What are the best places to look for fossils in Kansas?

TOPEKA (KSNT) – Fossils are everywhere in Kansas but there are some places where your chances of finding a link to the past are greater than others.

The Sunflower State is home to numerous types of fossils that range from Ice Age relics to the remains of ancient sea life, according to the Kansas Geological Survey (KGS). Kansans can expect to find some of these fossils when heading into the great outdoors or by simply looking at old limestone houses.

KGS Science Communications Specialist Andy Connolly said Kansas is rich with fossils that vary depending on where you are. He said people hunting for fossils in eastern Kansas, for example, may come across limestone and shale, which are often filled with fossils from when the state used to be underwater.

“These fossils include shells like Brachiopods, coral, and crinoids,” Connolly said. “You can even find these fossils just by walking through your town. On old buildings made of limestone like churches, you can find fossils on the stone. That’s because fossils are harder than the surrounding rock and pop out due to erosion.”

Connolly said parts of western Kansas, such as around Hays, have deposits of limestone and chalk filled with fossils like clams and shark teeth. Major rivers like the Kansas River are also home to bones from Ice Age animals such as bison and mammoths in sandbars.

“Most common fossils you can find in Kansas are going to be invertebrate fossils or animals without a backbone (coral-like animals),” Connolly said. “This includes corals, shells (like clams and brachiopods), crinoids, and bryozoans (coral-like animals).”

Fossil hunters excited to get started looking for a cool artifact to take home will need to keep a few things in mind before heading out. Connolly said that most areas in Kansas are privately owned lands and to be mindful of where you are while collecting fossils.

“State highways with roadcuts are fine as long as you practice safe parking procedures,” Connolly said. “State and local parks are also fine unless signs note otherwise. And the sandbar along the Ark, Kaw, and Missouri rivers are also fine to collect fossils. However, other navigable rivers’ sandbars are privately owned so you’ll need permission from the landowner to collect.”

The KGS lists specific areas that are known to contain fossils, including places like the Smoky Hills of north-central Kansas and the area running from the Flint Hills to the Missouri-Kansas border. Connolly said Kansas stands out among other states as it is one of the best places to look for fossils, as they can turn up just about anywhere you go.

“The beautiful thing about Kansas is we are one of the most fossiliferous states in the nation,” Connolly said. “Most areas across the state yield a variety of fossils from all manner of time periods. You can find plant fossils, shells, shark teeth, mammoths, tortoise shells, insect wings, and so forth which all lived in vastly different time periods. Many states do not have as rich of a fossil variety as us and as such you can easily start your own fossil collection by travelling through the state.”

Connolly said he has found a multitude of fossils while exploring in Kansas and recently came across a “treasure trove” of them in Lawrence by accident. He said construction work was taking place a few years back near the intersection of Iowa and 19th Street near the KGS offices when workers came across a large amount of uncommon plant fossils.

“These plant fossils grew near the seashore, which is why you can sometimes find them near other ocean fossils,” Connolly said. “The plant fossils also came [from] when Kansas was a tropical rainforest. Employees from the Kansas Geological Survey and the Biodiversity Institute of KU collected as many fossils as they could before the construction crew covered up the fossils.”

Connolly said people who are looking to head outdoors to search for their own collector’s items can use the map below. He said you can match your location with the map to find out how old a fossil is. However, fossils found in or near rivers may be more difficult to place as they could be a few decades old or even 100,000 years old.

You can learn more about the fossils of Kansas by visiting the KGS website by clicking here. The KGS also publishes guidebooks regarding specific fossil-rich sites online which you can find by clicking here or by contacting the KGS Publication Sales office at 785-864-3965.

Connolly also published a video in 2024 on YouTube that covers the general geologic history of Kansas and fossils you can expect to find. You can watch that video by clicking here.

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