Dinosaur Ridge
Dinosaur Ridge
4
Historic SitesAmusement & Theme ParksPoints of Interest & Landmarks
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
This gem is the site of numerous dinosaur tracks and fossils from the Cretaceous and Jurassic periods. Explore the outdoor museum where fossils remain in situ, visit the indoor exhibition hall, and treat children to free fossil replica digging in two play areas at the Main Visitor Center. The guided bus tour is highly recommended; or walk and read interpretive signs, download an audio tour, or schedule an in-depth guided walking tour with a geologist. A well-stocked Gift Shop offers fun souvenirs for all ages. Plan for outdoor weather with comfortable walking shoes and drinking water.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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See what travelers are saying
- John MNew York City, New York825 contributionsWorth a visitWho doesn't love dinosaurs? This is a cool spot to observe preserved dinosaur tracks just outside of Denver. There is not much to it, so it is best done jointly with something else - maybe a trip to Red Rocks.Visited June 2024Traveled as a coupleWritten June 23, 2024
- desifotoAshland, Wisconsin1,040 contributionsSo coolIf you want to see dinosaur tracks this place is cool. It’s free if you walk the whole trail. It’s all on a road. You can take a shuttle tour of you wanted that you have to pay for. The have a visitor center and gift shop. There are picnic tables at the visitor center.Visited July 2024Traveled with familyWritten July 3, 2024
- muzique1960Woodridge, Illinois1,103 contributionsHistorical and amazing place to see! Lots to learn! Great tour guides!Amazing, historic place. Great for kids, adults, school groups - bring friends and have a birthday party, learning about the dinosaurs. There are picnic tables and great tour guides for a tour of Dinosaur Ridge and to explain what is in the Exhibition Hall. Fabulous place - I learned so much! The tours are not meant for young children - they need to be able to listen and learn.Visited August 2024Traveled soloWritten August 15, 2024
- dean oCastle Rock, Colorado14 contributionsInteresting for Dino lovers.This was a place we thought the grandkids would like as they are 2 & 4 YO and they are into dinosaurs in a big way. I would say they were a bit too young to appreciate this exhibit. They were expecting to see more dinosaurs, real or fake, and the real attraction is all the dinosaur footprints on the ground. I thought it was pretty interesting and I think older kids might like it more if they are into dinosaurs. It's free, so you can't complain too much about it and I think it is worth seeing once,, if you are into things like that. The girl at the desk, in the main building, was on her phone the whole time we were there and she didn't say a word to us about the exhibit or what things there were to see, so we just walked around and found our way to everything on our own. Things aren't very well maked so you have to snoop around to see things,Visited August 2024Traveled with familyWritten August 18, 2024
- FromThe352Jacksonville, Florida48 contributionsWorth checking outWe took the bus tour and it was worth the money. The ridge trail is pretty steep and longer than you think, because there are two sides. Be aware that the tracks are no longer darkened. This makes them harder to see than you would think from looking at photos online. The Exhibit Hall was very cool. The staff took a lot of time to discuss the history of the area and answer questions.Visited September 2024Traveled as a coupleWritten September 17, 2024
- John B4 contributionsDinosaur RidgeWe parked at the trailhead next to Red Rocks entrance and had the best time. This would not be the best way to catch the bus……if you need help walking it’s better to start at visitor center. It’s a great walk or bike ride too! My dad and I did ask the bus driver to take us back and Don was awesome, and a great trip leader/guide. Dinosaur ridge is a must for Denver visitors. Then take a picnic on top of Red Rocks amphitheaterVisited October 2024Traveled with familyWritten October 10, 2024
- Cherry_WonderdogNew England4,987 contributionsInteresting site- 4 stars Dinosaur Ridge wasn’t the best dinosaur attraction that Cherry Wonderdog has ever seen, but it was still definitely worthwhile. It was like a walking tour on a closed off section of the highway. Only a periodic bus passed us – one that we would probably have taken had it been better advertised and more frequent. The occasions when we were able to synchronize our schedules to arrive somewhere when the guide was giving his/her pitch to a seated group, we learned a lot. We were fortunate to visit on a sunny day in October, for the walk with periodic attractions on the side of the road indicating past signs of life (ocean and reptilian) was downright pleasant. Much of the dinosaur tracks were visible on protected slabs of rock at a steep