RMAG On the Rocks Field Trip:

Dinosaur Ridge and the Morrison Natural History Museum

June 15,2019

On Saturday, June 15th, join us for a family friendly RMAG On-the-Rocks Field Trip as we discover the natural wonders of Dinosaur Ridge and explore the Morrison Natural History Museum, both located a short distance west of Denver.

The trip will start on the west side of Dinosaur Ridge at the Discovery Center. Our geologist and paleontologist tour guides will share their expert knowledge of fossils and other unique geologic features as we walk the 1.5-mile Dinosaur Ridge Trail to the ridge’s east side. The Trail is a paved section of the West Alameda Parkway that is open to pedestrians, bicyclists and hikers and closed to through traffic. Dinosaur Ridge’s world-famous sites boasts more than 300 amazing dinosaur tracks, leading it to be ranked the #1 tracksite in the nation by paleontologists. It is also the location of the world’s first Stegosaurus discovery, Colorado’s State Fossil. The Trail has more than 15 fossil and geologic sites, each marked by interpretive signage. Dinosaur Ridge has been designated by the National Park Service as a National Natural Landmark and named by the State of Colorado as a Colorado Natural Area.

The Dinosaur Ridge Trail walk will end at the Visitor’s Center featuring an extensive gift shop and Exhibit Hall, Dinosaur Ridge’s mini museum, with displays that support the geology and paleontology of the ridge and surrounding area. After the Visitor’s Center stop, participants will be shuttled back to the Discovery Center where we will break for a picnic style lunch (please remember to pack lunches and leave in coolers in your car while we spend the morning on the ridge). After lunch, participants will drive about 10 minutes, through the town of Morrison, to the Morrison Natural History Museum. There we will be given a tour of some of Morrison’s world- famous fossils including the original bones of the very first Stegosaur, Apatosaur and the first ever baby Stegosaur foot prints. The tour will introduce us to the variety of life and environments that existed in Morrison over the last 150 million years. We will also visit the museum’s state of the art prep lab and take a turn preparing some Jurassic fossils. The Museum tour is expected to take approximately two hours.

Time permitting, there will also be an opportunity to explore the Rock Garden and hike the Time Trail behind the Museum. Labels along the trail will point out highlights of geologic and paleontological interest.

Trip Time Line:

9:00 - Meet at Discovery Center and start walking

11:30 - Finish walk at Visitor Center

11:30 - 12:00 Gift shop and exhibit time

12:00-1:00 - Shuttle to Discovery Center and picnic time

1:15 - Arrive at Morrison Natural History Museum

3:30 - Finish up for the day

Please bring a sack lunch and plenty of water for the picnic! It is advised to bring a cooler for your food items.

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