The McAbee Fossil Beds sit east of Cache Creek above Highway 1/97, in a dry landscape of exposed slopes and gullies. The fossils come from an ancient lakebed laid down roughly 50 million years ago, and the site is known for well-preserved plants, insects, fish, and other Eocene material.
This is a scientific and cultural heritage site, not a casual place to chip rocks. Go through the managed visitor program when it is open, and treat the landscape with care. The reward is a sharp change of scale: a quick stop on a modern highway suddenly opens onto deep time.