Scottsbluff Badlands: Fossil Hunting in Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska

Quick details

Access

Permission required

County

Scotts Bluff County

State

Nebraska

Nearest road

Owl Road

Postcode

69361

Coordinates

41.85183, -103.70822

Geology at Scottsbluff Badlands

This spot sits on White River Group, mapped as clay that formed roughly 34 to 23 million years ago. Reworked sediments like these can carry fossils eroded from older beds upstream, typically as rolled bone fragments, teeth, and shell material.

Mapped unit

White River Group

Age

34–23 Ma (Early Oligocene to Late Oligocene)

Rock types

clay

Elevation

3,960 ft

Geologic mapping via Macrostrat and the underlying state geological survey maps (CC BY 4.0). Bedrock at the surface can vary within a mapped unit.

Best time to visit Scottsbluff Badlands

Best months: March to November. Typical highs run 89°F in midsummer and 41°F in midwinter, with winter lows near 15°F.

Climate normals: NOAA 1991-2020 monthlies, SCOTTSBLUFF 1E station (4 mi away).

Land & collecting status

Permission required before collecting

Requires landowner or agency permission before any collecting. Do not enter without explicit authorization.

Public-land rules vary by agency, season, and field office. The RockHoundR app pulls live BLM, USFS, NPS, and tribal overlays so you can see exactly which agency manages the ground at this spot.

Sources & verification

Spot details combine the public RockHoundR location dataset, normalized mineral labels, agency land-status checks in the app, and community submissions. Coordinates are approximate until verified in the field.

Sources: RockHoundR public spot dataset, app land overlays, and local agency review before each trip.

Found at Scottsbluff Badlands

Each chip opens all spots that produce that material; the encyclopedia link opens the full ID and field guide.

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