In association with Hikercentral.com
and Goingoutside.com
In association with Hikercentral.com
and Goingoutside.com
I hope you will enjoy my backpacking site.
Backpacking in the backcountry is not a good idea unless you have all these items.
| If you haven't tried a Trailstove yet you're missing out. It a small wood stove, very light. I would recommend it too anyone. | CAMP STOVE | |
| Make sure you have a good flash light with you in case you have to walk in the dark. It's also a good idea to bring an LED flashlight just to make things easier. LED flashlights use Light Emitting Diodes instead of light bulbs and last up to 1000 hours on a set of batteries. | LIGHT | |
| A camp saw is a good idea to bring, they are very light but very useful. | SAW | |
| Rice is the perfect food to bring to the woods. It weighs very little uncooked and contains plenty of carbohydrates, just what you need after a long day of walking. | FOOD | |
| Excellent for fixing stuff and building shelters and other useful things. You don't need a lot, just a couple of feet. | STEELWIRE | |
| Some hikers like Leatherman tools, some like Swiss army knives, but everybody's got one, how' bout you? | TOOL |
Kill animals with a deadfall trap.
This is the most simple type of trap you can make but it's very deadly, it will kill or cripple an animal easily. Don't do this unless it's a life and death situation.
Find a heavy log that can be lifted up on one side.
Put a round rock on the ground under one edge of the log.
Find a good strong stick that can support the log.
Find a smaller stick to hold the bait.
Put one edge of the bait stick on the round rock, lift the log up and support it with the strong stick. The bait stick should be wedged between the strong stick and the round rock and with the other end suspended in the air under the log.
Carefully put the bait on the bait stick and walk away.
Florissant, CO
"When the mountains are overthrown and the seas uplifted, the universe at Florissant flings itself against a gnat and preserves it."-- Dr. Arthur C. Peale, Hayden Expedition Geologist, 1873.
A beautiful mountain valley just west of Pikes Peak holds spectacular remnants of the earth's prehistoric life. Huge petrified redwoods and incredibly detailed fossils of ancient insects and plants reveal a very different Colorado of long ago. Almost 35 million years ago, enormous volcanic eruptions buried the then-lush valley and petrified the redwood trees that grew there. A lake formed in the valley and the fine-grained sediments at its bottom became the final resting-place for thousands of insects and plants. These sediments compacted into layers of shale and preserved the delicate details of these organisms as fossils. The Florissant Fossil Beds are world-renowned, and in 1969 were set aside as a part of our National Park System; Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument.
CONTACTS
Email - FLFO_Information@nps.gov
Fax- 719-748-3164
Write to
P.O. Box 185
15807 Teller County 1
Florissant,
CO 80816-0185
Phone
Headquarters - (719)748-3253
TRAVEL BASICS
Operating Hours,
Seasons
OPERATING HOURS, SEASONS: Daily, summer: 8:00 a.m. to 7:00
p.m.; daily, winter: 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; closed Thanksgiving, December
25, January 1.
Getting There
PLANE - Colorado Springs is the closest airport
to the Monument.
CAR - DIRECTIONS: Visitors traveling north/south on I-25: Exit at US 24 West, travel 35 miles to town of Florissant, then follow signs two miles south to the visitor center on Teller County 1. Visitors traveling east/west on US 24: Exit to the town of Florissant, then follow signs two miles south on Teller County 1 to the visitor center. Visitors traveling from the town of Cripple Creek: Follow Teller County Road 1 north for 16 miles. TRANSPORTATION: To Park: access by US Highway 24 and Teller County Road 1. FEES, COST, RATES: April - November; $2.00/person, $4.00/family, and $10 for an anual pass. Receipt is valid for seven days. No fee for children aged 16 years or younger; Golden Eagle, Golden Age, and Golden Access Passes are honored.
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION - none
Weather & Climate
CLIMATE, RECOMMENDED CLOTHING: Summers
are generally of short duration with pleasant warm days and cool nights.
Freezing temperatures can sometimes occur during summer months. Sub-zero
lows are common in the winter; dress in warm layers to keep dry and to
prevent hypothermia. The altitude is 8,500 above sea level so pace
yourself in any season, drink a lot of water, and use sunscreen.
Accessibility
Accessibility: The visitor center and
associated petrified stump displays are fully wheelchair accessible. The
self-guided trails and the Hornbek Homestead are accessible to ADAS
Challenge Level I.
Getting Around
Trails Petrified sequoia stumps can be seen on
the Walk Through Time (1/2 mile) and Petrified Forest (1 mile) trails.
There are over 14 miles of easy to moderate trails through ponderosa pine
forest and mountain meadows.
FEES/PERMITS
Entrance Fee
FAMILY
$4
for 7 Days
INDIVIDUAL/ADULT
$3.00 for 7 Days
$15. 00 for Annual
There is no fee for children aged 16
years or younger.
FACILITIES
Visitor
Centers
MAIN VISITOR CENTER
Phone -
(719)748-3253
Location - Florissant Fossil Beds National
Monument is 35 miles west of Colorado Springs, Colorado. Visitors
traveling north/south on I-25: Exit at US 24 West, travel 35 miles to town
of Florissant, then follow signs two miles south to the visitor center on
Teller County 1. Visitors traveling east/west on US 24: Exit to the town
of Florissant, then follow signs two miles south on Teller County 1 to the
visitor center. Visitors traveling from the town of Cripple Creek: Follow
Teller County Road 1 north for 16 miles. TRANSPORTATION: To Park: access
by US Highway 24 and Teller County Road 1.
Closures -
Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day
Special Programs -
Programs/Activities: There are regularly scheduled interpretive talks
and walks by rangers during the summer season. In addition, rangers lead a
series of free mini-seminars on various weekends during the summer.
Education groups can be scheduled any time of the year, check our
education page for available programs, and call the monument for advanced
reservations. Junior Ranger Activities: During the summer months there are
Junior Ranger actvities every weekend; or request a copy of our Junior
Ranger self-guided activities from the front desk.
Exhibits -
The visitor center serves as an interpretive and information center.
Fossil and other exhibits are on display and books and brochures are
available. The 1878 Hornbek Homestead is preserved as an example of early
homesteading in the Florissant Valley. The home is listed on the National
Register of Historic Places.
Available Facilities - The Rocky
Mountain Nature Association, a non-profit National Park Service
Cooperating Association, manages a bookstore/sales outlet in the park
visitor center. Items purchased from the Association support the
interpretive and educational programs of the Fossil Beds. There is a wide
selection of natural and local history books, children's nature books, as
well as maps, nature videos, audio cassettes and games. Membership in the
RMNA offers the benefit of discounts at the bookstore, as well as those at
Rocky Mountain National Park and other sites.
Some content donated by Hikercentral.com and the National Park Service