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Fossil Hunting in North Dakota

intermediate friendly Petrified woodFossil leavesBivalves and gastropodsShark teeth (Cannonball Formation)Bone fragments

North Dakota’s Badlands share the same late Cretaceous formations that make Montana and South Dakota famous for dinosaurs. While less developed for collecting, the state’s rugged western landscape produces petrified wood, Paleocene fossils, and occasionally dinosaur material.

Why North Dakota?

The Hell Creek Formation — one of the most famous dinosaur-bearing rock units in the world — extends from Montana into southwestern North Dakota. Above it, Paleocene formations record the world that emerged after the mass extinction that wiped out the non-avian dinosaurs. The Little Missouri River has carved a dramatic Badlands landscape through these formations, continuously eroding and exposing fossil material. North Dakota also preserves the Cannonball Formation, a marine unit deposited by the last inland sea to cover the Great Plains.

What You’ll Find

Late Cretaceous (Hell Creek Formation, ~66-68 million years old):

  • Dinosaur bone fragments (surface finds on private land with permission)
  • Fossil leaves and plant material from the forests where dinosaurs lived
  • Freshwater clams and snails

Paleocene (~60-66 million years old):

  • Abundant petrified wood — stumps and logs weather out of Badlands slopes
  • Fossil leaves from early post-dinosaur forests
  • Marine fossils from the Cannonball Formation including bivalves and gastropods

Best Time to Visit

  • Late spring through early fall (May-October): Badlands roads can be impassable in wet conditions
  • After heavy rain: Erosion in the Badlands is rapid and constantly exposes fresh material
  • Avoid winter: Extreme cold and snow make fieldwork impractical

Tips for North Dakota Collecting

  1. Stay on BLM/Grassland land for legal collecting — know your boundaries
  2. Watch the weather — Badlands clay roads become impassable when wet
  3. Scan eroded slopes — fossils weather out of hillsides and accumulate in gullies
  4. Do not collect dinosaur bone on public land — it is illegal without a permit
  5. Bring binoculars — scanning hillsides from a distance helps locate productive exposures before hiking to them

Collecting Sites

Theodore Roosevelt National Park (South Unit)

Public (Fee)

Billings County

Spectacular Badlands exposures of Paleocene formations with visible petrified wood stumps and logs. Collecting is prohibited inside the park, but the scenery and geological context are outstanding.

Petrified wood (viewing only)Leaf impressions (viewing only)

BLM Badlands (Little Missouri Grasslands)

Free Public Access

Billings and Golden Valley Counties

BLM and National Grassland areas surrounding Theodore Roosevelt National Park allow casual collecting of petrified wood and common invertebrate and plant fossils. The eroded Badlands terrain constantly exposes new material.

Petrified woodFossil leavesBivalves

Huff Indian Village Area

Free Public Access

Morton County

Cannonball Formation exposures along the Missouri River yield marine fossils from the shallow sea that covered western North Dakota in the Paleocene. Fossil clams and snails are common in riverside exposures.

Fossil shellsBivalvesGastropods

Slope County Badlands

Private (Permission Needed)

Slope County

Remote Badlands in Slope County expose the Hell Creek Formation — the same unit that produces T. rex in Montana. Dinosaur bone fragments wash out of hillsides. Most land is private ranch land; ask permission at the nearest ranch.

Petrified woodDinosaur bone fragmentsLeaf impressions

Legal Rules for North Dakota

Collecting is prohibited in Theodore Roosevelt National Park. On BLM and National Grassland land, casual collection of reasonable amounts of petrified wood (up to 25 lbs/day), invertebrate fossils, and plant fossils is allowed for personal use. Vertebrate fossils (including dinosaur bones) cannot be collected on federal or state land without a permit. North Dakota has extensive private ranch land — always get permission from landowners. Report significant vertebrate fossil finds to the North Dakota Geological Survey.

Read our full legal guide for federal laws and more details.

Key Geological Formations

  • Hell Creek Formation (Late Cretaceous)
  • Sentinel Butte Formation (Paleocene)
  • Bullion Creek Formation (Paleocene)
  • Cannonball Formation (Paleocene)

Local Fossil Clubs & Museums