Things to do nearDinosaur Ridge

The story of Dinosaur Ridge begins in 1877, when Arthur Lakes discovered enormous dinosaur bones eroding from the Morrison Formation near present-day Morrison, Colorado. That find sparked a nationwide fossil rush and put this stretch of the Front Range on the scientific map permanently. The ridge sits along the edge of the Rockies where ancient rock layers have been tilted almost vertical by tectonic uplift, giving visitors a cross-section through deep time simply by walking a single road.

Along the roughly one-mile interpretive trail, you can see actual sauropod bones still embedded in the rock face, more than 300 dinosaur footprints pressed into a tilted slab of Cretaceous-age Dakota Sandstone, and ripple marks left by a prehistoric shoreline. Interpretive signs explain each feature in plain language, making the site genuinely accessible to visitors of all ages. Guided tours are available through the Friends of Dinosaur Ridge organization, and rangers lead walks on select days throughout the year.

The surrounding landscape rewards attention beyond the fossils. Views east across the Denver metro and west toward the higher peaks frame every step of the walk. Just down Alameda Parkway, Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre offers dramatic red sandstone formations and additional hiking trails that pair naturally with a Dinosaur Ridge morning.

Dinosaur Ridge is free to explore on foot, with a small fee for shuttle or guided tours. Few places in the American West let you stand this close to the Jurassic world without a museum between you and the evidence.