.

Historic Quarry Trail

This hike is 2.8 miles if you include the spur to the quarry, which I’d recommend doing. If you are intrigued by the history of fossil collecting in and near the park, this is a terrific trail choice. If you hate mosquitoes, you may like it a little less. They swarmed us in certain spots undeterred by our layers of repellent.

The quarry accessed by this route was excavated for three years prior to the creation of the monument in 1972. The path also passes the tiny cabin of a fossil collector named David Haddenham who made a living off that pastime for 50 years starting in the 1910s. Plenty of informative signs and the chance to visit a genuine quarry make this a compelling path. Like the trek before, we encountered no other hikers.

Fossil Butte is fantastically uncrowded. If you prefer a peaceful hike to a flashy one, this might be your kind of place. I’d plan for more than 45 minutes though… like 8 hours and 15 minutes more. And don’t forget the repellent!

Thus ended our outing to Kemmerer. If you are the curious sort, it’s a magnificent place to go fishing.

As a Christmas present, I gave Jason a day of rockhounding for fish fossils at American Fossil near Kemmerer, Wyoming. I know, pretty fishy. We took this trip in July of last summer. During it, our main destination, American Fossil, wasn’t our only connection to the past. At Fossil Butte National Monument, we connected our brains and feet instead of our hands, which will be covered next time. For this portion of the post, let’s dig into American Fossil.

American Fossil is a privately-owned quarry located where the depths of Fossil Lake existed for 2.5 million years some 52 million years ago. The remains unearthed there come from life found in and around that lake, and a lot of those remains remain. Over a million fossils have been excavated from the greater area, the majority uncovered in perfect condition.

Why did so many fossils survive at Fossil Lake? It is believed that Fossil Lake had a layer of saltine water beneath its fresh water. The deeper parts of the lake may also have contained poisonous hydrogen sulfide. These factors would have prevented scavengers from consuming the carcasses of animals that fell to the lake floor, giving them a much better chance of being preserved.

The elevation at American Fossil’s quarry is around 7,000 feet. So, even in the middle of July, temperatures are doable but not necessarily pleasant. The high was 82 degrees the day we visited, which was a whole lot nicer than the 97 degrees back home. However, with heat reflecting off rocks, a sunny and still 82 isn’t as nice as it sounds. The quarry staff said it was the hottest day they’d had all summer; they retreated to the shade while the stalwart fish seekers carried on with their hammering.

We arrived at the quarry around 11:00 and pounded rocks until 4:45, nearly six hours. We found loads of fish, and we got sunburned, cut, covered in limestone dust, dehydrated, sore, overheated, and exhausted. All worthy sacrifices in the name of rocks!

Speaking of wordy sacrifices, I have plenty of advice for those heading to American Fossil, so let’s begin. First, the Google map is wrong. Do not use it. Instead, only use the directions given to you by American Fossil via their website or reservation confirmation emails.

If you are one of those people who meticulously calculates how many pairs of clothes they will need on a trip, please note you will not be able to re-wear anything you don while digging for fossils. In fact, your attire will be so dusty from those endeavors that you will likely need to put it in a plastic bag afterward to keep it from contaminating all the contents of your suitcase.

Also, fish fossils are delicate, and the limestone they are in breaks easily. Be careful how you transport your treasures back home. We had some crack. I’d recommend bringing bubble wrap or purchasing it at the Ace Hardware store in Kemmerer.

And one final note to the hungry, Kemmerer is a small town. It has a handful of good places to eat, but they close early and don’t open at all on some days of the week. So, the food situation is a little spotty. We found Pizza Hut the most reliable source of meals. On an inconsequential sidenote, the residents of Kemmerer are super friendly. They are also super proud of their world’s-first JCPenney. Unfortunately, the world’s-first JCPenney will not improve your stomach’s predicament.

Next time, I will finish the recount of our fossil quest by unearthing some advice about Fossil Butte National Monument.

We began the next day with a stop at Tule Lake National Monument. Tule Lake Relocation Center had the highest peak population of the 10 centers run by the War Relocation Authority (WRA) to incarcerate Japanese Americans during World War II. Although Minidoka National Historic Site in Idaho is much more extensive in both the information it provides and the remaining buildings you can visit, we still enjoyed the exhibits at Tule Lake and spent over an hour there. Sadly, we missed the days’ sole ranger-led jailhouse tour, currently the only way to see the center’s jailhouse, one of its few WRA buildings still standing.

