Ice Age Fossils State Park announces new opening date

The much-anticipated Ice Age Fossils State Park in North Las Vegas is set to open Jan. 20, the Nevada Division of State Parks announced this month.

In April, officials had announced the park would open in late 2023. But the opening has been delayed multiple times due to inflation and funding cuts made during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Review-Journal reported.

Located next to the similarly named Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument, the park will include a visitors center, trails and sculptures that educate visitors about the prehistoric history of the area and the Big Dig of the early 1960s that uncovered remains of mammoths, prehistoric camels and other Pleistocene (ice age) creatures.

Ice Age Fossils was first announced in 2017 as part of former Gov. Brian Sandoval’s “Explore Your Nevada” initiative. The initiative directed $13 million in state funds and $1.2 million in federal funds to Nevada’s state park system.

According to the Nevada State Parks website, the park will charge a $3 entry fee, with children 12 and under free.

For more information and updates on the park, visit parks.nv.gov/parks/ice-age-fossils.