Dinosaur Ridge Main Visitor Center

Not to nerd-out on you all but this place is amazing!!! If you love dinosaurs and/or geology or have loved ones that do, this is the place for you. You can explore the actual “ridge” for free if you hike up and down or you can do like we did and pay for the shuttle an get a guided tour of all the cool discoveries in this area. If you hike, it’s about a mile up and then down, plenty of parking. Jurassic John was our guide and super knowledgeable, engaging and informative.

My son and I have been here many times before. He even had camp here last year - great program to look into if you have early high schoolers and younger. The hike is easy … and self paced. It was a mild winter day in Colorado and holiday week. It was busy but not crowded. Those new to the site should visit the gift shop and grab some water before the hike 2 mile (up and down). And use the bathroom as the gift shop parking lot.

We met friends and took the guided bus tour! Definitely recommend that route. You can take your time going back through and using the hop on/ hop off shuttle. We aren’t sorry we picked this outing. Educational and fun, able to accommodate a multitude of physical activity abilities!

The staffs were super knowledgeable and friendly. It’s small but a fun place to visit! It’s cool to see dinosaurs path from 100 millions years ago!

The tour guide was amazing. Love how she treated me at my IQ level and not a child especially as there were only 2 of us and both adults!! I will say they really need to get a roof over these as the weather is taking it's toll on the finds here.

We paid for the little tour and we didn't regret it. Allison did our 1 hour tour and she did an awesome job. It was really hot the day we visited and didn't want ro do the walk but we saw plenty people walking and with younger kids under 12 so it's doable but my wife and I were tired.

This place was fun to visit. They have a small museum and a great gift shop. There are statues of dinosaurs in all different colors. The hike to see the ridge is uphill. So make sure you're wearing good shoes it is paved and ADA compliant. You can take a bus up there on a tour, but it is twenty dollars a person.

We got there and we did the guided bus tour. You have options to do ir walking or you can also do the hop on/off bus. Amazing tracks and bone site. I recommend the bus tour that allows you to stop and take pics but also tells you how the tracks got there and where to find them, etc. Really interesting! The place has also a gift shop, a little museum to visit. And an outside area to eat and hang out there.

Fantastic day trip from Denver for curious kids. My sister-in-law took the kids and me to Dinosaur Ridge for a picnic lunch, visit and ramble. It was a great way to spend a few hours outdoors and away from screens. There are ample picnic tables outside the visitor's center. Parking can be a little more limited, but you can park on the road outside and walk in. We did go into the visitor's center ($5/pp). There was a very nice volunteer there who talked to my son with enthusiasm and patience. The center is pretty small, but there were enough things for my son to examine and think about. He's 9 and well beyond his dinosaur obsessive days, but he was still curious about thing things he saw. The younger kids enjoyed digging for fossils in the sandbox outside. We also hiked along the walk way that spans between the visitor's center and the Red Rocks area. The walk is pretty level, and there are labeled areas that show dinosaur tracks and fossils. The views are also stunning of the whole Denver area basin. I'd happily return.

Inside the Dinosaur Ridge Discovery or Exhibit Hall is a plethora of exhibits, placards and fossils to demonstrate which dinosaurs have been found in the nearby area. It is just fascinating to imagine what it was like when Dinosaurs ruled the world. Hint: It is not Jurassic Park. The center has done a very good job of explaining what happened when, and which dinosaurs were in Colorado all those millions of years ago. The docents or volunteers are most helpful and will answer all of your questions. My 7 year old grandson loved the exhibit, even though it is somewhat small. Outside he could dig for fossils, primarily sharks teeth and shells or he could unearth (pebbles) some bones. And there are replicas of Triceratops, Stegosaurus, Allosaurus and others. There is a bus tour available. Honestly, if you are in halfway decent shape, park at the entrance on the road, where the barrier is and walk the 1/2 mile to see the Hadrosaur, duck billed, dinosaur prints.

Naturally exceptional little place to park and go for a walk. They also have an option a little down the road for a driving guided tour but it is very simple to just park and walk if you have the stamina. The area is absolutely beautiful and there are so many signs showing exactly what you were looking at while you're walking the mountain side! I loved being able to see dinosaur tracks and where Colorado actually used to be underwater millions of years ago! My favorite thing was being able to go on a couple little side trails and getting higher than typical if you're walking on the road. Being able to see a few different animals in nature was gorgeous as well and they were very relaxed even coming very close to me on my walk! I love that they also had seating every so often so I could sit down and just relax and admire my view of the area! I hope to one day be back so I can see the Velociraptor tracks again!

