Mazon Creek
The Mazon Creek fossil beds are a konservat-lagerstätte found near Morris. It is in Wauponsee Township. Highs of 65–83°F make May, June, August, September and October the mildest time to go.
A park & preserve inside Wauponsee Township
Winters are cold
January nights drop to 16°, with about 25" of snow a year. When to go ↓
Morris is the nearest base
Morris is 6 miles northwest, with 7 places to stay. Where to stay ↓
A day trip from Chicago
Chicago is about 49 miles northeast (straight-line). Where to stay ↓
Best months: May, Jun, Aug, Sep and Oct
May, June, August, September and October are the mild months, with highs of 65–83°. When to go ↓
Written from NOAA 1991–2020 normals, Overture places to stay, Census town figures, Wikidata and Wikipedia.
Weather through the year
A visit to Mazon Creek can follow the seasons below.
Mazon Creek
The Mazon Creek fossil beds are a konservat-lagerstätte found near Morris, in Grundy County, Illinois. The fossils are preserved in ironstone concretions, formed approximately 309 million years ago in the mid-Pennsylvanian epoch of the Carboniferous period. These concretions frequently preserve both hard and soft tissues of animal and plant materials, as well as many soft-bodied organisms that do not normally fossilize. The quality, quantity and diversity of fossils in the area, known since the mid-nineteenth century, make the Mazon Creek lagerstätte important to paleontologists attempting to reconstruct the paleoecology of the sites. The locality was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1997.
- Type
- Park & preserve
- Listed
- National Historic Landmark (1997) · National Register of Historic Places (1997)
- Wikipedia readers
- 25K a year
Nights near Mazon Creek
Close by, places to stay are in Joliet (40) and Wilmington Township (10).
Compare 8 towns
| Town | From Mazon Creek | Drive | Places to stay | People | Typical home | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wauponsee Township | in town | — | 1 1 campground | 2,353 | $294K | — |
| Joliet | 17 mi northeast | 25 min | 40 35 hotels · 2 motels · 1 inn or B&B · 2 lodges & cabins | 152,241 | $266K | C |
| Wilmington Township | 8 mi east | 10 min | 10 3 hotels · 1 motel · 2 lodges & cabins · 2 campgrounds · 2 RV parks | 5,910 | $219K | — |
| Morris | 6 mi northwest | 10 min | 7 5 hotels · 1 motel · 1 campground | 14,669 | $247K | C+ |
| Saratoga Township | 8 mi northwest | 10 min | 7 5 hotels · 1 motel · 1 campground | 6,597 | $293K | — |
| Troy Township | 15 mi northeast | 25 min | 17 14 hotels · 2 lodges & cabins · 1 campground | 50,168 | $300K | — |
| Wilmington | 10 mi east | 15 min | 7 2 hotels · 1 motel · 1 lodge or cabins · 1 campground · 2 RV parks | 5,614 | $224K | B− |
| Joliet Township | 19 mi northeast | 30 min | 18 13 hotels · 1 motel · 1 inn or B&B · 1 lodge or cabins · 2 campgrounds | 86,200 | $189K | — |
Day trip from
Straight-line miles.
Getting there
Nearest airports with airline service
Beyond Mazon Creek
Pair a visit with these, within 57 miles.
Big draw53 mi Stadium & arenaSoldier Field
Big draw56 mi Stadium & arenaWrigley Field
Big draw51 mi MuseumBarack Obama Presidential Center
Big draw51 mi Stadium & arenaRate Field
Big draw52 mi Stadium & arenaUnited Center
Big draw54 mi MuseumArt Institute of Chicago1.5M visitors a year
53 mi Stadium & arenaAllstate Arena
53 mi MuseumField Museum of Natural History1.4M visitors a yearPhoto credits
Soldier Field: Photo by Joon Han Contact: [email protected], CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wrigley Field: Ryan Dickey, CC BY 2.0 · Barack Obama Presidential Center: AlphaBeta135, CC0 · Rate Field: User Enoch Lai on en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · United Center: User:JeremyA, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Art Institute of Chicago: ajay_suresh, CC BY 2.0 · Allstate Arena: Nkon21, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Field Museum of Natural History: Sea Cow, CC BY-SA 4.0
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Know before you visit Mazon Creek
Is Mazon Creek in Wauponsee Township?
Yes. It’s inside Wauponsee Township, IL.
When is the best time to visit Mazon Creek?
May, June, August, September and October, with highs of 65–83°.
How far is Mazon Creek from Chicago?
About 49 miles northeast of Chicago, as the crow flies.
What is the closest airport to Mazon Creek?
Chicago Midway (MDW), about 44 miles away.
Where should I stay near Mazon Creek?
Joliet (17 mi, 40 places to stay), Wilmington Township (8 mi, 10 places to stay) and Morris (6 mi, 7 places to stay).
Notes from people in Wauponsee Township
No one has shared advice yet; Wauponsee Township’s Town Square takes questions.
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · NOAA climate normals · U.S. Census.