Following our visit to Tule Lake National Monument, we headed to the Tule Lake portion of the Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuges. There, we hiked a half-mile round-trip up the Sheepy Ridge Trail to a lookout built by the CCC. From that 170-foot vantage point, we could fully appreciate the expanse that was once Tule Lake. It is only 25% of its original size today. What happened to the lake? It fell victim to rash ideas that seemed prudent. In 1905, the lake’s extensive wetlands, which once attracted six million waterfowl each fall, were drained in order to be converted to fertile farmland. The Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuges were established in 1928 in an “oops” moment when the detrimental impact of that previous decision began to be realized.

After Sheepy Ridge, we wandered down the one-mile Discovery Marsh Trail, which winds through an experiment to reclaim reclaimed farmland for the birds. It was peaceful, except for all those dang birds. (LOL!)

Following our second walk, we downloaded the refuge’s free auto tour guide and went on a drive. During this journey, we saw a golden eagle, prairie falcons, white pelicans, western grebes, cliff swallows, and a whole slew of ducks and other shorebirds. The auto tour was great except it didn’t seem to have been updated since 2009, so some of the info was obsolete. Also, it suggested trails in route that had not been maintained in a while. For instance, one such path was supposed to cross over a wetland area on a bridge yet all that remained of that bridge was a couple burnt boards as it had been engulfed in a fire back in 2020.

The auto tour ended at Petroglyph Point where we walked 0.8 miles appreciating its chirpy and artsy ambiance. There, on what had once been an island surrounded by Tule Lake, indigenous people carved over 5,000 symbols into soft volcanic rock between 2,500 and 4,500 years ago. (Exact dates are not known.) Petroglyph Point is now home to an enormous number of birds ranging from owls and falcons to swallows. For the winged, it is a happening place!

Our last day in Oregon, we finally made it to our primary destination, Crater Lake National Park. Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States and the ninth deepest lake in the world at 1,943 feet, and it holds the world record for water clarity down to 143 feet. It owes its exceptional transparency and hue to its depth and to the fact that it does not have any streams that flow into it. All of its five trillion gallons of water have accumulated slowly from rain and snowmelt. While I understood that Crater Lake is an unusual azure color, looking at it for the first time, I still had a wow moment. Wow is it blue!

How did it form in the first place? The short of it is that a volcano (Mt. Mazama) had a cataclysmic eruption 7,7000 years ago and emptied so much magma from beneath its surface that its hollowed magma chamber collapsed leaving behind a massive crater with no outlet that gradually filled with water.

This unspoiled lake typically receives between 500,000 and 700,000 tourists every year, which kind of spoils it. Apparently, it’s had lower than average visitors the last few years; it didn’t feel like that. We had to wait half an hour to get through the entrance booth, and it was a Monday. There were also quite a few people at the Rim Village when we first arrived, but they thinned out over the next hour or two. I guess everyone got their Instagram photo and moved on.

Much of the park was not open yet due to lingering snow. Visitors were only allowed at the Rim Village and a mile down the road to Discovery Point. Since only a couple trails were even options, it wasn’t hard to pick the Discovery Point Trail (2.1 miles) for a hike. This path goes along the rim of the lake with thrilling scenery that changes around every corner and continually challenges any height misgivings. That brings me to this note: Crater Lake is circled by cliffs nearly 2,000 feet high. Exposure to them is unavoidable, so it may not be the best choice of parks for those with height aversions.

While the chance of rain that day was just 16%, and there had barely been a puff in the sky, just as we were reaching Discovery Point, we noticed some questionable clouds overhead. We miraculously got enough cell service to check the weather again and found the risk of rain had gone up to 47%. We decided we’d better hurry back as we were not in a great place to avoid lightning. As we were returning along the rim, we noticed a wall of precipitation charging across the lake toward us, and it didn’t look benevolent. Jason and I can move fast when prompted and that definitely prompted us. We made it back to our car just minutes before it started hailing, lightning, and a severe weather warning was issued. Thus ended our brief excursions at Crater Lake. The hail, rain, and sleet did not end though; we traveled through it for a large share of our return drive. Surprisingly, it was sunny back at Klamath Falls, and we got in a pleasant 4-mile run at our resort that evening.

Crater Lake is a reflective expanse of striking cobalt that will make you feel like you’ve stepped into a Photoshopped image, but the thrill of adventuring in Lava Beds combined with its lack of visitors kept it on the top of our favorites list. Sometimes obscurity generates more contentment than a pleasing scene.

One final note on wetness and awayness. Between CO, CA, OR, and UT, by the end of our Oregon outing, Jason and I had been gone 14 of the last 20 days. (And Jason had to go on an additional work trip to CA while we were “home.”) Out of those 14 traveling days, it had rained on us 11, and all but one of the sparse dry spells fell on days we were driving or flying home. We trekked in many downpours and got hailed on repeatedly. It was a strange season of sogginess, splendor, death, and discovery, a true ode to this beautiful, messy, incredible, hectic, heartbreaking, wondrous, complicated life.