Another cool roadside attraction close to Golden and not far from Denver. Good for all ages. Since it was 90° and the walk is mostly uphill. We opted for the $20 per adult shuttle ride that included a fossil guide. Would I normally pay this, no I feel it was worth about $10 a person. They did explain a lot which we would have missed had we gone on our own. Seeing the fossils and learning the history was very interesting. Interesting. The information center is very small but again pretty cool and they do have a couple of guides in there to answer questions as well. We did not go into the gift shop. We were there for about an hour and 15 minutes in total. The bus ride took about 45 minutes. It makes three stops where you get off of the bus and can take pictures and they help you better understand what types of dinosaurs were in the area, why they were in the area, what the area was like millions of years ago. They explain how the fossils and footprints were found, and what they are doing to preserve them.

Yes, dinosaurs really walked the earth and there's proof!! Dinosaur Ridge is one of the top dino track sites in the US. This is an outdoor tour one you can do free on your own or pay a tour guide drive you to the sites and lay out the facts and history. Dinosaurs aren't just for children. This is a place where anyone could learn something new! It's fun to bring all those imaginary dinosaurs to life by witnessing their prints in person!

Very simple close to the city and can be fun but can also quickly get hot as there isn't much coverage from the heat. We done it a couple times and kids haven't asked to go back because they enjoy more forest hikes.

We did the guided tour with Alice and she was wonderful! Great overview of the area history and the various dinosaurs and other creatures who lived in the region. Includes tour of the exhibit hall as well for additional learning. Fun for all ages.

My husband and I took our four year-old who is gaga for dinosaurs to Dinosaur Ridge a few weeks ago and had a nice time. Some things to be aware of that will make your trip better: there is no shade go in the morning or on a cloudy day or if you are gonna go on a sunny day wear sunscreen and a hat. If you're gonna do the free hike, there is some parking on the road. That's a little closer to the trail and then you don't have to park in the parking lot which if your kids are as crazy about gift shops as mine you can avoid entirely however if you choose to do this, that's where the bathrooms are so be aware of that. You can pay to do a bus tour of the of the sites. It was a little expensive for us and we like walking so we skipped that there's also a low cost museum that you could check out but again that's by the gift shop so if you're trying to avoid that maybe pass. You can't drive the trail. It's only accessible by walking or by biking and if you are gonna bike, it is pretty steep so it may not be appropriate for kids.

Such an easy walk and lots of interesting Dino things to see. I would recommend for dinosaur fans of any age.

A great spot for some fresh air and hiking or biking. Car traffic is prohibited, so it's safe. There's a paved road that inclines up for about 3/4 mile, and then down the other side of the mountain towards Red Rocks. Its exit 2 off 470 and there is a dinosaur museum and up the hill you can see dinosaur tracks. I like it for both hiking and road biking - especially when I am training and want to do hill work. As you go up the road near the top, there is a trail to the right. Combining both road and trail is about 1.3 miles each way. Great views.

Not that exciting a bus tour, but if you go, do the bus tour because walking is hell. The footprints are pretty average and they should highlight them in red or something. This is good for kids and the staff and volunteers are nice. The views of the valley are actually the best part inside the park.

This is a great often overlooked area in Denver. Highly recommend for some prehistoric education and astonishment. This is one of the few place where dinosaur footprints exist, especially on this scale. I also recommend getting the walking or bus tour ($) as I think you miss a good bit without it. Also, it helps fund the preservation. Only takes an hour or two.

