04/29/2026
Fossil Falls is a beautiful area with not a lot to do and it can get very hot in the summer. But the geological history and viewing the now dry Fossil Falls is definitely worth the stop. The parking lot has two picnic tables and two grills and one bathroom. There are no trash cans, so please pack out what you bring in (There is a rest area 5 miles away with trash cans). Please be careful if you have pets because lava rock can be sharp and there are rattlesnakes in the area.
Fossil Falls was formed when the Coso mountain range erupted about 400,000 years ago. About 20,000 years ago with the Glacier melting off the Sierra Nevada mountain ranges. it created very unique and beautiful “sculptures” from the basalt. There are an anchors that you can use to rock climb down to the bottom. They are about 70 feet high volcanic rock is usually very pouris and rough but with the massive Glaciers melting the water flow smoothed out the basalt in this area. Some of the sediments actually look like they could belong in a museum that were sculpted by a sculpture. There are also perfectly round holes in a lot of of the formations. The Coso Native Americans lived in the area about 60,000 years ago but left when it became too arid and they moved back about 40,000 years ago. You can see obsidian in this area.
