Dinosaur Ridge – A Journey Back in Time
Imagine, just for a moment, walking along side an enormous dinosaur. You feel the earth shake with each step it makes. You watch the ground slowly sink beneath its gigantic feet.
Then imagine looking up and seeing hundreds of gigantic footprints embedded into the ground right in front of you, frozen in time. This is Dinosaur Ridge. This is a spectacular sight you’ll want to see!
Why Visit Dinosaur Ridge
Dinosaur Ridge is the #1 track site in the nation!
It is also the location of the world’s first Stegosaurus discovery!
Here at Dinosaur Ridge you can walk beside over 300 well-preserved dinosaur tracks and even touch a real dinosaur bone that is still embedded in the sandstone! This is a must for any dinosaur lover and will definitely wow your entire family!
Where is Dinosaur Ridge Located?
Dinosaur Ridge is located about 20 minutes west of Denver, Colorado.
The Main Visitor Center is located at 16831 W. Alameda Pkwy, Morrison, CO (East side)
The Discovery Center is located at 17681 W. Alameda Pkwy, Golden, CO (West side)
Please check their website for up to date openings, fees and tours offered. This information is constantly changing due to the impact of Covid-19.
Dinosaur Ridge Highlights
Dinosaur Ridge Trail
The Top Thing to Do at Dinosaur Ridge!
First, our favorite site at Dinosaur Ridge was the World-Famous Dinosaur Tracks found on Dinosaur Ridge Trail! Not only was it amazing to see so many tracks in one spot from three distinctly different dinosaurs, but they also have a small roped off section here where you can touch a real dinosaur footprint with your very own hand! (see picture below) This was not only a highlight for my three boys but for me as well! Look how big their footprints were! This was absolutely amazing!
Trail Information
Dinosaur Ridge Trail is a 1.25 mile one way trail that is fully paved but closed to through traffic. This trail has an elevation change but it is not strenuous. Dinosaur Ridge Trail itself follows the shape of a “U” with the visitor center located on the east end and the Discovery Center located on the west end of the trail.
Here there are more than 15 fossil and geological sites for you to see that are marked with informational signs.
Anyone can walk this incredible trail for free or you can choose to take a private bus tour (45 minutes) or guided walking tour (1.5-2 hours) for a small fee. Another new option is the self guided audio tour that can be downloaded to your phone for only $6.
Family Tip: The Visitor Center offers stroller rentals for this trail.
How Long Should You Expect to Spend Here?
Plan on spending at least 1.5 – 2 hours at this fantastic site.
I find it crazy that we almost missed this incredible site when I was planning our Colorado vacation! Dinosaur Ridge is found just outside of Denver so it wasn’t coming up in my “Denver things to do” searches for our upcoming trip. (Either that, or it was getting lost among all of the amazing things to do in Denver.) Either way, I didn’t see it or even know about it until our trip was almost fully planned. That’s when I came upon information about Dinosaur Ridge and I knew in an instance that we had to go!
I don’t want this to happen to you!
I don’t want you to miss this site because you didn’t know about it. This is why I wanted to write a post here, so hopefully your family will see how incredible it is and won’t miss Dinosaur Ridge on your next Colorado vacation.
Have a Great Trip to Dinosaur Ridge with Your “Traveling Feet!”
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