Thank you Jurassic Jim and Cretaceous Ken for making this trip a blast. We learned so much about Earth's history, dinosaurs, and climate. I was hoping for a new experience and this trip exceeded my expectations; I did not expect to actually hold fossils and bones. Plus we visited on indigenous people's day so we participated in an additional activity on native plants and food. Plan to spend about 2 hours here. I recommend getting the guided bus tour ($18/person). Sit on the left side of the bus (when boarding) for the best views. Alternatively, you can walk the trail on a self guided tour, but it seemed long and hot. The trail does not have a lot of shade and is uphill. Plus our tour guide Cretaceous Ken provided enthusiasm and a wealth of information on the bus and at each stop. The tour is great for all types of learners since you can listen, view the accompanying visuals, and hold/feel the footprints, fossils, rocks, and bones. The last stop on the tour provides beautiful views of the surrounding area including red rocks. Visit the exhibit hall before or after your tour depending on time. It is included with the tour price. Our tour was about 45 min after we arrived so we visited the exhibit hall first. I'm glad we did since we received a private tour and lesson from Jurassic Jim. It is difficult to put into words how awesome he is. He was so welcoming, enthusiastic, and knowledgable. Jim answered all of our questions and entertained us with interesting facts and dinosaur/animal noises. After the tour, we walked through the small gift shop and purchased a few small souvenirs. We also enjoyed watching The prairie dogs in the nearby fenced area. Overall, we had an excellent visit here and recommend this experience to others!

I used to come here for field trips as a kid and recently revisited this local site with some out of town guests. I was incredibly surprised to see how much has changed at this site for the better. First and foremost, there is a visitor center but we decided to skip it as I personally remember the history of the site and how the prints came about and were uncovered so we didn't feel like the $4/person fee was necessary. There is also a shuttle that can take you up the road and drop you off at each site, but it's a nice walk, and again, we decided to forgo this service. The biggest surprise to us was the fact that more dinosaur footprints were uncovered and on display on the mountain than the last time we were here. One thing that was nice was the fact that the footprints were also darkened which some sort of spray that helped us see and highlighted where the footprints are as before, it could sometimes prove difficult to see where the prints were depending on the sun. That issue is no longer prevalent. One other pleasant surprise was the many new signs and plaques dotted around the overall site. It was even easier to understand what we were looking at and how they were preserved thanks to the new signage. This site is something that is fun for the whole family, and it's amazing to see real dinosaur footprints so well preserved. It's definitely something you can't miss!

This is the third time I've visited Dinosaur Ridge but it was the first time to visit with my grandkids (under the age of five). The first two times I visited, I was younger and in better shape (and the weather wasn't quite as hot as it was today) and we walked to the top of the ridge. Today, being older (and wiser??) - with the grandkids and a hot afternoon, we only walked about half way to the top. Admission is free for anyone willing to walk up the hill. For "smarter" folks, there is a tour bus (fee) that takes you on a guided tour with a couple of stops on the way up. For walkers, there is also an audio tour that you can download to your phone for $6.00. There are some REALLY GOOD, well preserved dinosaur tracks and a number of signs that explain what you're looking at and the history of the region. The tracks are easy to find and to see. They definitely attacted the interest of my grandkids. As with any site of this nature, there is a visitor's center and the obligatoury gift shop. Outside the gift shop is a "sand box" where kids can dig and try to find dinosaur souvenirs.

My daughter went on a field trip here and she raved about it for days! She absolutely loved it!!! From her experience she definitely recommends bringing your family here and have some good walking shoes!

Wow what a fun and easy day adventure this was for us! This place is a must see if you have kids who love dinosaurs. Great way to get them outside and exploring. We took the shuttle up and it dropped us off so we could walk around the whole site. Staff is so friendly and informative. We loved the little museum and so cool that the kids could touch most of the stuff and ask the expert lots of questions!

Dino Ridge is an interesting place. A small parking lot and associated building. There is a teeny tiny museum. Most of the attractions are up the hill near the place. We decided to hike up to look at some of the sites and that was a bad mistake. That is one steep hill. We made it to the main hillside which was pretty amazing but immediately turned around. HIGHLY recommend paying for their tour tram.

We went here with our grandsons. There is a bus tour, but we opted for some exercise after Christmas treats the day before. The road along the ridge is paved and only open to the vans, so very accessable. There were lots of interesting fossils. The walk is 2 miles round trip. There is a nice gift shop and a visitor center with a paid exhibit. Boys were tired, so we skipped that. Near Red rocks park as well, but that is for another day too. I would highly recommend.

Loved loved loved it! Very informative! My 5 yo grandson did start to get a little bored but he was very inquisitive. We took the bus tour and our guide was very good. He took his time and explained everything where we understood. There were other little things for the children to enjoy as well. A must

It was amazing to see all the dinosaur footprints! There was a nice little walk up the hill and plenty of signs to explain what you're looking at. If you don't want to walk, they offer a shuttle service. My mom and I were visiting from out of town and it was definitely a unique experience worth having.

