Are you looking for a unique way to spend the day in Iowa? Head out to the small town of Rockford, where you’ll find a fossil gorge that’s sure to impress even the pickiest adventurer. Hiking around this preserve will show you parts of Iowa’s past that may be hard to believe. Luckily, you can take home evidence of your adventure to show off!

300 million years ago, Iowa was totally under water. In fact, the very ground you walk on every day was the sea floor!
AllTrails / Patrick Boberg
Over time, as the oceans receded and earth shifted and changed, the ground dried up, and people began to live on the land.
Google Local / Benjamin Jacobs
Today, you can walk right on the prehistoric ocean floor by hiking around Iowa's Fossil and Prairie Center in Rockford.
Google Local / Robert Meyer
There's still evidence of Iowa's past lives, though - and visiting the Fossil and Prairie Center in Rockford will show you just what that means!
Google Local / Jonathan Hoback

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 For An Easy Hike In Iowa That's Less Than A Mile And Takes You To An Old Church, Check Out Pine Chapel Trail

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As you wander this public fossil gorge, you'll find plenty of fossils left over from the Devonian era - 360 million years ago!
Flickr / Doramon
Brachiopods, gastropods, horn corals, bryozoans and cephalopods are just a few of the prehistoric critters you'll find forever embedded in rock.
Flickr / Kyle Hartshorne
Kids and adults alike have a blast combing the earth for evidence of the past. You're allowed to take home the fossils you find!
Google Local / Tonda Hadden
Plan a trip to the breathtaking Fossil and Prairie Center to embark on a hike that will take you through beautiful landscapes - and also through time.
AllTrails / Patrick Boberg

Address: 1227 215th Street, Rockford, IA, 50468

To learn more about the creatures of Iowa’s past, plan a trip to the other prehistoric playgroud in the Hawkeye State. A Trip To This Fossil Gorge In Iowa Is An Adventure Like No Other, and you’ll want to add it to your bucket list.

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