Although the lake and subtropical forests are long gone, evidence of that era remains for you to discover at Oviatt Creek.
Fossils here are abundant and extremely well preserved.
Picking through the fine-textured gray and tan lake sediments with a knife or rock hammer, you will find a wide variety of conifer and hardwood leaves, stems, seeds, pods, and cones. You might also discover flowers, ferns, moss, and insect remains. Usually brown or tan in color, these are merely imprints left by plants as they decomposed. Most of the world's fossils are of this type. Feel free to take a few fossils, but please don't take more than you need.