Dinosaur Stomping Ground Trail
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Dinosaur Stomping Ground Trail
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Amature, aspiring, and professional paleontologists delight! The Dinosaur Stomping grounds trail is a short hike to an incredible collection of dinosaur footprints preserved in a bed of Entrada sandstone. This hike is a fantastic family outing and a great way to introduce kids to the natural history of this area.
Getting there
Turn off of highway 191 onto forest road 143, 4.8mi north of the Canyonlands Field Airport. Follow the road to the fork and take a right onto the Copper Ridge 4x4 Trail (if your vehicle cannot drive on this trail, there is the option to park at the fork). Follow this 4x4 trail for 0.7mi to the next parking lot.
About
| Backcountry Campground | No |
| When to do | year-round |
| Pets allowed | Yes |
| Family friendly | Yes |
| Route Signage | Average |
| Crowd Levels | Low |
| Route Type | Out and back |
Dinosaur Stomping Ground Trail
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Dinosaur Stomping Ground Trail Description
The Dinosaur Stomping Ground Trail is a fantastic outing for folks of all ages. Access to this trail is along an unmaintained road so driving up in a vehicle with high clearance and 4WD is ideal. The tracks in the stomping ground itself are incredible preservations of footprints that are likely from saurischian theropod dinosaurs from the Jurassic Period. These dinosaurs would have included Dilophosaurus, a 20ft-long, 900 lb predator that lived approximately 193 million years ago! When visiting, please be respectful of these incredible fossils; it is illegal to make casts of or deface the dinosaur footprints. Let’s work together to preserve these spectacular specimens for future generations to enjoy.
From the parking lot, follow the trail as it heads northeast. Within the first 0.5mi, you will cross over two “intersections,” keep straight to stay on track to the Dinosaur Stomping Ground. The footprints are just a mile past the second intersection.
Give yourself lots of time to explore around the stomping grounds before you head home. There are over 2300 individual tracks in this 2-acre area- see how many you can find!
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