Cover photo courtesy of Bri Loveall
If you’ve ever dreamed of finding a real fossil, the Stonerose Interpretive Center & Eocene Fossil Site in the Northeast Washington town of Republic is the best place in the Inland Northwest to make it happen. Adults and kids alike will love splitting open rocks to uncover 48-million-year-old fossils—leaves, twigs, and some of the earliest known rose species—preserved in ancient sediment.
Check in at the interpretive center on the corner of Hwy 20 and Clark Ave. in downtown Republic. Admission to the interpretive center is free; fossil site fees are $18 for adults, $7 for youth and free for kids 4 and under. Bring your own rock-splitting hammer or rent one onsite. For the summer 2026 season, the fossil site is open Wednesdays–Sundays, 8 a.m.–4 p.m. Visit Stonerosefossil.org for full details.
