Looking for fossils around Denver that are more than 60 years old... Look no further than Dinosaur Ridge. Dinosaur Ridge is a segment of the Dakota Hogback in the Morrison Fossil Area National Natural Landmark located in Jefferson County, Colorado, near the town of Morrison. The views are incredible and the Discovery Center has lots to see as well. If you haven't been there you should add it to you to do list you'll be glad you did. read more

Wonderful local museum about nearby paleontology. We had a great time learning about Dino bones, geology, and local history. They have a small museum where you pay, and a nice gift shop. The discovery center was closed so I'm going to have to go back for that. The tour was $10 and it was still pretty crowded on a Monday. The bus is nice and modern, and the drive short. I enjoyed the tour and thought our guide was nice and informative. The money is worth it if it's your first time or with visitors. I enjoyed the ripples and bones. I wish they would identify more of the bones on the other side. I would have liked to learn more about the animals there. Even a sign with pictures of them would be nice. Like the side with the tracks, showing the three dinos who made the tracks. Very fun time and great place for visitors. read more

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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! read more

Dinosaur Ridge - Museums Near Me - Morrison, Colorado

What an amazing day hiking the Dinosaur Ridge and Being a tourist at The Red Rock Amphitheatre. I took a small trail that was a little more than half way up the hill just past the Ecology Ripple Marks to access the Dinosaur Ridge trails. Be ready for a 2 hour hike that gives great views around each turn and breathtaking drop offs on the west side slope. Wet and muddy during the thaw. Either way you go you go on the trail you will have to circle back to your vehicle and walk the additional miles. After seeing the Red Rock venue from my vantage point atop Dinosaur Ridge I had to see up close. I will be attending shows there soon and it has been on my bucket list for years. The park is open to visitors during the winter and when concerts aren't going on so I ventured thru. Glad I did. Too cool! read more

We just briefly looked into the museum part of this place and concentrated on the self guided tour up the hill to see the dinosaurs tracks and other petrified things such as sand ripples and crocodile trails. There are informative signs along the way, with asphalt paving. The hill is steep, but manageable. There is a over the ridge gravel trail for the really adventurous. The walk down is definitely easier and you can read the same signs, if you missed anything. read more

Awesome views and trails. We did the self walk audio tour. One mile each way. Not a loop. Everything was covered in snow (mid December) so it wasn't as visible but still cool. Bundle up, It's an uphill walk there. Steep with stairs We couldn't figure out the audio thing, so we just walked it ourselves and read the signs. Wasted $12 but still cool read more

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Dinosaur Ridge was awesome! We went there on a Monday morning and there were a decent amount of people and a few school field trips. We purchased the bus tour ticket which also includes entry into the museum. We loved the bus tour that stopped at 3 or 4 sites and the guide explains and points out other sites while driving. Our tour guide and the volunteer in the museum were both wonderful and knowledgeable. There's dinosaur statues all around, a gift shop, lots of picnic tables and a sand box and gravel pit with fossils in it! Both of my kids loved the experience, they are 2 and 7. read more

We decided to check this place out because my son loves dinosaurs. They are known for having "the World's largest persevered dinosaur tracks". We took the tour which was really nice because the tour guide gave us the history of what the area was like when the dinosaurs roamed there. She also went into detail on the types of dinosaurs that were found. The little museum that was there was nice too. The thing my kids really enjoyed was being able to dig for their own dinosaur bones. Once they found one they could turn it in for the real thing. Anyhow, this was a very fun and affordable thing to do with our family. read more

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Dinosaur Ridge has a small trail with snakes in between, but very shy and lots of mountain bikers coming in and out! Watch out!! We came here after seeing the little exhibitions with old foot prints of big dinosaurs that once lingered here. We learned that we were once under water!! We saw maps of the trail and we really enjoyed this short trail. Not much to see otherwise, the trail is pretty much beginner-ranged. There is a time capsule that we spotted which was interesting and made me extremely curious what was inside. I enjoyed the views as we reached the top. We came around March of 2020, and we felt a very crisp cold air. This is very kid friendly, considering it mostly a flat dinosaur exhibit. Plenty of walkway paths to walk your dog, even ride bikes. The trail might be a little challenging for small kids, because the trail isn't so flat but It's someplace fun for the whole family. read more

