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Phone: (303) 697-3466 Fax: (303) 697-8911 Mailing Address: 16831 W Alameda Pkwy Morrison, Colorado 80465
Downloads:
Self Guided Tour Brochure (Coming Soon)
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Self-Guided Tours of Dinosaur Ridge |
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| Interpretive signs, describing fossil remains and other important features,
have been placed along the 1 1/4 mile stretch of West Alameda Parkway over Dinosaur Ridge.
Visitors are welcome to tour this 'outdoor museum' and see dinosaur tracks
and bones in situ without a tour guide. The Ridge is open
from dawn to dusk. Guidebooks giving more complete information
for each stop may be purchased at the Visitor Center (open Monday-Saturday from
9am-4pm, Sunday from noon-4pm). There is no charge for
walking or driving across the ridge, but walking is recommended because parking
is limited on the ridge, and stopping on the highway is both dangerous and
illegal.
Note: Self-guided school/scout groups are welcome to visit the Ridge, however, it is advised that you call us in advance to be sure that no other groups or events are already scheduled - Many self-guided groups who do not call in advance arrive to find that large groups of students are already situated at most of the stops along the Ridge. Self-guided tours start at the Visitor Center at the base of the east-side of the hill, and proceed to the south up the ridge. For a virtual tour of the Ridge, click on any of the location names below. |
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| 1) | ||
| 2) |
Historic Rooney Ranch - Homesteaded in 1860s (private property-closed to public). |
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| 3) |
Western Interior Seaway - Of 100 million years ago (marine fossils) |
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| 4) |
Mangrove Swamp - Cretaceous plant fossils in the Dakota Sandstone. |
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| 5) |
Dinosaur Tracks - Over 300 footprints of plant-eating and carnivorous dinosaurs |
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| 6) |
Trace Fossils - Trails and burrows of small invertebrates in Cretaceous tidal flats |
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| 7) |
Ecology - The present habitat of Dinosaur Ridge for plant and animal communities |
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| 8) |
Ripple Marks - Evidence of waves & currents along Cretaceous beaches |
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| 9) |
Denver Basin - A giant basin lies beneath Denver, where the rock layers seen on the Ridge lie two miles beneath the surface |
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| 10) |
Oil and Gas - Deep burial of Cretaceous seafloor muds produced fossil fuels |
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| 11) |
Hogbacks - The Dakota Ridge Hogback was formed when soft sediments were eroded away |
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| 12) |
Cretaceous Time - First appearance of modern flowering plants |
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| 13) |
Geologic Puzzle - What do you think it is? |
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| 14) | ||
| 15) |
Geologic Overview - Red Rocks Park and the formation of the Rocky Mountains |
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| 16) |
Faults - Evidence of past earth movements. |
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| 17) |
"Bronto Bulges" - Jurassic dinosaur tracks in cross-section |
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| 18) |
Jurassic Time - Paleo-Environments in the 150 million year old Morrison Formation |
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| 19) |
Dinosaur Bones - Site of the 1877 discoveries; Stegosaurus, Diplodocus, Apatosaurus... |
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| Guided Tours>> | ||