incline. As such, we could only view them from afar. Cherry Wonderdog has been to other places where the tracks were far more “accessible”, but it’s really hard to complain how Mother Nature preserved and ultimately re-displayed these prehistoric traces of life 100 million years after the fact. A few of the attractions required a certain amount of imagination. Had there not been signs pointing directly to what barely looked like a claw print, we would never have known it was one of Earth’s rare remnants of raptors. Ditto for the fossilized bones embedded in rock. The visitor center was like a glorified gift shop run by volunteers, and while it had a couple of interesting artifacts, none that I can recall were from the immediate area. I could have skipped it and saved the $4 entrance fee.Visited November 2024Traveled as a coupleWritten November 17, 2024
- XoelDallas, Texas189 contributionsVery Pleasant and Educational 3-Mile Hike!A unique and educational experience, perfect for anyone curious about fossils, geology, or the prehistoric era. The 3-mile round-trip walk from the visitor center offers a chance to explore fossilized dinosaur tracks, bones, and ancient rock formations at your own pace. It’s a fantastic activity for families, especially with kids, as they can enjoy learning while exploring the outdoors. Some fossils have weathered over time, so spotting the details may take a little patience, but the experience is still rewarding. For those who prefer not to walk, a guided bus tour is available for an additional fee. The tour provides expert commentary, making it a great option for those who want more in-depth knowledge or a less strenuous visit. With its blend of science, history, and outdoor exploration, Dinosaur Ridge is a must-visit destination, offering something special for both kids and adults alike.Visited November 2024Traveled soloWritten November 18, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.0
558 reviews
Excellent
268
Very good
195
Average
70
Poor
14
Terrible
11
Mike_in_CO
Lakewood, CO208 contributions
Jul 2023 • Family
We had a great time, especially the kids. We live near by and have been here many times, but went on the bus tour as a special field trip with grandkids. The seven-month-old didn’t learn much, but both of the three year olds and the five year old were fascinated. Alice the tour guide was great with the kids, listened and answered patiently to all their questions (including “when do we get back on the bus?”). Toward the end the five year told told me “this was a great idea!” All three stops had something interesting. The small museum display was worth a few minutes, with a large fossilized bone kids can touch.
Written July 18, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Roadtripz101
West Henrietta, NY221 contributions
Jul 2021 • Family
If you’re into dinosaurs great place. Young kids especially were excited. They have a small exhibit with some fossils and reading material. Their gift shop has a decent amount of items and limited amount of cold drinks if you need to quench your thirst.
There are large painted stegosaurs around the area for some pics. You can either hike the 1.25 mile ridge that has moderate elevation as you progress or take a tour.
I recommend the tour at $15 to have a bus drive you to each sight. You will get the benefit of the tour guides stories and educational tidbits while saving you the hike. Masks are require on bus. Because of the stop and go the bus A/C just starts to make you feel comfortable and then you stop so it’s ok temp wise.
Biggest tip sit on the right side of the bus for best pics and view. You will see it on the way down if you’re on the left but it is quick as they don’t stop and talk like they do in way up.
If you’re walking you will park at start of ridge and begin hike. There is a single porta potty at half way point.
Nice diversion and about two hours max including tour.
There are large painted stegosaurs around the area for some pics. You can either hike the 1.25 mile ridge that has moderate elevation as you progress or take a tour.
I recommend the tour at $15 to have a bus drive you to each sight. You will get the benefit of the tour guides stories and educational tidbits while saving you the hike. Masks are require on bus. Because of the stop and go the bus A/C just starts to make you feel comfortable and then you stop so it’s ok temp wise.
Biggest tip sit on the right side of the bus for best pics and view. You will see it on the way down if you’re on the left but it is quick as they don’t stop and talk like they do in way up.
If you’re walking you will park at start of ridge and begin hike. There is a single porta potty at half way point.
Nice diversion and about two hours max including tour.
Written July 25, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tour324036
12 contributions
Jun 2023 • Family
Can’t hear your guide in the bus partially because audio equipment did not work correctly plus it was under-powered.
