A family explores the Devonian Fossil Gorge in Iowa City on Friday, June 18, 2021. Visitors can view fossilized remains of the sea creatures that made up the sea floor of the ocean that covered the Midwest 375 million years ago. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)
The Gazette of Cedar Rapids, IA has a story about the Devonian Fossil Gorge in Coralville, IA. It's just off I-80 in the heart of Iowa... great for a rest stop on your summer vacation. We posted a story from TheTravel about the same place a few weeks ago. It would be a nice place for a weekend trip to get out of the house and take in the wonder of the natural world.
IOWA CITY — Some 375 million years ago, Iowa was under water. The temperatures were hot, and brightly colored corals and huge fish moved through the shallow sea.
Visitors can see a glimpse of this prehistoric world at the Devonian Fossil Gorge at Coralville Lake, 2850 Prairie du Chien Rd. NE, Iowa City, a 15-minute drive south from Cedar Rapids.
One of only two sites like it in the country, the Devonian Fossil Gorge was uncovered in 1993, when floodwaters ripped out a campground that sat on top of what is now the gorge. When the waters receded, they revealed thousands of fossils preserved inside the limestone.
The area flooded again in 2008, stripping back more sediment and revealing more fossils.
“It doesn’t mean we’re the only place where it happened, but this is one of the only two places that’s been uncovered to our knowledge,” said natural resource specialist Shawna Polen. “It’s pretty unique in the whole U.S., that this is one of two locations.”
More than 1.4 million visitors explore the gorge each year, from around the United States and the world.
For those who have visited this popular spot before, new additions coming to the gorge will be worth a repeat trip.
The new Junior Ranger app is launching soon, giving kids and adults a chance to get a guided tour of the gorge from their phone.
Kids who unlock all of the stops in the fossil gorge on the app can get a Junior Ranger badge from an Army Corps of Engineers ranger at the park.
