The Laramie formation was deposited by low-lying coastal swamps and estuaries along the edge of the Cretaceous sea.
Coal seams are common in the lower part of the formation.
Typical fossils include palm leaves and dinosaur bones. The Laramie Formation contains multiple track-bearing horizons exhibiting a diverse assemblage of ceratopsid, ornithopod and theropod tracks and trackways. The ceratopsid tracks are the first attributable to this family and we describe them as a new ichnotaxon, Ceratopsipes goldenensis, ichnogen. The ceratopsid-dominated ichnofauna reflects the body fossil record of the Laramie Formation. Theropod tracks indicate a diverse fauna including an ichnite that possibly represents Tyrannosaurus.