Northern Utah Dinosaur Museums
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George S. Eccles Dinosaur Park
Located in Ogden, the George S. Eccles Dinosaur Park is an eight-acre outdoor museum with full-bodied creatures of the Dinosaur Age, including prehistoric crawlers, predators, marine creatures and flying reptiles dating from the Permian through Cretaceous periods. Realistic sculptures of more than 125 dinosaurs fill the park in a native Utah setting, all reproduced based on the findings of fossil skeletal remains, and accentuated by a high-quality sound system. The 16,000-square-foot museum includes exhibit space, a large paleontology laboratory, offices and a lecture hall.
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Museum of Ancient Life at Thanksgiving Point
Twenty minutes north of Provo in the town of Lehi, you’ll find Thanksgiving Point, a sprawling museum complex, that includes the Museum of Natural Curiosity, with more than 400 interactive experiences; Farm Country, a working farm where visitors can see the usual, and not-so-usual, farm animals; and Ashton Gardens, a 55-acre botanical garden that includes the largest, man-made waterfall in the Western Hemisphere. It’s also home to The Museum of Ancient Life, an exhibit that features a gallery of 60 complete dinosaur skeletons and more than 50 hands-on exhibits.
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Natural History Museum of Utah
The Past Worlds exhibit at the Natural History Museum of Utah in Salt Lake City features an outstanding display of paleontology. It covers eons of Utah's history and includes a frequently updated display of the latest dinosaur finds — such as Utah's state fossil, the Allosaurus, and a dozen other dinosaurs found in the state.
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Utah Field House of Natural History State Park Museum
In the heart of “Dinosaurland” in Vernal is a can’t-miss virtual tour of our earth’s ancient history, housed in a grand 22,000 square-foot facility. Here you’ll see countless fossils (and a live Fossil Lab), dinosaur skeletons from surrounding quarries, educational exhibits and cultural displays. A highlight is the Dinosaur Garden, an outdoor diorama with numerous full-sized dinosaur replicas, including a 20-foot Tyrannosaurus and a six-ton Stegosaurus.
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Utah State University Eastern Prehistoric Museum
Utah State University Eastern Prehistoric Museum in Price houses fossils from more dinosaur species than any other museum in the country. World-class exhibits of the region’s unique paleontology, archaeology and geology can all be found under one roof.
Southern Utah Dinosaur Museums
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Dinosaur Discovery Site at Johnson Farm
The Dinosaur Discovery Site at Johnson Farm in St. George preserves thousands of dinosaur footprints at the original site of discovery. Experts converged on the site to verify and reveal an extensive “trackway." Many other fossils have been found in the area (fish bones, dinosaur bones, leaves and plant seeds and aquatic animal shells) that have allowed paleontologists to reconstruct the approximately 200-million-year-old ecosystem, with a clarity that some call “unprecedented” and a “rarity for rocks of any time period.”
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Dinosaur Museum of Blanding
If you’re planning a trip to Moab and Arches National Park, take a quick drive south to Blanding near Bears Ears National Monument to visit its one-of-a-kind Dinosaur Museum. The museum features a large display of dinosaur eggs and pieces of actual fossilized skin. Don't miss the exhibit on the important role dinosaurs have played in pop culture, media and movies.
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Moab Giants Dinosaur Park and Museum
Start your journey at the Moab Giants Dinosaur Museum by watching a 3D-film about prehistoric life. Then wander about the museum and use the touchscreen terminals to learn more and play educational games — technology is a big part of this museum. Take advantage of the viewing windows to look into labs where scientists are conducting a range of research projects. You are encouraged to do your own experiments as well, by creating fossilized tracks to learn how they were originally made and preserved in stone.
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Utahraptor State Park
Just 15 miles outside of Moab, Utahraptor State Park is a new state park, dedicated to protecting the Dalton Wells area where the famous Utahraptor dinosaur fossil was discovered. While this is a sensitive area that is undergoing plans for expansion – including two campgrounds and a trail system for hiking, mountain biking and ATVs — consider a visit when the park is complete and fully operational.
"Utah offers one of the world's largest collections of mounted dinosaur skeletons interspersed among actual discovery sites."
In Nature & On-Site
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Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry
The Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry within Jurassic National Monument in the northern part of the San Rafael Swell (about 33 miles south of Price, Utah) invites visitors for some hands-on learning. This area is home to the densest collection of Jurassic-era dinosaur fossils ever unearthed — more than 12,000 individual bones, belonging to at least 74 different dinosaurs. Why are there so many? That’s a mystery that you can ponder as you tour the museum and hike on the outdoor trails. Visit one of two bone deposit structures where paleontologists and volunteers can be seen at work during the field season, adding to the site's impressive resume.
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Copper Ridge Dinosaur Trackways near Moab
Try out this 15-minute easy trek to see tracks in the red rock likely left by the Apatosaurus and the Diplodocus. To get there, head south on U.S. 191 toward Moab. At mile marker 148, turn east on a dirt road to the trailhead for Copper Ridge Dinosaur Trackways.
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Dinosaur National Monument
Northeastern Utah’s dinosaur legacy comes to life at Dinosaur National Monument, where geological and climatic forces have tilted, warped and eroded the earth’s crust to reveal a treasure trove of fossils. Located on the Utah border with Colorado, there is something for everyone here. Take your pick of touring the dinosaur quarry, going on driving tours around the park, hiking the nature trails, backpacking, whitewater river running, taking photos, bird-watching, fishing, general sightseeing and biking.
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Dinosaur Tracks Trail near Moab
This is an 0.2-mile easy hike above the Colorado River to a tilted boulder featuring the tracks of the three-toed Allosaurus. It’s perfect for families to discover ancient trackways together.
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Hanksville-Burpee Dinosaur Quarry
This 10-acre quarry in the San Rafael Swell is a fossil hunter’s mecca. Scientists first started researching here in earnest 11 years ago and the excavation site has yielded the discovery of thousands of pounds of dinosaur bones. This is definitely a site for the more advanced and patient dino searcher, with a summer volunteer program or expert-led quarry tour.
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Moccasin Mountain Dinosaur Tracksite near Kanab
It doesn’t get much more picturesque than being surrounded by beautiful sandstone cliffs as you hike this 0.5-mile round trip trail. Along the way view hundreds of dinosaur tracks with at least six different types of footprints from the early Jurassic time period.
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Red Fleet Dinosaur Trackway
This 1.5-mile trek along a moderately rugged trail at Red Fleet State Park and Reservoir will not disappoint the dinosaur fanatic or the casual hiker. At the trail’s end, you’ll have to work just a little to find the tracks of the 200-million-year-old dilophosaurus, which reside in the slickrock shores of the reservoir.
Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry
Dinosaur footprint in San Rafael Swell
Dinosaur National Monument
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Trekking Along the Dinosaur Diamond Highway
Utah’s Dinosaur Diamond Highway is the perfect guide to experience ancient history, millions of years in the making.
Highlights
- Dinosaur National Monument
- Jurassic National Monument
- San Rafael Swell
- Dead Horse Point State Park
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Southern Dinos and Goblins
From fossils and petroglyphs to slot canyons and goblins, you’ll have four days of “oohs” and “ahhs” for the whole adventuring family.
Highlights
- Moab Adventures
- Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park
- Natural Bridges National Monument
- Goblin Valley State Park
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