Take a trip back in time to view fossils of the plants and creatures that once called Big Bend National Park home.
Big Bend National Park
45 Minutes
Spring, Fall, Winter
$30 per Vehicle
Overview
The Fossil Discovery Exhibit is an outdoor covered exhibit with vivid artwork, murals, fossils, and tactile displays showing the history of Big Bend’s plants and animals in southern Texas. The exhibit spans 130 million years of geologic time in the greater Big Bend area in North America.
Big Bend Conservancy hosts the Fossil Discovery Exhibit in the park bringing ancient life into view for all park visitors. The exhibit was made possible by donations and supporters of the conservancy to build it inside the National Park Service.
This is a pretty new exhibit, just opening at the beginning of 2017. It’s been called the most significant addition to Big Bend National Park for over 50 years.
Don’t forget to take the small path up to the panoramic view of nearby geologic points of interest. When you are walking up to the Big Bend Fossil Discovery Exhibit, this will be just past the fossil exhibit on your right.
Ryan inside a large crocodilian fossil
Tyler inside a large crocodilian fossil
Fossil Discovery Exhibit Plan
When we got a map the first day, we went back to the hotel after the Stars Over Big Bend program and looked at everything to do in addition to what we already had planned. Justin saw the Fossil Discovery Exhibit and said he wanted to check that out while we were there.
Getting There
Location
Big Bend National Park is located in West Texas, at the southernmost tip along the Rio Grande River. The park is a few hours car ride from any airports with Odessa/Midland being the closest followed by El Paso and San Antonio. When taking a trip to Big Bend, make sure you plan accordingly. For us, it was a 10-hour drive from the Houston area.
Due to the location, the park runs along the border between the United States and Mexico for over 100 miles. When there, you can go down to see the Rio Grande and even put your feet in the river.
Best Time to Go
The best time to go to Big Bend National Park is in the early spring or fall months. February, March, September, October, and November are the best due to the extreme temperatures in the park.
Fossil Discovery Exhibit
Who Can Go?
The road and path up to the exhibit are paved so they are accessible to anyone, including those with mobility issues. Inside the exhibit is plenty of space to get around the exhibits without any issues to enjoy the interpretive experience.
The only place there are stairs near the Big Bend Discovery Exhibit is the short trail up to the viewpoint plateau just past the exhibit.
What You'll See
This area is an exhibit and display to show the fascinating story of Big Bend in Texas. View fossils and information about the plants and animals that grew here millions of years ago when the basin was covered in seawater.
There are five main areas of fossils, based on the period and what the land was like at the time. Some of the fossil species in the marine area, when Big Bend was under a warm shallow sea in the Early Cretaceous Period including the first-ever replica of a Quetzalcoatlus Northropi in the location where the ancient bird was found. During the Late Cretaceous Period, Big Bend was on the shoreline of the sea.
As you walk into the exhibit, you will see the Gallery of Giants with life-sized bronze skulls of a Tyrannosaurus Rex, the ancient alligator called alligatoroid, and the terrible crocodile Deinosuchus. The boys had fun crawling into these to take photos inside the jaws.
The inland floodplain environment is from 72-55 million years ago when the Rocky Mountains lifted the area, the climate cooled, and the water retreated to hundreds of miles east of Big Bend. The final area is the Volcanic Highlands which includes the extinction of the dinosaurs and made way for many ancient land mammals.
As Tyler would say, “Because history, people!”. Fossil Discovery Exhibit visitors learn about the history of the area and what it was like thousands and millions of years ago. Even though we live in Texas, I didn’t grow up here so I didn’t take Texas History in school. The exhibit shows how the area went from being underwater with marine fossils to having the mountains lift the area and move the water where it is on the coast of Texas today.
Our family at the overlook by the exhibit
The view from the overlook area
What to Bring & Wear
Even though it’s mostly paved and boardwalk, I still recommend sneakers instead of sandals. The area is very sandy and there are some small rocks and pebbles on the way to the overlook that can get caught in your sandals. Wear clothing appropriate for the weather since the entire exhibit is outdoors and mostly open to the elements.
Where to Go
From the Panther Junction Visitor Center, go north on Persimmon Gap Road for about 8 miles. There will be signs for the exhibit with the road on your right side. Or, from the Persimmon Gap Visitor Center, head south for about 18 miles and the road to the world-class exhibit experience will be on your left.
How Long Does it Take?
Overall we spent about 45 minutes at the Fossil Discovery Exhibit while we were in Big Bend National Park. This included about 30 minutes to go through the exhibit and 15 for the small overlook.
Cost
There isn’t a cost specifically for the exhibit, but you’ll have to pay the entrance fee for Big Bend National Park.
For a passenger vehicle to enter the park, the fee is $30 per vehicle. The pass is valid for 7 days from the date of purchase. If you are on a motorcycle, you will pay $25 to enter the park, and pedestrians either walking or on a bicycle pay $15 per person.
The Big Bend Annual Pass is available for $55 and is good for one year from the date of purchase. If you will be making a trip to Big Bend multiple times in a year, outside of the one week your standard pass would be valid for, this will save you money.
Lastly, if you are visiting multiple places within the National Park System, it may be best to purchase one of their annual passes.
Tips for Fossil Discovery Exhibit
- There is a vault toilet in the parking lot for the exhibit
- The shaded picnic area has multiple tables under a canopy and an assortment of fossil-themed climbing structures
- You may get some signal on your cellular telephones in this area