Hot spots to discover dinosaurs and fossils in the US
Dinosaurs disappeared from the face of the earth millions of years ago, but they are far from forgotten. These strange and often fearsome creatures still inspire fascination in grownups and, especially, in kids across the country.
The States are full of exciting fossil sites that still attract a lot of dinosaur fans. People get to live a personal experience in the past world of the massive beasts.
If you would like to have a dinosaur adventure, then check this list of the best dinosaur sites from all over the US. Are you ready?
Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry, Cleveland, Utah
Utah has the biggest number of significant fossil digging sites, especially of allosaurus skeletons, which form the largest Jurassic bone collection ever found. Allosaurus was a big and scary meat-eating beast with an enormous skull and sharp teeth.
The Visitors Center is administered by the Bureau of Land Management, and it offers ranger-led hikes. The quarry is very important in the development of scientific understanding and for education. If you take your kids on a weekend trip to Utah, don’t miss the museum.
Dinosaur Valley State Park, Glen Rose, Texas
About 80 miles south of Dallas, in the bed of the Paluxy River, visitors are able to see dinosaur evidence all over. There are tracks found near the park that testify to the existence of the non-avian dinosaurs that inhabited the area.
The Dinosaur Valley State Park often organizes clean-out day where they invite people to help with the cleaning of the tracks that get full of debris. The park is perhaps the single most famous dinosaur site in the country.
La Brea Tar Pits and Museum, Los Angeles
La Brea tar pits are a group of tar pits where natural asphalt has been seeping up from the ground for thousands of years.
This natural asphalt or tar hides many skeletons and bones from prehistoric animals. It’s strange to imagine that saber-toothed cats and wolves were once running on the street of Los Angeles, but the truth is that there is a tar pit just in front of the museum where their skulls were found.
Nash Dinosaur Track Site and Rock Shop, South Hadley, Massachusetts
If you want to see dinosaur footprints and visit the first place in the US where they were found, then visit Nash Dinosaur Track Site. What you’ll see here is the region’s longest-running and most productive dinosaur footprint location.
Visit the museum where you can see a variety of dinosaur fossils and dinosaur tracks. Also, you can make an unusual purchase in the Rock Shop and buy your own dinosaur tracks, fossils and all kinds of minerals.
Dinosaur Ridge, Morrison, Colorado
Morrison fossil area is one of the richest dinosaur sites in the country, and is where you can see the tracks of the Stegosaurus, Apatosaurus, Allosaurus, and Diplodocus. On the west side of Dinosaur Ridge, there are rocks that date from the Jurassic Era.
In these same rocks, the notable geologist Arthur Lakes discovered dinosaur bones in 1877. The giant footprints are the most impressive part of the Ridge. You can hire a guide who will give you a tour around the most famous fossil sites and you’ll get to walk the same path as the dinosaurs did millions of years ago.
There are plenty of locations across the US where you can go and see traces of the largest creatures that once roamed the earth, the dinosaurs.
You may not be a fan, but you must admit it’s extremely exciting to see the remains of the beasts that we see in the movies. The coolest thing of all is dinosaurs were real, not a part of a fictional story. Visit and protect the geological heritage of the country.
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