Dinosaur Ridge


A volunteer at Dinosaur Ridge explains
the tracksite to a visitor.

Colorado has no shortage of destinations for dinosaur fans. The state has been the site of numerous important fossil discoveries, including the first Brachiosaurus, Stegosaurus and Ultrasaurus.

One of the coolest (and easiest) places to see dinosaur tracks and fossils in the original rock is at Dinosaur Ridge about ten miles from downtown Denver. It’s just outside the town of Morrison, which gave its name to the Morrison Formation — that’s not a specific location, but a layer of Jurassic-period shale and sandstone found in many parts of the state. The Morrison Formation is very rich in fossils and Dinosaur Ridge is the place where this fact was first discovered in 1877.

Although paleontologists have dug for dinosaurs on the ridge ever since that first find, the trail you can visit today had its beginnings in 1937 when West Alameda Parkway was built. The one-mile section of the road that loops over the ridge just west of modern C-470 was constructed to provide access to Red Rocks Park, but when workers blasted into the hill, an amazing sight was revealed: hundreds of well-preserved dinosaur tracks in the underlying rock. Today it’s one of the best places to see dinosaur footprints — literally a roadside attraction.


Iguanodon and therapod
tracks at Dinosaur Ridge.

The road is now restricted to pedestrians, cyclists and the shuttle bus that runs throughout the day from the Dinosaur Ridge Visitor Center at the foot of the ridge. If you visited years ago when the road was still open to traffic, you’ll probably remember the chaos as cars and pedestrians dodged each other around the most popular viewing sites. With no parking areas, no shoulders or sidewalks, no room to pass and everybody trying to look at the fossils, the narrow road was a traffic safety nightmare and not conducive to the best viewing experience. Today it’s a peaceful trail with magnificent vistas of the valley below, allowing time to enjoy the surroundings and explore the different dino sites without becoming a human bowling pin.

The trail loops around the ridge, and very different geological eras are represented on each side. The big attraction on the east side of the ridge is the dinosaur tracksite, with more than 300 footprints. These are from the Cretaceous period and are in rock that’s part of the Dakota Formation. The tracks are from Iguanodons (a large, herbivorous dinosaur) and therapods (the type of carnivorous dinosaurs that walked on their hind legs). Some of the footprints are from juveniles, indicating a family group or herd. The tracksite has a viewing area with seating and interpretive signs.

Continuing up the gently sloping road, other fossils and geological features of interest are signposted. At the top of the hill, the road loops around to the west side of Dinosaur Ridge, which is part of the Morrison Formation and contains the historic dinosaur bone quarry. Also interesting on the west side is the chance to see a dinosaur footprint from below: a large, heavy dinosaur, perhaps an Apatosaurus or Stegosaurus, left deep footprints in soft sand, now hardened into rock and exposed in a dramatic cross-section jutting out from the cliff.

Walking or biking the ridge is free, and you can park at the Visitor Center. It’s a modern paved road, closed to traffic, and is approximately a mile one way (half uphill and half downhill). The dinosaur tracksite is near the beginning of the road; good news for those who don’t want much of a walk but still want to see the main attraction.

Taking the shuttle bus is an excellent option, because the driver will tell you about the fossils and geology of the ridge along the way. The shuttle starts from the Visitor Center, on the hour (weekdays) or on the half hour (weekends) and stops at the major sites for a closer look. It’s good value at $3 per person, and so is the Visitor Center Museum at only $1.



Getting there

Dinosaur Ridge Visitor Center, 16831 West Alameda Parkway, Morrison, Colorado.
Take the West Alameda Parkway exit from C-470 and turn west. Visitor Center hours are 9–5 Monday through Saturday, and 11–5 on Sunday. In November, winter hours start and the center will close at 4 p.m. daily. Call 303-697-3466 for more information.