We have to savor those 60 degree days in December and get outside while we can! This past weekend was gorgeous, so my husband and I went out to Dinosaur Ridge for a quick hike. A lot of others had the same idea, so masks were worn. And distances kept. We did a 3 mile loop, saw some pretty views, worked up a sweat and headed back to Denver within an hour. Nice to see the sun and breathe fresh air before the snow starts again. Side note: Parking isn't too bad if you arrive before 10 am! read more

We were VERY concerned when we pulled into the gift shop parking lot - this placed looked like a tourist trap for sure. There was a 'Muric themed stegosaurus and some wooden shacks that seemed to be falling apart. However, we were pleasantly surprised when we started our hike up the ridge and saw millions of years of history etched into the shale. If you are interested in dinosaurs AND don't mind an uphill hike, I would highly recommend stopping by. Pro Tip: Don't pay for the bus tour! It's $15 a person and the tour guides basically read the information on the plaques anyway. If they have a guided walking tour with an expert, that may be worth the money. But we did it for free and had a great time. read more

Dinosaur Ridge is for all ages! What a treasure to have in Colorado. Our guide Larry was so knowledgeable and made the trip so fun! Not to mention the Museum and gift shop. An event you will not be disappointed read more

This was really fun and not superbly challenging for a chonky gal as myself who hasn't hiked properly in a few years. I like the calf and glute burning but I didn't need to stop that often like I used to do on some trails here in Orange County, California. They start off on the ground floor where you can park your car and check out their museum and shop. I got a magnet for a friend back home. You want to make it back before sunset though because they do have gates and they will lock you in. You can also park on the street on the hills too! We did the Dinosaur Ridge and I really liked it. It was around 4000 elevation feet high plus this part of Colorado is also naturally higher than Southern California. Greg started me on this baby beginner burner because he and I were both afraid that my lupus lungs weren't going to make it. I did, I conquered! It was fun. I got some good pictures too. :) read more

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Such a lovely place. My kids loved digging for the free fossils and we walked the entire ridge. It was so amazing to see the foot prints, ridges, and the bones. read more

I've avoided this place like the plague. Just because I thought it would bore me. Just because it's too touristy. I was pressed for time. I didn't wanna drive to hike. I had the itch to climb something. And it's a walking distance from my house. So I went yesterday. If you're like me and you hate hiking on any fire road or paved trail because you feel that disconnect; then the beginning trail along the front should be avoided. Instead start at the parking lot near the motocross area and come down the same way. On Rooney Rd. That would put you on a North to South hike and all downhill with a few uphill climb. If you like going uphill than downhill then follow the crowd and start from the front. All uphill but with a few steps that will take you down. This is what I did. Well I'm a fan of this hike. It's immediate uphill climb is not bad. The views on both sides i.e. Red Rocks or Mt Falcon to the east and Green Mountain on the west side is just too pretty too ignore. Highest point is 6660. Exposed top. Hot during summer. I'm already dreaming of coming back in winter! read more

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I have to start this with our guide on the tour was amazing!! She was knowledgeable, great at interacting with the kids, etc. it was really neat seeing and learning about the dinosaur bones with her. However- there was no ac on the bus. I'm from florida and can deal with hot, but stuffy hot?? With required face masks...I thought I was going to pass out. The museum area is really small and not well done. My son loves to read all that stuff, but if you don't like reading, it's not that interesting. There is only a porta potty for a restroom and I don't think it had ever been cleaned. There was literally liquid poo dripping down the side. The other one had a wasp nest inside according to my brother. Overall, the tour is good if you can stand a sweltering bus. The rest, it seems thrown together. Make sure you use a restroom before going. read more

I was here sometime back in Early June this year with Sean and my parents. Did you know several hundred years ago, Colorado is actually an ocean? Due to geographical errosion, earth movement, volcanic ash bed that form the current ridge line, and where a large number of Dinosaur remains are found on our Colorado soil, you can explore Dinosaur Ridge to your fullest. It was indeed an eye opener for us. To find dinosaur fossils, bones, Dinosaur footprints alike right here in Colorado! Its a must see for families with children alike who love to explore and get further education with regards to Dinosaurs and how land is form here in Colorado. Just be warned since the weather is getting alot warmer these days, dont forget to bring lots of water, sunscreen, a good pair of tennis shoes to walk up the trail. Admission to this area is FREE. But its nice to allocate some donations for the park. There is a $2 fee per person for a ride up to the first checkpoint of the Dinosaur Ridge, then from there you can walk down. If your little ones are too tired to walk you can just hail the ride and the driver would bring you down to the entry gate of Dinosaur Ridge. That was the day when we came to Dinosaur Ridge on Saturday June 02 2007. It happens on that day coincide with National Trails Day. Each station of the Dinosaur Ridge have a guide who are so willing to tell you about what it was all about and to answer any questions with regards to the Dinosaur Ridge. Do refer to the website regularly for Dinosaur Discovery Days, regular hikes, updates or guided tours thru the Dinosaur Ridge... read more