Tour guide needs to talk louder at stops when you get off tour bus for closer look. The guide was nice but needed better equipment and a louder voice.
The buildings and grounds need to be cleaned up and better maintained. Bathrooms needed to be cleaned and upgraded. Porta potty needed to be serviced. Flood mitigation sandbags at bathrooms needed to be removed because there was no longer a flooding issue and they are a tripping hazard.
It’s an interesting place but various portions of the tour and facilities need attention especially for the amount they charge.
Tour guide needs to talk louder at stops when you get off tour bus for closer look. The guide was nice but needed better equipment and a louder voice.
The buildings and grounds need to be cleaned up and better maintained. Bathrooms needed to be cleaned and upgraded. Porta potty needed to be serviced. Flood mitigation sandbags at bathrooms needed to be removed because there was no longer a flooding issue and they are a tripping hazard.
It’s an interesting place but various portions of the tour and facilities need attention especially for the amount they charge.
Written July 1, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ruthk191
Westlake, FL144 contributions
Sep 2022
What a hidden gem that is actually part of the National Park system. While there is no fee to walk around the ridge there is a fee for a guided tour which we opted to do. Ptaero-Don, our guide (they make everything about dinosaurs!) was a retired high school teacher, was very knowledgeable and informative. There were six (6) of us in our group and we had him all to ourselves.
As we drove up the ridge, Don pointed things out and kept up a steady stream of how the are was formed millions of years ago. We made various stops along the way starting with the largest amount of dino footprints in one area in the USA. What was even more interesting was the fact that decades ago people had carved out some of the footprints and fairly recently they had recovered one of them!
As we continued around the ridge, we learned that the first part was 100 million years old while the other side was even older. That was because of the way the ground was pushed up as the Rockies were forming. I could get into it more but you really should hear it for yourself.
There is an exhibit hall that we did not have time to explore since we had spent time at nearby Red Rocks amphitheater (see separate review) earlier in the day.
I hope to someday go back and take more time to explore.
As we drove up the ridge, Don pointed things out and kept up a steady stream of how the are was formed millions of years ago. We made various stops along the way starting with the largest amount of dino footprints in one area in the USA. What was even more interesting was the fact that decades ago people had carved out some of the footprints and fairly recently they had recovered one of them!
As we continued around the ridge, we learned that the first part was 100 million years old while the other side was even older. That was because of the way the ground was pushed up as the Rockies were forming. I could get into it more but you really should hear it for yourself.
There is an exhibit hall that we did not have time to explore since we had spent time at nearby Red Rocks amphitheater (see separate review) earlier in the day.
I hope to someday go back and take more time to explore.
Written October 5, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JessiMags
4 contributions
Oct 2020 • Couples
We had such a fun time at Dinosaur Ridge! My fiancé and I were visiting red Rock and saw the signs for dinosaur ridge, and on a whim checked it out. We did a bus tour ($15 per person super reasonable!) and our tour guide Jody was fabulous! She was super friendly and knowledgeable and made sure that we had a good time. She was really good at keeping our group social distanced from others that were walking in the same areas. We had a great time- highly recommend to anyone looking to spend an hour or 2 doing something fun
Written October 25, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Redtigress79
Orlando, FL266 contributions
Jun 2023 • Couples
We went to a concert at Red Rocks and a fellow concert goer recommended us to visit this place. It was a fun and fascinating stop that only took 2 hours of our day. We took the van tour so that the guide could tell us about the dinosaurs. Our tour guide Megasaurus Megan was very nice and knowledgeable. We learned that the area used to be underwater and that the Stegosaurus was the most prevalent. This area has one of only two raptor tracks in the nation! If you are in to Geology or Dinos this place is a fun stop!
Written June 3, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
AshBernadette88
Huntsville, AL1,567 contributions
May 2020
Walking the trail at Dinosaur Ridge is free to guests! Admission costs $3 per person to visit the exhibit hall.
The paved trail forms a horseshoe shape around the ridge and rises gradually (not very strenuous). Along the route, several placards describe the geologic wonders on the ridge. Some of these wonders included the trails of ancient tube worms that existed when Denver was at the bottom of an ocean! Of course, the dinosaur tracks were the most exciting part! The placards are well-maintained and provide lots of good information.
