Colorado’s Best Dinosaur Destinations, From Museums to Tracking Sites

“Alice,” the allosaurus, discovered by India Wood, poses with a stegosaurus at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science in September 2023. (Jerry Cleveland/The Denver Post)

Colorado might seem obsessed with dinosaurs, and rightly so.

The Rocky Mountain West has unparalleled access to dinosaur-era artifacts because the uplift that formed the mountains unearthed layers of rock that were buried for millennia before, said Bruce Schumacher, senior paleontologist with the U.S. Forest Service.

That’s why when development companies start researching new projects, they often come across dinosaur remains. Even the Colorado Rockies’ triceratops mascot, Dinger, was inspired by fossil fragments found during the construction of Coors Field.

Because of this, the state has a strong paleontological community which, in turn, means that many fossils end up on display locally. All the better for aspiring dinosaur hunters.

Here are 10 places in Colorado where you can literally walk in the footsteps of longnecks, see rare discoveries, and even join a dig.

Where to walk among the dinosaurs

Dinosaur Crest (Morrison)

One of the most iconic dinosaur sites in Colorado is also one of the most accessible. Dinosaur Ridge in Morrison is a quick detour off I-70 and is packed with fossils and footprints that are visible from a two-mile paved road. The site includes a visitor center with indoor exhibit halls, children’s digging areas, and a gift shop. Those seeking more adventure can hike the Triceratops Trail, a 1.5-mile gravel trail that begins in Golden and provides access to a rare Tyrannosaurus Rex footprint. Note that Dinosaur Ridge is immensely popular, receiving around 250,000 visitors a year. Guided tours are offered in both areas. Free; More information at dinoridge.org.

Dinosaur National Monument (Dinosaur)

The town of Dinosaur adopted its name in 1966 as a harbinger of its greatest asset, Dinosaur National Monument. The 210,000-acre monument encompasses desert canyons in both Colorado and Utah, where visitors can recreate and get a lesson in prehistory. The most famous attraction is the Quarry Exhibition Hall, located in Utah, which features a vertical rock wall where 1,500 dinosaur bones have been carefully excavated so that they are visible as they would be in an active excavation. While there are no fossils on the Colorado side of the monument, there are numerous places to camp, hike, raft, see petroglyphs, and take a dinosaur-inspired scenic drive. Day admission costs between $15 and $25 depending on your vehicle, or is included with the purchase of a national parks pass; More information at nps.gov/dino/index.htm.

Canyonlands Picket Wire (La Junta)

Southeastern Colorado is home to the largest footprint site in North America, featuring more than 1,900 footprints representing more than 130 different dinosaurs. Located deep in the Picket Wire Canyonlands (part of the Comanche National Grasslands near La Junta and Trinidad), hikers must hike more than 11 miles round trip on foot to visit Dinosaur Lake in the remote Purgatoire River Valley. But people say it’s worth seeing the thousands of footprints from herbivorous sauropods, two-legged carnivorous theropods and even footprints from what experts believe is a family herd of dinosaurs. Free; More information at fs.usda.gov/recarea/psicc/recarea/?recid=77620.

Rabbit Valley Trail Through Time (Mack)

If you’ve ever wanted to see a working quarry, the town of Mack, about 30 miles west of Grand Junction, is the place. The Rabbit Valley Trail Through Time is a 1.5-mile walkable loop that skirts a quarry where excavators have found thousands of bones from Jurassic period giants like Camarasaurus and Allosaurus. One of the oldest known fossils of a species called Iguanodon was found at the site. Free; More information at blm.gov/visit/rabbit-valley-trail-through-time.

West Gold Hill Dinosaur Track Site (Ouray)

One of the most intriguing dinosaur footprint sites in the world recently entered the public domain. The West Gold Hill Track site in Ouray is unique because of its size and pattern, which show a sauropod taking 134 consecutive steps and making a 270-degree turn. The track’s site has long been an open secret among locals, but since the U.S. Forest Service acquired the land where it resides in April, the agency is now reporting its whereabouts. Expect a steep hike up to 9,300 feet in elevation to see the footprints in person. Free; More information at fs.usda.gov/detail/gmug/news-events/?cid=FSEPRD1171521.

Where to see bones at their best

Dinosaur Journey Museum (Fruita)

Located in Fruita, about two hours south of Dinosaur National Monument, the Dinosaur Journey Museum includes an exhibit hall with fossils from the Jurassic period, life-size skeleton recreations, and animatronic dinosaurs, including a T. Rex. Of particular interest on display is a species called Fruitadens, one of the smallest non-avian dinosaurs ever discovered, named for the town of Fruita where scientists found the first fossils. The museum also invites locals of all ages to participate in real dinosaur digs each summer. Tickets are $9 for adults and $5 for children; More information at museumofwesternco.com/visit/dinosaur-journey.

Denver Museum of Nature and Science (Denver)

There’s plenty to explore at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, but dinosaur lovers will want to start on the building’s third level, where skeletons tower above the exhibit hall and immerse visitors in the age of the dinosaurs. . Exhibits cover the ages before and after the dinosaurs, so visitors can learn about ancient plants, reptiles and mammals, and how the climate has evolved. There are also fossils that guests can touch and an earth science lab where volunteers prepare fossils for on-site displays. Tickets are $24.95 for adults and $19.95 for children, with additional charges for access to additional attractions such as the planetarium; More information at dmns.org.

Morrison Museum of Natural History (Morrison)

Located five miles from spectacular Dinosaur Ridge, the Morrison Museum of Natural History contextualizes Colorado’s role in the age of the dinosaurs with fossil exhibits, history through the Ice Age, and hands-on exhibits. The museum, housed in a converted cabin, is driven by ongoing research it conducts internally as a nonprofit organization. It also allows non-professionals to join the excavations. General admission tickets are $18 and children’s admission is $12; More information at morrisonco.us/335/Morrison-Natural-History-Museum.

The Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center (Woodland Park)

The Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center, near Colorado Springs, is a showroom of sorts for its parent company, Triebold Paleontology, Inc., which has been collecting fossils since 1989. Its founder, Mike Triebold, is said to have , discovered several “firsts” in the field. as the first complete and intact skeleton of Protosphyraena perniciosa, a prehistoric fish. In 2022, the Triebold Paleontology team discovered a juvenile T. rex and many of the bones they have so far are on display, including shoulder bones and vertebrae. The bones indicate that the animal was injured while it was alive and some also have bite marks after its death. Tickets are $13 for adults and $9 for children; More information at rmdrc.com.

Dinosaur Experience at Royal Gorge (Cañon City)