La Brea Tar Pits & Museum
Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California · United States
Official website ↗Type
Active Tar Seeps / Museum
Age
Pleistocene / Ice Age, ~40,000–11,000 years ago
Established
Excavations began 1906; Page Museum 1977
Best time
Weekday mornings for fewer crowds
- ◆Active tar seeps still bubbling in Hancock Park
- ◆5.5 million+ fossils recovered — 600+ species
- ◆Saber-toothed cats, dire wolves, mammoths, ground sloths
- ◆Excavations ongoing — Pit 91 and Project 23 active
Photos
Overview
La Brea Tar Pits are not dinosaur fossils — they're something equally spectacular: one of the richest Ice Age fossil sites on Earth, sitting in the middle of Los Angeles. Natural asphalt seeps trapped animals for the last 40,000 years, preserving an entire Pleistocene ecosystem. Over 5.5 million bones have been recovered from pits scattered across Hancock Park, and excavations continue today.
Geology
The tar (asphalt) comes from underground petroleum deposits leaking through fissures in the sediment. Sticky pools trapped animals that came to drink water pooled on the surface. Predators and scavengers were trapped in turn, creating dense accumulations of bones. The anaerobic, asphalt-saturated conditions preserved bones remarkably well.
What You See
Hancock Park is free and open — you can walk past active tar pits with bubbles rising, life-size mammoth statues, and Pit 91 (an ongoing excavation you can watch). The La Brea Tar Pits Museum (Page Museum) displays mounted skeletons of saber-toothed cats, dire wolves, mammoths, and ground sloths, plus a working fossil lab visible through glass.
Famous Finds
More than 2,000 saber-toothed cats (Smilodon fatalis), 4,000+ dire wolves, and hundreds of mammoths. The density of Smilodon fossils here exceeds every other site combined. Project 23, launched when fossils were found during a parking garage construction, recovered tens of thousands of specimens from a single deposit.
Visiting
The park is free; museum admission is ticketed. Allow 2–3 hours. The museum is on Wilshire Blvd in Mid-City LA — accessible by bus. Parking lot available.
Best time to visit
Weekday mornings for fewer crowds. Year-round — LA weather is mild. The museum is indoors; the park is best in dry weather.
Getting there
5801 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles. Metro Bus lines along Wilshire; rideshare from LAX ~30–45 min depending on traffic. Parking garage on-site.
Map
Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California — approximate location only. Exact fossil localities are not published to protect sites from looting.
Market & Provenance
La Brea fossils are museum specimens, not commercial products. Pleistocene mammal fossils (mammoth teeth, cave bear bones) appear on the market from other localities — always verify legal origin and species identification separately from 'La Brea' marketing claims.
Collecting & Legality
Collecting is prohibited. The tar pits are a protected scientific site and county park. All fossils belong to the museum and the public trust.
FAQ
Are there dinosaurs at La Brea?
No — these are Ice Age (Pleistocene) fossils from 40,000–11,000 years ago: mammoths, saber-tooths, dire wolves, sloths, and more.
Can I watch an excavation?
Yes — Pit 91 and the visible lab in the museum show active work. Project 23 specimens are being prepared behind the scenes.
Is the park free?
Hancock Park (outdoor tar pits) is free. The museum requires admission.