A great place to see dinosaur foot prints and learn about their history in the area. The mile and a half hike up the ridge offers insight into the past with interpretive signs. We got the audio tour. At www.Colorado.com you can get the audio tour for free. I strongly recommend getting one. It can be downloaded to your phone. The fee into the exhibits is $3 a person. They have a bus tour up the ridge for $15 if you cannot manage the hike. A great place to visit when in the area.

Definitely a cool place to visit, people inside are super nice and know how to carry a conversation. The Real exhibits are outside, it's about a 2 mile loop at altitude but honestly it's not a big deal. " bring plenty of water" 2-3 hours is more then enough time to visit and Red rocks amphitheater is right across the street. The views are also absolutely spectacular.

It was a nice workout to walk the entire thing and interesting. A great place to walk and talk. Dino footsteps were pretty remarkable!

Dinosaur Ridge is a super interesting spot. My kids are both into dinosaurs so I've spent a lot of time at museums and Dino events, but I've never seen anything quite like what's at Dinosaur Ridge. There are two small buildings on the property (an exhibit room and a gift shop), but most of it is a hike along the actual ridge with spots of interest highlighted. The hike is great (though I recommend taking the bus up and then walking down). We were there for Girl Scout Day at Dinosaur Ridge, which is an awesome event if you have a scout. There were lots of booths set up from different organizations with chances to learn about geology, geocaching, paleontology, and many other things as well. Definitely recommend it if you're in the area and have a nice day to go for a walk.

Dinosaur Ridge is a really interesting, fun spot with authentic fossils and dinosaur tracks as well as exhibit halls and fun kid activities. Our group of 6 included two kids, ages 6 and 8. We first went to the auxiliary building which is small but has some very interesting exhibits - and nice restrooms. The restrooms at the main exhibit hall are just porta potties. This building is the Discovery Center and is at 17681 W. Alameda Parkway, Golden, 80402. We got directions to the main area which is about 10 minutes away. It's the Visitor Center and Gift Shop at 16831 W. Alameda Parkway. The tours and activities are at this location. When we got there about 11am the parking lot was almost full. People seemed to have parked randomly and left very little room to drive through. The streets leading up to the building were full of parked cars and I'm guessing those people were hiking in the area - which does have trails. We first stopped at the small shack to get our tickets for the bus tour - which leaves every half hour. Then we went inside to look at the exhibits. There are several dinosaur statues that are very realistic looking and some interesting, informative exhibits. The bus tour is just under an hour and I highly recommend it. I do think that kids 7-8 and up would enjoy it the most. Our 6 year old was a little bored and didn't really understand all the information. Our guide was great and covered so many fascinating facts. The dinosaur tracks and fossils we saw were from 150 million years ago to about 100 million years ago. (Cretaceous and Jurassic periods). It's possible to walk along the areas we stopped at from the bus tour but it's quite a hike. After the bus tour we had to check out the gift shop which had so many dinosaur and Colorado related goodies. The kids wanted bags of sand that the could take over to the panning for gold area. The friendly staff member there showed them how to pour their bags into a straining pan and wash the sand away to reveal their treasures. Each bag had about 15 different stones and a geode - which the girls loved. There's also a big sand box area with shovels for the kids to dig for fossils and they get to keep one per kid. That activity is free. I recommend planning on at least 2-3 hours to see everything - and don't forget the sun block!

Dinosaur Ridge is pretty interesting! I would stop at the Visitor Center first to get an idea of how you want to tackle this experience. I will start out by saying that we did the FREE option, which means you walk about 1.5 miles up a paved trail with a slight incline. There are various things to see along the way with signs at each stop that detail what it is you're looking at. It looked like they had a guided walking tour and a bus tour, which may provide you with a more fulfilling experience, but also isn't free. Either way, it's pretty interesting to see things from millions of years ago. It's hard to wrap your mind around that. I don't think I would make the drive out here just to see Dinosaur Ridge, but it's worth stopping by if you're already going to be in the area.

My family and I loved the guided tour of Dinosaur Ridge, as well as the small exhibit hall and dig for fossils area. The exhibit hall is really small, only about 20 minutes worth at a leisurely pace. It has some very good exhibits though, and the docent was excellent. My kids enjoyed digging for fossils, and they appreciated getting to keep one. We signed up for a guided tour on a bus, which is helpful because it's a long, steep walk up the hill and you miss out on alot of information without a guide. Minus one star for not being able to book guided tours online. By the time we arrived at 9:20 the next tour was not until 11am. We had to wait awhile, and I would have appreciated being better able to be efficient with our vacation time if we could just book before we left and go right into a tour. Otherwise, excellent, informative tour with great stops and a friendly guide.

