Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
With time and pressure the porous bones begin to absorb the minerals from the dust and
stone, which replace the original cell structure of the bones, turning them into fossils.
BEST DINOSAUR SITES
Before embarking on your dino-tracking tour, make sure to stop by the Denver Museum of Nature & Science
(
Click here
)
. A good primer for what you'll see in the field, the prehistoric wing has the most complete
Stego-
saurus
skeleton discovered. Excellent field sites include the following:
»
Dinosaur National Monument
(
Click here
) The quintessential stop for dinophiles of all ages is in northern
Colorado; the visitor center is set in a quarry with views of over 1500 prehistoric bones embedded in the cliff
face.
»
Picketwire Dinosaur Tracksite
(
Click here
) The largest documented site of its kind in North America, there
are as many as 1300 visible
Allosaurus
and
Apatosaurus
tracks, left behind as they migrated along the muddy
shoreline of a large prehistoric lake in the state's southeast.
»
Garden Park Fossil Area
(
Click here
) Also in the southeast, this is one of Colorado's largest Jurassic grave-
yards. It was the stage for the so-called Bone Wars, an academic battle to discover new dinosaur species.
»
Dinosaur Ridge
(
Click here
) Kids love the footprints and fossils; it's the closest dinosaur option to Denver.
