Fossil sites in Texas

Mineral Wells Fossil Park in Palo Pinto County is a free, publicly managed collecting site operated by the City of Mineral Wells. The exposed Pennsylvanian limestone produces trilobites, brachiopods, crinoids, corals, and echinoids with no permit and no fee. The site is specifically designed for public fossil hunting, with rock piles maintained for accessible digging. It is one of the rare places in the US where you can find a trilobite on a family day trip with no advance planning.

Dinosaur Valley State Park near Glen Rose preserves sauropod and theropod trackways pressed into the Paluxy River limestone during the Early Cretaceous, roughly 113 million years ago. The trackways are among the most extensive in the world and are visible directly in the riverbed at normal water levels. Collecting is strictly prohibited; this is a viewing site. The park charges an entry fee and is open year-round, though high water after heavy rain can temporarily cover the tracks.