This fossil of a giant caterpillar is found at McAbee Fossil Beds on Highway 1 between Kamloops and Cache Creek.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Adrian Lewis

The fossilized plants, insects and fish at a site between Kamloops and Cache Creek are more than 50 million years old, and are located on land with rich cultural history. 

At McAbee Fossil Beds, visitors can view fossils, go on an educational tour, and hike to a viewpoint, all for just eight dollars per person.

“It’s a super kid-friendly, family-oriented experience,” said Langley photographer Lou Fasullo who explored the site for the first time on June 26.

“They have a giant teepee you can go in where there are fossils to look at, and they have more outside to see.”

Fasullo went for the half-hour tour offered onsite.

“The guide there weaves a whole story with First Nations knowledge that has been passed down for thousands of years and the history of the fossils,” Fasullo said. “We tasted some plants that tasted like hot peppers. The fact he can pick a plant out of the scrublands and chew it and tastes like something is pretty remarkable.”

This sign is located at McAbee Fossil Beds, a provincial heritage site on Highway 1 between Kamloops and Cache Creek.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ McAbee Fossil Beds

McAbee Fossil Beds is a provincial heritage site that got its designation for the significant fossil beds located there, according to McAbee Fossil Beds website.

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The area is an ancient lake bed where fine silt deposits have preserved not only the remains of plants, insects and fish but much of the softer body parts which is unique for fossils and allows researchers to more easily identify species and see how their body parts changed over time.

The first reports of fossilized plants in the area were made in the late 1800s. Systemic paleontological and geological studies of them started in the 1960s and 70s, and significant research on the site's fossil plants and insects has been ongoing since the late 1980s.

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The McAbee Fossil Beds are currently managed by the Bonaparte First Nation which has plans to add a research and visitor centre to the site to help the public learn more about fossils and the history of Indigenous settlement in the area. 

"The site is fantastic, it's like you're literally going through a time machine," Fasullo said. "The fossils were underwater 50 million years ago, it's hard to believe. I'd recommend this site for everyone, including kids and anyone interested in looking into BC's ancient past. You can spend the whole morning looking at fossils, and the view from the top is spectacular." 

The McAbee Fossil Beds are located on Highway 1 an hour's drive west of Kamloops.

Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Lou Fasullo

Fasullo said there is cactus on the site so dogs should be on a leash, and anyone visiting on a hot day should bring lots of sunscreen and water. 

McAbee Fossil Beds are located 80 kilometres west on Highway 1 and indicated by a sign and parking lot. 

"It's one of those little places, if you don't know about it you can just drive right by," Fasullo said. "It's worth the drive out there and the cost is low." 

The site is currently open for the season, Monday to Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Go here to check out Lou Fasullo's photography. 

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