Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument

🌵🐟 Join us for "Desert Fish Tales" on February 28, 2026, from 9 am to 1 pm at the Corn Creek Visitor Center in the Desert National Wildlife Refuge! Enjoy story time at 10 am and 12 pm with author Gisa Nico and her book "Fish in the Desert: The Untold Story of the Death Valley Pupfish." At 11 am, dive into an engaging interpretive talk about four unique desert fish and their conservation stories. Explore the visitor center with a fun scavenger hunt; get creative with desert fish coloring pages; and craft your own pupfish using recycled materials—highlighting the importance of protecting our fragile desert waters. Don't miss this exciting day of stories, discovery, and conservation! 🌊🐠Bringingnationalparkstolife

How do you show love for Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument? 💖

🥾 Take a hike with a loved one.
🗑️ Pack out your trash.
🐾 Remove dog waste.
🫶 Volunteer your time to clear trails.

These are all ways we have felt the love from our visitors.

Stop by this weekend -- rangers will be stationed at trailheads with activities that will help you spread the love of your monument. You may just get to keep your own ice age valentine! Rangers will be at the Durango trailhead Friday the 13th, and the Aliante trailhead Saturday the 14th.



NPS Aetwork | Studio 105 and Benji Paysnoe

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. Its not.” -The Lorax

Last weekend, 50 of you who care a whole awful lot showed up to make a difference at your national monument! This section of Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument had been collecting plastic bags and other trash that blew in from the surrounding environment. Protectors of Tule Springs and the Cub Scouts said enough!

The dramatic before and after image shows the power of a community that comes together to keep their home beautiful. Thank you for stepping up and using your time to show you care.

Save the date for Junior Ranger Day at Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument!

April 18th from 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM
North Las Vegas: Aliante Parking Area: Aliante Parkway & Moonlight Falls Avenue

Join us for some free, family fun!
👩‍🔬 Meet Park Rangers and scientists
🔎 Learn from our community partners
🤠 Become a Junior Ranger
🎶🌵 Explore nature, art, and science
👐 Hands-on activities for all ages
🐾 Dog-friendly


Alt text: Four kids wearing hiking clothes explore a trail. Junior ranger day event information.

“Happy”, “inspired”, “enlightening”, “rewarding”, “dreamwork”…

Park Rangers and partners gathered Friday evening to recognize the contributions of volunteers that help protect the Tule Springs area and inspire stewardship.

Together with the Protectors of Tule Springs, Ice Age Fossils State Park hosted a volunteer appreciation pasta dinner that fueled the evening. Conversations highlighted the teamwork, passion and generosity witnessed while serving our public lands.

Volunteers were invited to share how it feels to serve in the Tule Springs area. Take a look at the notes! Volunteers also wrote which projects they were most proud to complete.

Are you inspired to help protect the resources of Tule Springs Fossil beds National Monument? Visitors do their part to conserve the area every day by staying on trails, packing out their trash and leaving traces of the past where they lie. To learn more about how you can get involved, visit: nps.gov/tusk/getinvolved/get-involved.htm

NPS Photos

Don't forget to look up!

At Tule Springs, you may spend a lot of time scanning the ground for fossils, but there's a lot to see on the horizon.

In the winter months, our surrounding mountain ranges may get a beautiful blanket of snow. Snowbanks form on the horizontal layers of ancient limestone. Eventually, this snow will melt and feed mountain springs in our neighboring Desert National Wildlife Refuge. You may hear them before you see them; our airspace is also home to many pilots from the U.S. Air Force. This "warthog" aircraft paid us a visit on this snowy winter day.

NPS Photo | D. Basudev

Water, but make it v***r 🌫️

So far, 2026 has been a precipitation situation. We’ve had rain, we’ve had fog….well, it’s only been two days, so that’s it.

Always be ready for what Mother Nature has in store! Visit nps.gov/tusk to check current park conditions, including weather.

Reduce speeds and use your low beam headlights while driving in rain or fog. Rain may leave trails muddy and slick—Watch your step! 📸 NPS Photo

“… four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree.” 🎶🐦‍⬛🍐

Beginning in 1900, from December 14 -January 5, the National Audubon Society holds the annual Christmas Bird Count and national parks across the country are joining in. This annual census gives Audubon, the National Park Service, and conservation-based organizations important data about the status of bird populations and ecosystems.

Learn more how to bird by sound (where the birds do the singing):

Heeding the Call: Birding by Sound (U.S. National Park Service) Secure .gov websites use HTTPSA lock ( ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Hanukkah is an eight-day Festival of Lights celebrated by many people around the world in early winter. There are many different customs, but always at the heart of the festival is lighting candles or lamps each night to symbolize a miracle of light. History and traditions of Hanukkah are preserved in many national parks. In the spirit of Hanukkah, here are eight incredible light displays and a helper in nature that you can witness:

Hanukkah Celebration: Nature’s Wonderous Lights in Darkness (U.S. National Park Service) Secure .gov websites use HTTPSA lock ( ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

The 2025 Tule Springs Fossil Beds color of the year is... 🥁BEIGE!

That's right, beige is a color. She's understated, elegant, timeless--the perfect backdrop for deep cerulean skies and the purple-gray undertone of the limestone mountains. At Tule Springs, you can see a lot of beige. Our precious earth holds over 500,000 years of stories, protects giant mammoth tusks and tiny poppy seeds, and shows off beautiful sculptures. We 🤎 our dirt.



NPS Photo | A. Cattoir
Alt text: two tan cliffs frame the Las Vegas mountain range in the distance. Above is a clear, rich blue sky.