University of Wyoming Geological Museum
Fossils and full-scale mounts anchor a teaching museum where Wyoming fieldwork, stratigraphy, evolution, and reconstruction remain connected to active university research.
Artwork inspired by Neltje
This free teaching museum turns Wyoming geology into a sequence of evidence: Fossils, rocks, minerals, meteorites, and mounted skeletons sit inside the university department that still uses such collections for teaching and research. The historic copper Tyrannosaurus outside marks the entrance; inside, the Apatosaurus mount and the cast of the exceptionally complete Allosaurus “Big Al” anchor the dinosaur story.
The more revealing visit looks beyond large skeletons. Wyoming jade, Green River Formation fossils, ammonites, mammals, and smaller trace evidence show how climate and environments changed across the state. Read which material is original and which is cast or reconstructed, then compare the public display with the museum’s role as an academic collection rather than a stand-alone attraction.
- Icon
- Allosaurus “Big Al” cast
- Setting
- University teaching museum
- Admission
- Free
Quick guide
- Geologic timeline
- Use the geologic timeline before the large mounts.
- Compare
- Separate fossil material from reconstructed anatomy.
Read the collection at University of Wyoming Geological Museum
- Opening question
- Use the geologic timeline to place the Apatosaurus and “Big Al” before studying their scale.
- Geologic timeline
- Read labels for original bone, cast material, and reconstructed anatomy; they answer different questions.
- Evidence to test
- Look for Wyoming jade, Green River fossils, ammonites, and mammals that rebuild ancient environments.
- Conditions check
- Use the copper T. rex as the entrance landmark and plan campus parking before arrival.
Good to know
The museum occupies the S. H. Knight Geology and Earth Sciences buildings on an active campus. The copper T. rex is the clearest entrance landmark. University holidays close the museum, and weekday parking is regulated even when admission is free.
Notice these
- Allosaurus “Big Al” cast
- University teaching museum
- Separate fossil material from reconstructed anatomy.