Bighorn Mountains, Fossils & Dinosaur Tracks

Wyoming has been a hotbed for fossils with major finds of ancient life all over the state.

It makes sense when you think of how the region has gone from the bottom of an inland sea to sandy, swampy, through ice ages, and mountain ranges that have risen and fallen many times.

In the videos below, we join a YouTuber and his wife as they explore the Bighorn Mountains of Wyoming for fossils.

They find much more than ancient life.

Why the Bighorn Mountains?
The Bighorn Mountains are known for their rich geological history, hidden fossils, and unique rock formations. Many areas in Wyoming contain petrified wood, ancient marine fossils, and agates, making this an exciting place to explore.

 

We set out rockhounding in the Bighorn Mountains to search for fossils, but things didn’t go as planned! 🏔️💎 Join us as we explore Wyoming’s desert forest, searching for ancient treasures, petrified wood, and unique rock formations.

Even if you have never done this before, you can find a lot if you know where to look.

You'll also need to train your eyes to see what most others just walk over.

We head out fossil hunting near Greybull, Wyoming, exploring a spot that looked full of promise. No major finds this time, but it turned into a great day with Jen and the dogs. Join us as we search the Wyoming desert for signs of ancient life!

Red Gulch Wyoming. That's a heck of a name, isn't it? If you're thinking, 'can't be much there with a name like that', you would be right. There is only one thing there that is worth seeing. But wow, what a thing.

In the video below, you will see that getting there to see that one thing is not so easy, but not horrible, and together, well worth the trip.

As to what kind of theropods, the species that made the tracks is currently unknown. The footprints are in the area dubbed "the ballroom." It looks like they were all dancing around on the floor down there.

If you should make the trip to Red Gulch, be sure to examine the high sandy walls around the old creek bed. That is where you will find The Seashells Of Wyoming. In fact, a variety of fossils can be found, including belemnites, crinoids, and shrimp burrows.

You can take a trip with me to see the tracks in the video below.

It is there, alongside the boardwalk and outhouse built by the state of Wyoming, that you will find the fossilized tracks believed to have been made during the Middle Jurassic Period, 160-180 million years b.p..

Back then, the Red Gulch area was the shoreline of the Sundance Sea.

Down at the base of Red Gulch, you will see what is believed to be Theropod tracks as well as other smaller and more diverse groups of dinosaurs.