Dinosaur Ridge

Did you know that Colorado is home to the BEST dinosaur track site in the entire country?

A site where you can see where raptors, therapods, and giant sauropods left their mark on the prehistoric landscape millions of years ago. A site where you can touch real dinosaur bones both in situ and in the museum. A site with stunning views over the rocky Colorado landscape. Sign me up, please!

Recently I visited Dinosaur Ridge to check out the dinosaur tracks and prehistoric fossils, and today I'm sharing it all with you.

Located in Morrison, just 20 minutes west of Denver, Dinosaur Ridge is a must see for Colorado families and visitors alike, especially if you love dinosaurs. And let's face it, don't we all?

So just what is Dinosaur Ridge? 

Dinosaur Ridge is a step back in time! A huge step back to the Cretaceous and Jurassic periods! 

The main highlight of Dinosaur Ridge is the 2 mile long private road that acts as an outdoor museum with over 250 fossil tracks. Visitors can either walk the road for a self guided tour or take the 45 minute long bus tour. Along the route you'll find signs from Colorado's prehistoric past. Can you believe that Colorado was once under the ocean? It was, and you'll see evidence of our aquatic past with ocean ripples and holes made by under sea worms fossilized in the layers of rock. There are even scratch marks made by crocodiles! You'll also see, and be able to touch, real dinosaur bones along the route. The highlight, of course, are the dinosaur track marks. These come in several forms which I'll explain below. There is also a visitor center, exhibit hall, retail store, and picnic sites. It's a fun place for visitors of all ages to explore a little history.

Ok, so onto the track marks, because that's the big drawcard here at Dinosaur Ridge. 

There are several track mark sites along Dinosaur Ridge and these contain a mix of tracks left by various types of dinosaurs. The most common tracks are the rounded three-toed prints left by a type of hadrosaur; duck billed dinosaurs that grew as long as 25 feet. These prints can be seen in large and small sizes, which many people assume means they were left by both adults and young dinosaurs. However, they are simply the front and rear prints of adult dinosaurs as hadrosaurs had small front feet and large back feet and walked on all four. You'll also spot narrow, bird like tracks. These are the tracks of an ornithomimid, a two legged dinosaur that resembled an ostrich. 

Amongst the dinosaur tracks there is another interesting mark in the rock, left by an animal that still walks the earth today. These are crocodile scratch marks! Isn't it crazy to think that crocodiles have been around since the time of the dinosaurs and that they've changed very little during that time?

Along with the more obvious track marks in the photos above, Dinosaur Ridge is home to track marks referred to as "bulges". As you can see in the photos below, these are actually the shape that was formed in the rock from the underside of track marks. These were left by large four legged sauropods, such as the apatosaurus during the late Jurassic period.   

The rarest track mark found at Dinosaur Ridge is a raptor track, one of only two ever found in the entire United States. This one is a little hard to spot, but if you look carefully at the red circle in the photo below you might be able to make it out. This track was left by a dinosaur similar to, but larger than, a Velociraptor around 105 million years ago.

  

Dinosaur bones can also be found along Dinosaur Ridge. These are clearly marked on the rocks and the signage shows if they can be touched or not. Most of the bones appear as a dark red color against the lighter rock, but some blend in a little more, standing out due to their texture. These bones were washed to their currently resting place millions of years ago, which means that paleontologists have not been able to accurately tell which type of bone they are or which dinosaur they belong to. 

After walking or taking the tour bus along Dinosaur Ridge, make sure to check out the exhibit hall. Here's you'll find a wealth of information about Colorado's prehistoric past, casts of dinosaur bones found locally and elsewhere, dinosaur models, and even real dinosaur bones which can be touched. Knowledgeable docents are available to lead tours and answer questions.  

Outside the exhibit hall you'll find a sandpit where kids can dig for fossils, lots of fun dinosaur sculptures (several of which are painted in fun colors), a gift shop, and picnic grounds. 

Now for all the info you need to know about visiting Dinosaur Ridge.

Dinosaur Ridge is located at 16831 W Alameda Parkway, Morrison.

The main visitor center and exhibit hall are open daily from 9am - 5pm.

Guided bus tours run daily from 9:30am - 4pm and leave from the visitor center. 

Tickets for the guided bus tour are $20 for adults (ages 12+) and $14 for children (ages 3 - 11). Children ages ages 2 and under are admitted free of charge. Entry to the exhibit hall is included with the bus tour ticket, or can be purchased alone for $5 per person. 

Tickets for the guided bus tour and the exhibit hall can be purchased in the gift shop.

Walking Dinosaur Ridge trail is free of charge. Access is available from sunrise to sunset. 

Speaking of going back in time, here's a little look at our first visit to Dinosaur Ridge back in 2018. Please note that back then visitors were allowed to touch the dinosaur track marks below a certain point (that yellow rope seen in the photos). This is no longer the case and all of the track marks are off limits, so please do not touch anything unless it is marked as ok to do so.

Have you been to Dinosaur Ridge before? Stay tuned for more dinosaur content coming soon!