Expert fossil hunter, Chuck Bonner will guide you on an informational fossil hunt. Chuck started out fossil hunting with his father, Marion Bonner, and family, at an early age. He has learned about fossils all his life and has fossils in many museums throughout the U.S., including at the Keystone Gallery.
Tour participants start out at the Keystone Gallery in our 1949 Suburban “Spiker”, usually after a cup of coffee, signing a liability release, and paying the tour fees. Each individual is given a fossil vertebrae to take with him or her.
If you get here the day before, you will have a chance to look at our local fossil display and familiarize yourself with the different types of fossils to be found.
Upon entering the fossil beds, you will encounter awesome scenery, including extraordinary rock formations idea for picture taking.
We expertly advise you while looking for fossils, tracing them out, and collecting them. Most people have found shark’s teeth, vertebrae (singles or rows), coprolites, different varieties of shells, petrified wood, fish jaws, and mineral specimens. A few have brought back present day-skulls and bones too.
You never know what you are going to find.
Lunch in the fossil beds is included with the hunt.
These hunts are slow paced hikes, as you look over the chalk surface for fossils. This is a walking expedition, not a quarry dig. Some people like staying out longer than others.
All fossils found are identified, carded, and bagged upon returning to the gallery.
People
- 3 or 4: Small groups can fit in our 1949 Suburban
- 5 or more: Larger groups will need their own vehicle. Maximum 8.
- Children should be at least 8 years or older, interested in fossils, and take instructions well.
Rates
FULL DAY HUNT
$150.00 a day (per person) plus tax
HALF DAY HUNT
$80.00 a day (per person) plus tax
*We accept checks, cash, credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, and Discover)
Tour Deposit and Reservations
Deposit Required: Non-refundable except below exception
$75.00 per person for full day.
$40.00 per person for half day
Remainder due upon arrival.
In case of inclement weather, tour fee deposit will be refunded OR trip rescheduled. Exception: Tour fees will not be refunded to no-shows.
Please send your money/or call with a credit card number to reserve a date. We cannot hold a date open for you until we receive your deposit... It is possible that you can call the day before and still be able to go. However, advanced reservations are more likely to secure your date.
You must sign a guest liability release waiver.
Good Communication makes planning easier. Please follow-up when asking about the hunt or pending reservations. A phone call or e-mail closer to the reservation date is recommended.
Our cabin is available at a special fossil hunt participant’s rate of $35.00 a day for the group. The cabin is located six miles from us at beautiful Lake Scott State Park.
Food
Tour price for a full day includes lunch, beverages, etc..
Tour price for a half day includes snacks and beverages.
Lunch usually includes: Sandwiches, Chips, Cookies, Fruit and Vegetables, plus drinks. If you have any food allergies, please let us know. We will change our lunch choices to accommodate vegetarians, diabetics, and other likes and dislikes. We put together the lunches according to what the group needs/desire.
Weather
April thru October: Please contact us to set up a time and date. All dates must be set in advance. The best months are April, May, June, September and October, especially for a full day of fossil hunting.
July and August: These are usually the hottest months of the year. However, we do get cool fronts coming through. Taking a half-day hunt can help avoid hot weather later in the day, though you can take full days if you wish.
November to March: It is possible to hunt fossils on good days. If you are planning a trip to this area, we can work with the weather forecast and look at the long-range outlook. Half-day hunts can work well during these months.
Kansas weather can fluctuate in extremes. Usually our weather is sunny and warm, but it can vary in temperature.
Please let us know something about yourselves when inquiring about tour specifics, dates, etc.
FAQ
Can I go fossil hunting on my own?
Please do not ask us where you can go to fossil hunt on your own without us. Our local land owners have asked us not to give out this sort of information. We have many inquiries during the year; we cannot give out personal landowner information.
Where types of lodging are available in the area?
Information on accommodations and tourist sites will be sent upon request. There are a variety of motel choices in either Scott City or Oakley. Lake Scott State Park provides camping nearby. Our cabin at Lake Scott is also available.
What should I wear?
Please wear long pants and good hiking shoes, or some sort of comfortable tennis shoes.
This is a walking expedition. You can bring shorts along to change into. There are scrubby bushes in the fossil beds, and sitting on rocks can also hurt. If you want to wear shorts, please wait until the fossil beds.
What can I bring along to the hunt?
You can bring fossil picks, tools, backpacks etc. if you have them. We have fossil hunting tools available. Bring what you wish, you can leave extras in Spiker.
Don’t forget your camera!
No pets, No guns, No alcohol.
What can I find?
Fossils to be found include: shark teeth, giant clam shells, oysters, fossil fish, vertebrae, fish jaws, coprolites, swimming reptiles (mosasaurs), and flying reptiles (pteranodons). You can also find petrified wood and other types of fossils. See our fossil pages to learn more about the kinds of fossils found in Kansas.
What can I keep?
You will be allowed to keep small fossil specimens; large or rare specimens will be retained by us.
What are the fossil beds like?
The fossil beds vary from area to area. Some have smooth slopes that are easier to walk in, while others are rough with deep canyons.
The fossil beds are sculptural in appearance with spires, cliffs, and other unusual formations. They vary in color from yellow to orange to gray. A few pinks and blues can be found too.
How far are the fossil beds from Keystone Gallery?
Road miles to get to the fossil beds can be a five minute trip or thirty minutes depending on which is the site for the day.
What else is in the fossil beds?
We have hosted groups where some people are into fossils, but their friends/family are not as interested. Below are some other things of interest to see and explore. Everyone has found something to like besides the formation’s natural beauty.
What kind of wildlife will I see?
Different types of wildlife are sighted in these remote areas usually only frequented by cows and cowboys. You can hear the rustlings of deer running over an area, the owls flying, numerous cliff swallows, lizards and rabbits. There are snakes in the fossil beds although they are seldom seen. They are trying to get away from you, not coming towards you.
What kind of wildflowers are there?
Wildflowers start blooming in April. April and May are the best months, but different varieties do continue blooming, but are not as abundant.
What time do the fossil hunts start?
These fossil hunts will start early in the morning, as the chalk beds are 10 degrees hotter than the surrounding grasslands. Hope you like to get going early!
Hot months: 7:00 a.m.or so
Cooler months: 8:00 a.m. or 9:00 a.m.
We plan the starting time according to the season and weather.
Are Gift Certificates Available?
Gift certificates are available at tour prices. These certificates will have a one year limit, i.e. sold for a 2006 year hunt, available to use for that year only.
Should I go hiking before the fossil hunt?
Please remember that if you hike around Lake Scott State Park the day before a hunt, you are most likely going to be tired the next day. We suggest enjoying our local hiking trails after a fossil hunt or the next day. We have had a few groups that unknowingly over-exerted themselves the day before and didn’t get the full benefit of our fossil hunts
Where are you located?
The Keystone Gallery is located 26 miles south of Oakley, or 18 miles north of Scott City, Kansas on US 83. We are just off the road to the west, with a sign on the highway. We are in western Kansas, in the heart of the “Badlands of Kansas” region. Monument Rocks is nine miles east, Lake Scott State park eight miles south. Download a PDF of our brochure in screen resolution (139 KB) or print resolution (589 KB). It includes a map showing how to get to Keystone Gallery and Monument Rocks from U.S. Highway 83. You can also download only the map.
Former Fossil Hunt Participants
Click here to see a web site made by one of our customers about a fossil tour (Off-site link).
The following people have all participated in a fossil hunt. Click on any picture to see a larger version.
