City: Florissant, CO

Category: Tours & Attractions

Telephone: (719) 748-3253

Address: 15807 Teller County Rd.

Description: You don’t have to go all the way to Arizona to see petrified tree stumps. There’s a great collection of them right here, at the Florissant Fossil Beds. Not only that, but more than 1,500 different kinds of fossil insects have been found here, making it one of the most diverse insect fossil sites in the world. Take one of three self-guided tours that are available year-round. Brochures for these tours are available at the visitor center desk. The trails include: the Petrified Forest Walk, a 1-mile path that passes through massive petrified redwood stumps; the Ponderosa Loop Trail, a half-mile loop that takes you through a modern Ponderosa pine forest; and a tour of the grounds of the historic 1878 Hornbek Homestead, located a mile north of the visitor center. There also are more than 14 miles of hiking trails in the monument. Most wind through hills covered with pines, aspens, and Douglas firs. Some of the trails go through riparian areas. When there’s enough snow in winter, the area’s gentle meadows, hills, and trails can be a great place to snowshoe or cross-country ski. You’ll have to bring your own, though. They don’t have equipment. Same goes for horseback riding. It’s permitted on a limited basis, but you have to bring your own horse.