Arranged-group dinosaur fossil excavation
Trade a conventional group outing for a real ranch fossil dig.
Cowboy Dino Digs / Jason Phipps
Jason Phipps’s family ranch offers reserved half-day and full-day guided fossil excavations in Montana’s Hell Creek Formation, with group arrangements available by inquiry. Guides provide excavation tools and help participants identify and uncover specimens; this is actual field digging rather than a simulated sand-pit activity.
Current location note / listed area: Garfield County, eastern Montana; reservation-only ranch excursions
Arranged-group excursion, not an advertised wedding package or guaranteed exclusive buyout. Confirm operating dates, group arrangements, weather, physical accessibility and suitability before planning a celebration around it. Harsh terrain and substantial outdoor work are involved; children under six require advance discussion and guardians remain responsible. Finds are not guaranteed, and any specimens participants may keep are solely at the operator’s discretion. No scientific discovery, fossil-retention right or safety certification is promised.
Public-source research · 2026-10-30 · Not vendor-confirmed or independently vetted.
Original research sources
Documented state connections
Geographic evidence is retained historical research, not current service availability.
- Montana · based
Owned current page identifies the Phipps family ranching operation in eastern Montana and Garfield County, with the Hell Creek Formation running through their ranch; its current booking invitation offers reserved guided digs there.