What to Expect at the Mammoth Site in Hot Springs, SD
If you’re visiting the Custer area of South Dakota it is fully worth it to take a day trip to the Mammoth Site. We drove about 40 minutes south to the town of Hot Springs so it’s not too far away. It turned out to be another resort town where the local businesses have built tourist traps right over the top of almost all of the natural springs, but don’t be deterred by that. The Mammoth Site is a hidden gem you might otherwise overlook.
We had seen it in a pamphlet and it had piqued our interest. We weren’t really sure what it was at first though. I remember mentioning to Christine, just after we parked and were on our way in, “do you think this is going to be interesting or just kind of hokey?” Thankfully, we were really impressed with the place.
Here you’ll see an open active dig site where over 60 mammoths and 87 other species have been discovered. The scale of the dig site laid out in front of you and seeing the fossils is very impressive. The exhibits and activities really make it a fun for the whole family experience.
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What is the Mammoth Site?
Long story short, the Mammoth Site started as an ancient sinkhole where several different species of mammoth (and a few other ancient animals) fell in, got stuck in the mud, and died. Over time, a spring continuously pumped water and mud into the sinkhole and preserved all of the remains.
Fast forward to the 1970s: a bulldozer operator is starting flatten out parts of a hill so houses can be built and discovers some very large bones. The whole area was turned over to a non-profit research foundation.
A climate controlled building was then built over the top of it. They’ve been slowly digging up tons and tons of very well preserved remains of mammoths, giant short-faced bears, and other critters ever since.
Our tour guide said they’d discovered 60 intact skeletons of various mammoths as well as countless other creatures. They estimate that they can continue to dig for another 30 years before getting to the bottom of the bone pile.
The arrows show mammoth foot prints as they walked through the mud from above.
Activities for Kids
There are some fun interactive exhibits that are especially interesting for kids.
The Augmented-reality Topographic Sandbox lets you move sand around to learn how landscapes shift over time and why fossils are located where they are.
The Stream Table lets kids play with sand and water and sneakily teaches them about erosion. Any day my kids get to play with sand and water is a good day for them!
If you can time your visit between June 1 and August 15, I’d highly recommend it because you can participate in some extra really cool daily activities.
The Family Dig Program lets families use legit tools to dig up fossils in a pretend dig site. A guide will show everyone how it’s done and teach you about excavation.
During the Family Ice Age Hunt, kids 8 and older can learn about and practice using an atlatl, essentially an ancient spear thrower. How cool is that?!
What to Visit Next
Custer State Park and the Black Hills region of South Dakota hold a special place in our hearts and is worth exploring extensively. Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse monument are both nearby outings.
