Officially announced in January 2017 and opened in early 2024, this 315-acre park takes you on a journey back in time. While today’s Vegas is all about lights and glitz, thousands of years ago things looked a bit…different. Ice Age Fossils State Park offers a rare glimpse into its prehistoric past – and it’s just 20 minutes from the Strip.
A look back in time
About 25,000 years ago, during the height of the last Ice Age, the Las Vegas Valley looked totally different – green and full of water. Massive Ice Age animals like Columbian mammoths, ancient bison, and camels wandered the area. But as the Ice Age came to an end, the wetlands started drying up, leaving behind spring-fed streams. By around 12,000 years ago, most of those big creatures were gone. Around the same time, early humans started showing up and briefly shared the land with the last of the megafauna.
Over time, the landscape slowly shifted into the dry desert vibe we know today.
Natural erosion – like what happened with the Las Vegas Wash – cut deep trenches into the ground, eventually revealing layers of ancient, fossil-filled earth.
The story of Ice Age Fossils State Park
The site’s modern scientific story kicked off in 1903. Decades of research led to the 1962 Tule Springs Expedition, better known as the Big Dig – a massive effort to uncover signs of early humans using the latest tech. They didn’t find exactly what they were hoping for, but it still ended up being one of the biggest digs of its kind.
After that, interest fizzled out for a while…until the late ’90s and early 2000s, when scientists came back and started making exciting new fossil finds. That, along with growing public support, sparked a push to protect the area. In 2017, Governor Brian Sandoval made it official, naming it Ice Age Fossils State Park as part of his Explore Your Nevada initiative.
Visiting Ice Age Fossils State Park
Today, the park protects a unique fossil site, preserving evidence of Ice Age life and geologic change, while offering trails, exhibits, and educational programs to the public. Start at the Visitors Center to get an idea of what the park has to offer. There are a couple of short to medium length trails, waiting to be explored. According to the parks.nv.gov, these are:
- Megafauna Trail: This 0.3-mile trail has life-sized sculptures that reveal the lives and behaviors of the massive animals that once roamed Tule Springs. The trail begins near the back patio of the visitor center and ends between the visitor center and restroom building.
- Las Vegas Wash Trail: This 1.5-mile trail begins and ends at the Monumental Mammoth. Here, you can experience the natural forces that created and reshaped this landscape over the course of millennia as you hike through the Upper Las Vegas Wash.
- Big Dig Trail: This 1.2-mile trail begins and ends at the Trench K Trailhead. It’s accessible by a 0.5-mile connector trail from the Megafauna Trail. You can relive the discoveries of past scientists while hiking through trenches bulldozed by the Tule Springs Expedition.
Although this is now an official state park, Ice Age’s story goes on. As far as we know, many fossils continue to be found. Just in 2024, a couple of visitors spotted something that turned out to be a partial Columbian mammoth tooth. That’s the beauty of history…it keeps re-writing itself.
Seasonal events
You can also come by for one of the many events happening at this great park. Here are those upcoming:
- October 12 – Megafauna Walk & Talk
- October 18 – Coffee Talk w/ a Special Guest
- October 19 – Candy Scat
- October 25 – 2nd Annual Halloween Costume Night Hike
- October 26 – Tie-Dye Butterflies
- October 31 – Nevada Day Celebration