The first thing that caught my eye as I arrived at the entrance to the new Ice Age Fossils State Park in North Las Vegas is the first thing every visitor notices: the huge elephantine sculpture silhouetted against the mountains and sky. The “Monumental Mammoth,” which debuted at Burning Man in 2019 and later made an appearance at the Life is Beautiful Festival in Downtown Las Vegas was the work of a coalition of professional artists, community partners, and volunteers. Now in its permanent home, it makes an impressive and evocative welcome to Nevada’s newest state park.

In the visitor center, we learned that Tule Springs, the longtime local name for the area, was home to stunning wildlife back in the Pleistocene epoch. Known now as “megafauna,” the animals that inhabited the wetlands included not only mammoths, but also giant ground sloths, saber-toothed cats, American lions, yesterday’s camels, ancient bison, ancient horses, and dire wolves. While their current-day descendants share some of their attributes, none share their enormous size.

We also learned what first drew paleontologists to Tule Springs. It was not only the Pleistocene fossils, which have been found in many places, but also the evidence of human habitation along with the animals. At first, carbon dating seemed to show that humans lived in the Las Vegas valley far earlier than other places in North America. This tantalizing possibility led to an excavation in 1962 and ’63 now known as “The Big Dig.” Seventeen large trenches were dug in the area to expose fossil-containing strata. Improved dating technology finally disproved earlier hypotheses but inspired new questions about the interaction between the megafauna and humans and their possible role in the animals’ extinction.

Armed with the excellent information provided by the displays and short film in the visitor center, we headed outside to enjoy the trails. The first is a short loop lined with accurate, life-sized steel sculptures of the prehistoric animals. Placards provide info, and there are also places to sit or find shade. We then headed east on a trail that leads to Trench K, the largest of the ditches created by The Big Dig. It was fascinating to see the exposed strata. The trails are mostly wheel-chair accessible, and dogs on leashes are welcome (although not inside the visitor center).

“We want people to stay on the trails,” he said, explaining that the delicate desert ecosystem in the park is easily damaged by human foot traffic. He also mentioned that rattlesnakes live in the area, which makes it even more sensible to stay on the marked paths.

Mr. Terwilliger also told us that the park, which as of this writing is open only on weekends, will soon be open five days a week. Check the park’s website or Facebook page for updates.

As Las Vegas grows, Ice Age Fossils State Park will eventually be surrounded by city. It’s wonderful to know that 315 acres of major geological and paleontological significance has been preserved for all to study and enjoy.

Update: February 16, 2025. We visited the park again and ran into J.T. Terwilliger, again, who shared several tidbits about the first year of operation.
They have found a couple sidewinder rattlesnakes in the park, but they are relatively gentle snakes and easy to work around. Trench K, which has a fully constructed path at the bottom was damaged from some flooding earlier this month and part of the sidewall collapsed. The crew is diligently working to restore the path so that visitors can again explore the trench and see fossils.

J.T. also shared some information about the presence of fossils and bone to be seen in other trenches along with sightings of rare native plants.

Update: March 2, 2025: We visited the park again on a blustery day. Fortunately, we were there in the early morning, before the sand-blasting wind got too intense. We ran into Mr. Terwilliger again–now we think he must never leave the park! We saw more of the park this time and there is a tremendous amount of geologic history to see. A truly wonderful resource to have in our city. Mr. Terwilliger and his crews were able to repair the landslide and Trench K is open again. There are several trenches visible in the park, but there are several posted signs that say: Stay on Trails, so it is not always clear if it is OK to wander and explore the trenches. The park has built & installed a series of maybe 40 interpretative panels to explain what is not always easy to see at first glance. The trails are well-marked and easy to use. The park also built small bridges over some of the gullies and wash-outs.

The park is now open five (5) days a week — Tuesday to Sunday from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm.