Ice Age Fossils State Park

A New Park with Old Bones

Hit a prehistoric jackpot only 20 minutes north of The Strip. The all-new Ice Age Fossils State Park brims with one of the largest and most varied collections of Ice Age-era fossils ever discovered. More than 100,000 years ago, this part of North Las Vegas was home to herds of now-extinct mammals, including Columbian mammoths, American lions, dire wolves, saber-toothed cats, and prehistoric camels, bison, and horses. Now, the 315-acre archaeological site is yours for exploring.

A Land of Desert Fossils: Las Vegas Wash Prehistory

The jagged Mojave Desert mountain ranges and spectacular dry lake basins before you today were once incredibly lush wetlands. Filled with abundant water and plenty of greenery, the area was a perfect spot for myriad species of plants and animals to flourish. When these prehistoric creatures died, they were buried in the area’s moist soil over time, leaving behind diverse, well-preserved fossils in this now arid location.

In 1962, an archaeological expedition known as the “Big Dig” led to unprecedented exploration of the Tule Springs fossil beds in the Upper Las Vegas Wash. Heavy construction equipment and earth movers carved two miles of deep trenches, and paleontologists and archaeologists discovered evidence of numerous extinct mammals, all completely untouched for centuries. Nevada State Parks and Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument now jointly protect these historic specimens.

Visiting Ice Age Fossils State Park Today

Upon arriving at Ice Age Fossils State Park, the first thing visitors spot is the “Monumental Mammoth,” a tribute to the area’s former residents. Metal collected during public cleanups of the adjacent Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument created the steel skin of this colossal sculpture. 

The park has three trails that allow visitors to fully explore the landscape. The flat, 0.3-mile Megafauna Trail features interpretive signs and metal sculptures of the prehistoric animals that once roamed the area. The 1.5-mile Las Vegas Wash Trail weaves through a dry wash area, and the 1.2-mile Big Dig Trail works its way through the deep trenches dug during the Big Dig excavation. 

The visitor center offers a glimpse into the past. A video projection shows what the lush landscape would have looked like when ancient animals roamed the land, and a 10-minute film gives a brief introduction to the park. Throughout the center, interactive displays and dozens of excavated finds help fill in the park’s natural history. 

Although now an official state park, Ice Age’s story is nowhere near complete. Thousands of fossils have been unearthed, but more continue to be found. In late March 2024, visitors hiking in the park spotted something on a trail and alerted rangers who went out to the area and excavated a partial Columbian mammoth tooth.