About the Park

Regular Hours : The park is now open daily, 8 am to dusk. Admission is free.

Mineral Wells Fossil Park provides the fossil enthusiast, paleontologist, and student an excellent opportunity to see and collect well preserved "Pennsylvanian Period" fossils with ease and abundance. These fossils have been dated to be just over 300 million years old. Yes, you read correctly, you may collect and take fossils out of the park - for personal use only.Â See the park rules for more information.

The park as it exists today is a result of 20 years of erosion of the old City of Mineral Wells landfill's borrow pit, which was closed in the early 1990s. The erosion of the borrow pit has revealed fossils documenting ancient sea species of crinoids (sea lilies), echinoids (urchins), brachiopods, pelecypods (clams and oysters), bryozoans, corals, trilobites (arthropods), plants and even primitive sharks.

In recent years, the borrow pit has become a mecca for the avid fossil hunter, the amateur and professional paleontologist, and various fossil, paleontological, gem and mineral groups and societies in Texas and the surrounding states.