This is an amazing place where you can see actual dinosaur footprints fossilized into the earth. They discovered many bones too. The bus ride was so good! The drivers are so knowledgeable about the area and they stop and let you get out along the way. Highly recommend visiting here. Well worth your time.

A short (50 minute) bus tour but extremely informative and interesting. Totally worth the price and our guide was really funny and knowledgeable. Who doesn't love dinosaurs? Learn about the first discoveries of the stegosaurus, apatosaurus, and the allosaurus. Also you get to see one of only a few raptor prints in the world. And it's all right in the natural beauty of the Colorado hills. An awesome stop! If you're adventurous, you can hike it for cheaper and look at your own pace as well.

This is one of the best places to see dinosaur footprints, a must see if you are a dino enthusiast.

This was one of my favorite parts of my trip to Colorado. Seeing the fossils still embedded in the rock was very cool and the preserved prints were awesome! They have a great audio tour. I definitely spent too much in the gift shop, but it was all just so cool.

We went at 8am, before the gift shop and museum opened. The morning was still cool, and we had quiet time to take in the sights alone. The walk is tough, especially if you're from sea level and not in great shape! But we took our time and enjoyed the walk. So neat to see the foot prints.

One of my favorite places to still revisit, we used to go here a lot because we only live a couple miles from there. It's a great geologic tour to see all the information about the dinosaurs who used to walk this particular area and to walk around areas that were created millions of years ago. What a beautiful, clear all taking a hike with one of my best friends. Thank you Sandy for joining. I WOULD recommend.

Cool place and pretty views. I liked looking at the dinosaur prints. The trail wasn't too difficult or long but it wasn't shaded so it does get hot.

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

While I am sure the bus tour would be interesting, that didn't seem like the best idea given the coronavirus, so we passed on that and just visited the museum, gift shop, and walked a bit of the trail. All of the staff were very friendly and they were taking social distancing and capacity limits very seriously, which I appreciated. The museum isn't all that much to look at, but the cost is low and you can tell that the volunteers have a true interest in the subject matter. Found some great stuff in the gift shop, too! Please support this institution, you can tell that they could really increase their offerings if they had a bit more funding.

I decided to stop here to see what they recommended as a hiking trail, and we were greeted by friendly faces. They have a little exhibit that is roughly $6 and it is mostly educational for children. They have dinosaurs in the area for kids to play with. Colorado is such a beautiful state, and it offers a lot of hiking trails and I think in order to know where most things are this should be a quick stop.

Lived in CO 16 years and this year was my first time visiting. We had out of town guests visiting from Wisconsin, and one of them loves dinosaurs. we thought this field trip would be a great opportunity to explore in addition with to the other dinosaurs exhibitions in CO. Plus we were seeing the NEWEST Jurassic Park movie after the ridge tour. Staff is super friendly and highly recommend parking and taking their shuttle and guided bus tour for the experience but also for the amazing knowledge that the staff shares about each stop along the ridge. It is walkable and bike friendly and free to walk in but cars are not allowed unless with a tour. There is a small exhibit, museum and outdoor activities for kiddos. We had a blast and there are some incredible views at the ridge of Red Rocks. This is great and accommodating for all ages. The Dinosaur Ridge area is one of the world's most famous dinosaur fossil localities and only located west of Denver. LOTS OF DINO footprints and tracks plus some rare fossil findings too! Cool fossils of Apatosaurus and smaller prints of a young Stegosaurus.

The dinosaur tracks were super cool, loads of them and very well marked. The main path was paved and an easy walk. The trail was moderately challenging but so worth it for those gorgeous views.

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!

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

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

Dinosaur Ridge was pretty interesting! While we definitely expected more, it was still fun to poke around. I do believe that parts of the indoor location are mostly geared towards children, but nevertheless a good adventure for someone coming in from out of town. We didn't do the guided tour. We hiked up the ridge and looked at the tracks and read the signage for a self-guided tour. It was fun for pictures all in all, but not something I'd ever revisit. The hike itself is uphill and not shaded, so definitely bring a water bottle and a hat!