About halfway up the horseshoe, guests can take a gravel trail up to the ridge and hike the ridge itself. This trail is very well-maintained and easy to follow...great views of the Red Rocks to the west! Watch out for snakes; we saw a huge bull snake right in the middle of the path! Know how to identify a rattle snake...we didn't see any, but there were warning signs at the beginning of the trail.
Great hike, hoping to return again soon!
The paved trail forms a horseshoe shape around the ridge and rises gradually (not very strenuous). Along the route, several placards describe the geologic wonders on the ridge. Some of these wonders included the trails of ancient tube worms that existed when Denver was at the bottom of an ocean! Of course, the dinosaur tracks were the most exciting part! The placards are well-maintained and provide lots of good information.
About halfway up the horseshoe, guests can take a gravel trail up to the ridge and hike the ridge itself. This trail is very well-maintained and easy to follow...great views of the Red Rocks to the west! Watch out for snakes; we saw a huge bull snake right in the middle of the path! Know how to identify a rattle snake...we didn't see any, but there were warning signs at the beginning of the trail.
Great hike, hoping to return again soon!
Written May 19, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
PhiPrincess
Topeka, KS86 contributions
Jul 2023 • Family
This is a cool stop. It's not huge and you won't be here long, but our family enjoyed it. The day was sweltering hot, so the guided bus tour was WELL worth the $. My 10 and 12-year-old both enjoyed digging for fossils in the sandbox. Definitely worth visiting if you are in the area!
Written July 22, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Krishnatina
1 contribution
Nov 2020
It all started with ashleigh selling us tickets and demanding I wear those disposable masks that end up in landfills or the ocean instead of my scarf , making it a point to radio her friend to make sure I was harassed even more until we got off the bus and left . They’re super unprofessional and rude and don’t know how to speak to anyone. Meanwhile the guy at the museum is super professional and chill .
Written November 3, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
chicag009
Chicago154 contributions
Jun 2021
This was a great spot to do some self exploring into the world of dinosaurs! The discovery center is very small and although it doesn't have much it does have some interesting items. Fascinating place! Great for families/kids. You can walk around for free. Tours are paid for (bus and walking tours) but are reasonably priced. You can also download a self guided tour (for a price) on your phone.
Written June 29, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Is there RV parking? We have a 27' travel trailer & 20' truck pulling it.
Written May 13, 2024
It's a pretty steep hill, and me and my buddy are avid longboarders, and we where wondering if we can ride down the hill a couple times.
Written July 25, 2018
I suppose you could, but the bikers, joggers and senior walkers would be obstacles and the road is hash in many spots; lots of broken asphalt and potholes.
Written December 31, 2018
Can you arrive before they open and do the trail hike? Or can you only get on trails when they open? We are going on a Sun how early we go to do the trail?
Written July 15, 2018
The gates are locked when it is not open. You can check their website for hours.
Written July 15, 2018
How do I get here using public transportation? Are Taxis / Uber available ?
Written March 10, 2017
Hi
public transportation you would have about a two walk to the stop
Yes to Taxis & Uber
Written March 12, 2017
Yes you can! The tour is along a paved road. Just no vehicles allowed except for the tour bus. walkers walk for free!!! Your calves will be feeling it, the incline that is! Enjoy!
Written March 11, 2017
FODRStegosaurus
Morrison, Colorado
Yes as long as they are on a leash.
Do be aware that there is the potential for snakes on and off trail so do try to keep dogs out of tall grass.
Written August 7, 2015
Hi, we have never been to this area before and are looking for something to do for a short while before we head to Dillon for skiing on Sunday afternoon. Is this a good place to go, specifically in winter and with possible snow? Or is everything covered up and it's best to see in the warmer months on our next trip?
Written January 23, 2015
DinosaurFODR
Westminster, Colorado
Hello. If there has been a recent snowfall,sometimes the tracks are covered up. However, with Colorado's amazing sunshine, the snow melts quite quickly. If you are looking to visit this weekend, the snow has definitely cleared up with the sun and subsequent melt so you will be able to see dinosaur tracks and dinosaur bones. You can always call the gift shop, too, at 303-697-3466 x100 to ask about current conditions.
Written January 23, 2015
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