Nevada To Open Ice Age Fossils State Park Close To Las Vegas
Ice Age Fossils State Park, Nevada Visitor Center [Image courtesy Nevada State Parks]As many know, Las Vegas is chockful of attractions, but now visitors have new and exciting state park to visit. While it was 25,000 years in the making, the Ice Age Fossils State Park opens on January 20, 2024. Moreover, it features trails, fossils and a life-size mammoth sculpture. Meanwhile, the new park is only a half-hour drive from the Las Vegas strip.
Ice Age Fossils State Park, Nevada
Visitor Center Ice Age Fossils State Park [Image courtesy Nevada State Parks]Just short drive from The Strip, the new state park opens this weekend on January 20. Covering a 315-acre protected area, including part of Upper Las Vegas, the park has been in the works since 2017. Moreover, according to the park’s website, the park forms part of Governor Brian Sandoval’s “Explore Your Nevada Initiative.”
As readers can tell from the name, the park is an area rich in “paleontological and historical resources,” just waiting to be explored. The website states:
During the Pleistocene, also known as the Ice Age, the wash provided verdant habitat for several species of now-extinct mammals, including Columbian mammoths, American lions, camels, dire wolves, and ground sloths.
The discovery of abundant fossils on site triggered a long history of scientific research, which includes the famous ‘Big Dig’ of 1962, the largest inter-disciplinary scientific expedition of its kind up to that point.
Details for visiting the new state park
[Image courtesy Nevada State Parks]Initially, the park will be open from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm on Saturdays and Sundays. According to the park, this allows staff to acclimate to daily operations. Meanwhile, tickets cost $3 with children under 12 entering free. Moreover, dogs are welcome, as long as they are kept on a leash a maximum of six feet in length.
Shasta Ground Sloth metal sculpture [Image courtesy Nevada State Parks]When it opens, visitors will be able to explore the visitor center, watch a video about the area’s history and speak to rangers. A treat is a visit to the life-size mammoth sculpture dubbed Monumental Mammoth. Other sculptures are in the making, including one of a Shasta ground sloth, pictured above.
Eventually, visitors will be able to visit more of the park and, as reported by the Nevada Independent, the park has plans for a fossil repository and a paleontology lab.
Trails in the Ice Age Fossils State Park
Trail in the park [Image courtesy Nevada State Parks]Initially, the park features three trails for visitors to explore as follows:
0.3-mile Megafauna Trail featuring more metal sculptures of prehistoric animals that once lived there – this trail is aimed at all ability levels.
1.5-mile Las Vegas Wash Trail that heads through the dry wash area.
1.2-mile Big Dig Trail, offering views of fossils along the way.
Important for visitors to note
Visitors to the Ice Age Fossils State Park are warned before entering that “removing, disturbing or damaging any historic structure, artifact, rock, plant life, fossil or other feature is prohibited.” Everything within the park’s boundaries is protected by state and federal law.
The best practice is to leave only footprints and take only photos as you visit this fascinating new park. Read more about state park and the rules and regulations to follow on the park’s website here.
Anne Sewell: Anne enjoys relaxing in nature when not sitting at the computer, writing about travel and her favorite TV shows. She also loves movies and walking at the beach with her dogs.