Dinosaur Ridge - Museums Near Me - Morrison, Colorado

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I am visiting from Cali and we were so excited to Bring 3 of our kids who are dinosaur lovers plus my friend's 2 kids (same age as our kids and also loving dinosaurs) We took the group bus tour. Tour: the guide was kind, patient and knowledgeable. He was a paleontologist student who was obviously very excited about his field of interest. Thank you for answering and taking time to answer gazillion questions. Bus: if it's a hot day (88 degrees), get ready to step into a sauna where you will be sweating through your clothes and feel like you are suffocating behind your mask. The bus did not give any hint of cool air and it was extremely uncomfortable. We could not wait for stops to get some air!! Exhibit hall: It was a joke. Literally a small room that takes 5 min to look... I would not recommend this place unless you come when the weather is cooler but again you might be freezing on a bus that has no heat. I guess you are purely paying for the tour guide ‍ read more

This was cool! We walked the attraction and did not take the shuttle. Our kids are 5 and 8 and they loved the walk. I would say if you have small kids take the shuttle. My only issue was we had one biker fly down the hill/mountain and he almost took one of the kids out. It was within inches. Watch the signs at the entrance to what side of the path you should be on. I missed it, but regardless unless his breaks failed on his bike it was extremely reckless. I got the sense he was making a point, true jerk move. Fair warning some of those bikers are flying down the mountain on a death mission. Read the signs and stay on the correct side of the road. I felt horrible that I put my kid in danger. Possibly another reason to take the shuttle. It's very cool to see and the back side you even can see the Red Rock amphitheater! Cheers Dino lovers! read more

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My friend and I took the tour as I am a (visibly) disabled veteran and needed the ride. Our tour guide was Allosaurus Allie, a local guide who really, really, loves her job, and it shows. She was good at engaging with the kids on the tour (two small children, maybe 2 and 5, very shy) and I can easily picture her handling excited kids well also. She handled the pacing well, gave us the opportunity to make some informed choices as a group about how to spend our time, and wove interesting stories about the history of the location into the tour. I asked her in a quiet moment about the Yelp reviews about that guy who spoke sharply with other people's kids, and she said she's "pretty sure he's not working there any more." Her comment was that *of course* kids get excited about dinosaurs! You can't just squash that, though, you have to find a way to redirect it. Allosaurus Allie for the win! read more

Dinosaur Ridge - Fossilized dinosaur footprints, coloured in with charcoal for visibility - Museums Near Me - Morrison, Colorado

We took our 7 year dino enthusiast and had a blast. Highly recommend using the shuttle tours from the small museum for the monument. It was worth the small cost. read more

So much fun. My grandson loves the exhibit hall and the bus tour of all the fossils. I highly recommend a stop here if you have time. read more

Dinosaur Ridge - Museums Near Me - Morrison, Colorado

Dinosaur Ridge is right near Red Rocks and could definitely be done together. We came to check out the tracks and were not disappointed. For $8 per person, they offer a guided tour in a comfortable small tour bus. Our guide was a second year anthropology masters student and she was wonderful. She was knowledgeable, friendly, and seemed excited to be showing us the points of interest. The best part was the first stop with the visible tracks of a mother and child dino. It was impressive to see. The coolest part was that we were allowed to touch the tracks closest to us and even allowed to climb up a couple feet to get a closer look at the ones higher up. There were two more stops, but they're definitely not as impressive as the first stop. I feel they should have done this tour in reverse. Start at the base of the hill (oldest area) and show us the bones, then progress to "younger" areas until we got to the tracks. It would make for a more exciting tour since they'd end with the coolest part. Why four stars and not five? The draw are the dinosaur tracks and there just weren't very many of them. It's essentially one wall with a ton of tracks, but rest of the tour was just okay. If you're okay with doing a small hike, you can enter the area for free and walk it yourself. The sites are well-marked and you can read about each area. Perhaps had I done that, I would have had a five-star experience since the hike would have added to the experience. The $8 bus tour was nice, but it made it an abbreviated experience. read more

