Nevada just opened a brand-new state park. It’s one that Indiana Jones will love. On Jan. 20, 2024 the Ice Age Fossils State Park officially opened the 315-acre protected area.

At the peak of the last Ice Age, roughly 25,000 years ago, this area was wet and green. Marshlands extended across the valley floor. Looking out over the vegetated landscape, herds of Megafauna, like ancient bison, camels, and Columbian mammoths, would have been a common sight.

As for the name, just as you’d expect, it’s an area rich in paleontological and historical resources. The discovery of abundant fossils on site triggered a long history of scientific research, which includes the famous ‘Big Dig’ of 1962, the largest inter-disciplinary scientific expedition of its kind up to that point.

The park will initially be open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and only on Saturdays and Sundays. This, the park noted, is to allow the park staff to acclimate to daily operations. Tickets to the park are just $3, and children under 12 are free. Pups are allowed as long as they stay on a leash.

Before visitors set foot in the park, it’s important to note that “removing, disturbing or damaging any historic structure, artifact, rock, plant life, fossil or other feature is prohibited” and that these resources are protected by state and federal law. So, sorry, but you can’t take anything home with you (but memories, of course).

Visitors to the park can explore the visitor center, where they can speak to rangers, watch a video about the region’s history, and view the life-size sculpture of a mammoth, aptly named Monumental Mammoth. According to the Nevada Independent, there are plans in the works for both a paleontology lab and a fossil repository.

The park consists of three initial trails travelers can roam: The .3-mile Megafauna Trail, aimed at all ability levels that will feature more metal sculptures depicting the prehistoric animals that once lived here; the 1.5-mile Las Vegas Wash Trail, which weaves through the dry wash area; and the 1.2-mile Big Dig Trail, which offers a view of a few fossils along the way.

"This park has been nearly seven years in the making," Bob Mergell, Nevada State Parks Administrator, said. "Throughout the project, we encountered numerous challenges, such as funding constraints, pandemic-related setbacks, and hurdles in sourcing building materials. Thanks to the unwavering commitment of our staff, the efforts of dedicated contractors and contributions from private funding sources, we are elated to announce that we are open."

Jonathan Brunjes, deputy administrator for Nevada State Parks, said the park hopes to facilitate research opportunities for university students at the park’s archaeological sites.

“We’d love to have a repository here where people can come and actually see them working on the fossils in real time,” Brunjes said. “Hopefully, we find more out here. That’s a neat thing about a state park is there’s always something new to discover.”

The park also plans to host guided hikes to show people where fossils are located along the trails and field trips for students to learn more about history, Brunjes said.

The park is located 30 miles from Las Vegas. "A nice place to visit, but I would not want to live there", RenoKelly said.