Where to Find Fossils in Wisconsin

Wisconsin has 5 mapped collecting spots that report fossils, spread across 5 counties. The largest share sits in La Crosse County with 1 spot. 4 of the spots are on land mapped as publicly accessible.

Standout fossil spots in Wisconsin

Hand-picked from the full list below, with the reason each one earns a trip.

Lime Kiln Park
Ozaukee County
Lime Kiln Park near Grafton preserves two small Silurian reefs in the walls of a former limestone quarry along the Milwaukee River.
Racine
Racine County
Quarry Lake Park in Racine exposes the Silurian Racine Formation dolomite, part of the reef complex recognized as among the first fossil coral reefs described in North America.

Best counties for fossils in Wisconsin

Ranked by the number of mapped fossil spots. County links open the full rockhounding page for that county.

La Crosse County1 spot
Manitowoc County1 spot
Ozaukee County1 spot
Racine County1 spot
Waushara County1 spot

Every fossil spot we track in Wisconsin

Sorted by county. Coordinates open in Google Maps.

Spot	County	Minerals	Coordinates	Access
Bluffs of Miss. RiverHanifl Road	La Crosse County	Lake Superior Agate Jasper Diamond Fossil	43.7779, -91.2407	Permission
Red Arrow BeachJaycee Drive	Manitowoc County	Honeycomb Coral Favosites Chain Coral Fossil Beach Glass Cold Water Agate	44.0764, -87.6561	Public
Lime Kiln ParkGreen Bay Road	Ozaukee County	Fossil Coral Crinoid Dolomite	43.3225, -87.9440	Public
RacineRacine MRK Trail	Racine County	Fossil Calcite Marcasite	42.7739, -87.8083	Public
OshkoshDivision Street	Waushara County	Calcite Galena Marcasite Pyrite Sphalerite Fossil	44.0430, -89.0981	Public

Fossils in Wisconsin FAQ

Where can you find fossils in Wisconsin?+

The mapped spots concentrate in La Crosse County, Manitowoc County, and Ozaukee County. Every spot on this page appears on the map above with coordinates and access notes.

How many fossil spots are mapped in Wisconsin?+

5 spots across 5 counties. The RockHoundR app keeps the same spots on an offline map with public land overlays, geology layers, and your saved finds.

Is it legal to collect fossils in Wisconsin?+

Hand collecting of common rocks and minerals in small amounts for personal use is generally allowed on BLM and U.S. Forest Service land, with limits set by the local field office. National parks, most state parks, and tribal land are closed to collecting. 4 of the 5 mapped spots here sit on land marked public. Always confirm current rules with the managing agency before you dig.

Where else to find fossils

More minerals to hunt in Wisconsin

Hunt fossils in Wisconsin with the map in your pocket

RockHoundR puts these spots on an offline map with BLM and Forest Service overlays, geology layers, and a log for your finds.