Dinosaur Ridge - Museums Near Me - Morrison, Colorado

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Dino Ridge was really interesting and I'm glad that we went. We started at the gift shop, my son spent some time in the dino dig area (which he loved), and then we started off for the free 1 mile walk to the tracks (and other dino related spots). To note, we went in late June and it was sunny. It was HOT and dry. Definitely put on sunscreen and/or a hat and/or whatever other sun protection you use. There are little sites along the way about geology and fossils. The showcase is the large footprints area (which is really cool). There are also benches and shade for those that want to hang and/or rest. The other sitses are worth it too (bone fossils, other types of tracks, ancient beach remnants, etc). Really cool place to check out if you don't mind a walk and like geology/prehistoric history read more

An overly expensive roadside tourist trap. The ridge is accessible by vehicle but they block the road to sell overpriced escorted tours. The "free" exhibits are cheap fakes. Restroom outhouses(there are only 2) are horrible. More than 75 people shared these. read more

This is a review of the Triceratots Program. By the way, the Discovery Center and the visitor center are not one and the same as several families found out. Make sure you go to the right place. The good: Lovely people who really love kids, lots of craft supplies and great gift shop staff. Exhibits limited but interesting. Fun dino models. Could Improve: The program was supposed to take one hour...took 15-30 minutes max. Suggest reading the books first, followed by the craft. The poor staff was trying to read while many of the kids were either doing the craft or had finished and walked away. Secondly, one small table with 5 or 6 chairs for about 10 kids. Inadequate seating, especially for parental involvement. Perhaps move it to a big floor area? Worth the $5. Nice folks. read more

Rated high for the experience, fossils and history. 3 stars due to the inadequate cashiers in the gift shop. Get some better trained help and equipment to get people checked out quicker. read more

This is a Great attraction for children and families. You can buy a Guided Bus Tour Pass or just a Hop on Hop off shuttle pass. You can also walk up and over Dinosaur Ridge to see all the fossils. There is an inexpensive Exhibit Hall and a gift shop. The parking can be a little challenging on a busy day. There are restrooms available. There is a Snack Shack, but it is open seasonally. There are several replica dinosaur statutes on the grounds where the parking lot and attractions are. It is pretty inexpensive, family fun. read more

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It's cool! It's free. You see evidence of dinosaur movement that once lived here. It is a very brief "hike", and has a few stops before the main event of the many footprints on the side of the hill. So if you have nothing else to do or want to just see some real dinosaur footprints, this is it. Otherwise don't be surprised if it's not that grandiose. read more

Came here on a Saturday afternoon in October. Weather was perfect. The dinosaur prints were pretty cool. The "hike" took about an hour and was on a regular road so not too strenuous. read more

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Our family really enjoyed our recent visit to dinosaur ridge. We purchased the shuttle tour for $6 per person (3 and under is free). The tour takes only 45 minutes and includes 3 different stops, but our guide taught us a lot about the bones, tracks and overall area we were touring and was entertaining and engaging the entire time. It was fascinating to see where the dinosaurs walked, lived and ultimately died. Who knew that this area was once covered by ocean and was partially inhabited by 60 foot dinosaur eating crocodile? This is a unique and very inexpensive excursion in the area. Our 3 year old was perhaps a bit too young to really get much out of it but overall a nice spot for the kids. The gift shop is nice with very reasonably priced items but it would have been nice if the shop clerk wasn't busy texting as we were standing directly in front of her to pay. read more

There are many places to hike in CO but Dinosaur Ridge has some pluses. You can either pay a mere $4 for a guided bus tour that stops at 3 of the stops or hit the trail by foot and take in the scenery while getting some exercise. They have a small exhibit which is a good place to get some background on Dinosaur Ridge. It is only 2.5 miles round trip so I decided to go by foot. There are about 15 stops pointing out the geology, history and other tidbits about the sites. The amount of fossils in this one area is amazing. Worm holes, ripples, foot prints and dinosaur bones are vast. You also get a great view of the mountains and part of Red Rocks. Seeing traces of dinosaurs in nature is truly amazing. read more

