{"id":306836,"date":"2024-01-16T19:43:36","date_gmt":"2024-01-17T01:43:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?p=306836"},"modified":"2024-01-17T11:40:20","modified_gmt":"2024-01-17T17:40:20","slug":"fossil-park-opens-minutes-from-las-vegas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/fossil-park-opens-minutes-from-las-vegas\/","title":{"rendered":"Fossil Park to Open Minutes from Las Vegas Strip"},"content":{"rendered":"

Before whales, cheetahs, and sharks roamed Las Vegas, it was party central for Columbian mammoths, saber-tooth cats, and prehistoric camels.<\/p>\n

\"mammoths\"
“I forget, Arthur, is the Rainforest Caf\u00e9<\/em> at the MGM or Planet Hollywood?” (Image: nps.gov)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

That was 25,000 years ago, back in the late Ice Age. And, starting this weekend, the fossils of these long-extinct megafauna can be found in one Las Vegas attraction you don\u2019t have to pass 2,000 slot machines to enter.<\/p>\n

Ice Age Fossils State Park is located just 20 miles north of the Strip in a portion of North Las Vegas that was once part of the Upper Las Vegas Wash.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes, Las Vegas was once a mucky wetland, not a desert. And after some of its former inhabitants died, mud and plant matter accumulated around their carcasses, forming stone casts that later filled with minerals from groundwater and\/or sediment, and — voila! — fossils.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Monumental Mammoth, a life-sized sculpture that debuted at the Burning Man festival in 2019, greets visitors to Ice Age Fossils State Park. (Image: Nevada Independent<\/em>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The park\u2019s paleontology lab and fossil repository aren\u2019t ready yet — sorry, Ross Geller from “Friends” — but visitors can tour three trails. The most fossil-festooned is the Big Dig, a 1.2-mile loop named after a 1962-63 interdisciplinary scientific expedition conducted here that was the largest of its kind to that point.<\/p>\n

The trails offer views of the fossilized remains of all the area\u2019s Ice Age mammals, including American lions, dire wolves, and ground sloths the size of VW Beetles. (Note: Views are all that are offered. Taking, or even touching, the fossils violates state and federal laws.)<\/p>\n

At the visitor\u2019s center, guests can study fossils and artifacts on display, catch a video, and sign up for educational programs.<\/p>\n

The 315-acre protected area adjacent to Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument was acquired by the Nevada Division of State Parks in 1958.<\/p>\n

\n

In 2017, it was designated as a state park by former Nev. Gov Brian Sandoval, and its development was completed last year, thanks to a $3.5 million grant from the Helmsley Charitable Trust.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Ice Age Fossils State Park, located at 8660 N. Decatur Blvd., will open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays only, beginning January 20.<\/p>\n

Admission is $3 for adults and free for children 12 and under. For more information, visit parks.nv.gov<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Before whales, cheetahs, and sharks roamed Las Vegas, it was party central for Columbian mammoths, saber-tooth cats, and prehistoric camels. That was 25,000 years ago, back in the late Ice Age. And, starting this weekend, the fossils of these long-extinct megafauna can be found in one Las Vegas attraction you don\u2019t have to pass 2,000 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":78,"featured_media":306837,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3313,82013,81886],"tags":[89505,89503,89506,23,89504],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nFossil Park to Open Minutes from Las Vegas Strip - Casino.org<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Before whales, cheetahs, and sharks roamed Las Vegas, it was party central for Columbian mammoths, saber-tooth cats, and prehistoric camels. 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