What a surprise.  The redwood trees of California used to live just west of Colorado Springs.  I, Zeb the Duck, and my mom visited the 6,000 acre Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument.

Let’s see the fossils!

Thirty-four million years ago, the meadow was Lake Florissant.  There are many rare fossils from here.  Colorado has the fossil of a tsetse fly.  The tsetse fly now can only be found in equatorial Africa.  It used to live in Colorado with giant redwood trees.

Redwoods in Colorado

In the visitor’s center you can watch a short film about the fossils.  The visitor’s center has great displays also.  Here is one with fossils.

Great display

Fossils of insects and plants have been recovered from this area.  If you hike through the 15 miles of trails, you may see wildlife.  We saw this prairie dog close to the front entrance of the visitor’s center.

Official greeter?

Now, about those redwood trees in Colorado.  This sign shows that these are redwoods.

Yes. Redwoods in Colorado

This one is just behind the visitor’s center.  That really was a huge tree!

GIANT Redwood!

Wandering along the trails, this is a peaceful view.

Stress free area.

Hard to imagine this meadow was once a lake.

A couple miles from the visitor’s center you can visit the Hornbek Homestead.  This homestead was built in 1878 for Adeline Hornbek and her four children.  It was the first homestead in the Florissant Valley.

Hornbek Homestead

This homestead is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and now belongs to the National Park Service.

Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument is a great place.  You will like it if you visit.  For more information visit www.nps.gov/flfo   We really like this National Monument.  Visit it when you are in the area.  You will be glad you did.

You should see this place!