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One of the coolest ways to impress tourists is to show them REAL dinosaur tracks from over 145 million years ago. Most likely you pass Dinosaur ridge more often then you think, and some of you may have even been near this great landmark and never checked out the site. The location is the same exit as Red Rocks and is barely off the beaten path of I-70. You can hike all around the ridge, but on a hot Colorado Summer day, it will be brutal with the sun, so make sure you bring plenty of water and sun protection. If you don't have much time visit the most popular Dinosaur attractions, the Dinosaur tracks on the east side of the Ridge and the Dinosaur Bone Quarry on the west side of the Ridge. Personally, I think this would be a great date stop.... Perhaps on your way to Red Rocks for a picnic on the steps. On top of being creative, interesting, and fun, both date ideas are FREE, which just means you better spend a little cash on the next date so that you don't seem too cheap. * Star one is for land preservation ** Star two is for the Brontosaurus footprints, way cool *** What a workout star three is for doing an entire circle around the ridge, hot and high altitude **** Easy to find star four is for free parking and an easy to find historic site ***** Sexy star five is for turning me on... Dinosaur style read more

Dinosaur Ridge - Museums Near Me - Morrison, Colorado

Lots of inexpensive to free family fun. You don't pay an admission price, you don't have to pay to take the shuttle up the hill. We spent a few hours searching through rocks and walking the trails. Found some really neat fossils and taught the kids why you can't take everything with you. California kids didn't quite get that you don't take anything with you from the parks except memories and your own trash. Now... they get it. A little boy walked past something they had found and found it as well and was so excited he found a fossil rock. That is a story they told a few times through out the day. read more

The hike up the ridge is tough but beautiful. I can't believe this is in Lakewood. Bring good shoes, water & a bag to pack out your trash. ;.) read more

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This place rules. I've been a freak about dinosaurs since I was 5 years old (I'm 22 now). I'd been reading about this place my whole life. It was surreal to see it with my own eyes. read more

Came here expecting a bad tourist trap, but it ended up being interesting and not crowded at all, despite it being Labor Day weekend. We needed something to kill the time before we were meeting up with friends for lunch, so we stopped by here. The trail is actually the paved road that the tour buses drive on, and if you hike, it's free and pretty easy, with information along the way about the different fossils and rocks. Not having too much time though, we decided to do the bus tour. It was $6 a person [plus whatever you put in the tip jar] and about 45-60 minutes long, depending on how long people want to spend at the three different stop locations. The first stop was easily my favorite -- the huge wall of dinosaur tracks. Our guide was very knowledgeable of the different dinosaurs who made the tracks and answered all of our questions. The second stop was to look at different dinosaur bone fossils embedded in the rocks. Apparently, it would take years to chisel them out, and since there are no complete skeletons, they decided to just leave the bits and pieces of fossil in there. The last stop was to look at molds of different footprints. While there, take the time to look out at the surroundings. The view is breathtaking. I absolutely want to come back and hike it. While we got a lot of information from the tour guide at the three stops, we did pass by other interesting locations, and it'd be good exercise in some fresh air. read more

Dinosaur Ridge - The view from the last stop of the tour - Museums Near Me - Morrison, Colorado

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DINOSAURS PEOPLE. THERE ARE DINOSAURS HERE. Or at least dead ones. I was thrilled to come to Dinosaur Ridge, the place where the Stegosaurus was first discovered. I'll preface my review by saying it isn't a large museum or impressive Smithsonian-style experience. Quite the opposite in fact - the whole place consists of a very small hut containing a very small children's room ($2 a person) and a gift shop that sells stuffed dinos, rocks, and VHS tapes. There are also models outside of dinosaurs painted in red, white, and blue and other bright colors. Very little kid friendly. But that's not the main attraction here. For $5 a person, you can take an old rickety minibus up the mountain to see dinosaur tracks and bones still in the rock. This was especially cool - our tour guide was a University student well-versed in the bones/tracks on display, and we were even able to touch them. Very cool. If you have children or an interest in Dinosaurs, it's worth the drive and the measly $2-7 a person to see all of this stuff up close. read more

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The coolest thing about this place is probably the fake dinosaurs at the entrance. The bathroom is a port-a-potty. There is no clean drinking water there so bring your own or buy it from their gift shop for $1.08. Their little museum thing is dark and covered in flies and costs $2. It also smells like horse poo. The dinosaur trail is actually just a road you walk on. read more

There are 2 places, the museum & The Discovery Center at Entrance 1 of Red Rocks Amphitheatre. Both have the pressed penny machines. Women running the front desk at both locations were very friendly. If the kids were in tow, would have done the fossil tour. Very small parking lot. Got lucky since I was there on a Tuesday morning & had the place to myself. Really cool artifacts & dinosaur bone fossils. read more

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