Kids and adults will enjoy the thrill of discovery at the Stonerose Interpretive Center & Eocene Fossil Site in Republic, Wash.
Cover photo courtesy Shallan Knowles
Right on the edge of the old-West feeling downtown of Republic sits the fossil site where families can search for real fossils trapped in sediment layers. Visitors need to check in at the interpretive center at Hwy 20 and Clark Ave. and pay the entrance fee ($18 for adults, $7 for youth, and free for kids 4 and under). Bring your own rock hammers from home or rent them when you get your admission pass, then head the short distance to the fossil site and start sorting through piles of rock. Once you find a promising-looking one to split open, enjoy the thrill of discovery at being the first person to see inside a 50-million-year-old rock and possibly find real fossils, including leaves, twigs, and some of the earliest-known species of roses. Don’t miss the cool displays at the interpretive center. Open May 1 through the fall. Check online for info on how to prepare for your fossil dig along with hours and days of operation at Stonerosefossil.org.
