Dinosaur Ridge

Morrison, Colorado

Our indoor exhibit hall, Trek Through Time, is located at our Main Visitor Center (16831 W. Alameda Parkway). Trek Through Time is a hands-on way for you and your family to learn about Dinosaur Ridge and the surrounding areas. Designed to simulate a walk through diverse environments at different prehistoric dates, Trek Through Time features five sweeping, back-lit murals, which greet visitors and help bring to life Colorado’s ancient environments.

Tickets to the exhibit hall are included in our tours and walks but can also be purchased separately. Plan your visit.

Please note: Many of the touchable and hands-on experiences have been temporarily removed to protect the health and safety of our staff, volunteers, and guests.

Picture of Trek through Time 165 million years mural displayThe Murals and Maps

Five scenes were painted in acrylic by world-renowned paleoartist Michael W. Skrepnik, and were digitized, enlarged, and back-lit. These scenes, measuring from five- to eight-feet wide, nearly jump off the wall! The content is based on fossil and geological evidence from Dinosaur Ridge, Triceratops Trail, Green Mountain, and several other locations in Colorado and Utah.

The Fossils

Fossils in glass cases highlight the bone, plant, and footprint evidence from the Dinosaur Ridge area. Several large replica trackways of local dinosaurs, a crocodile, and several wading birds line the walls in full-size displays, all for touching and exploring.

Kids love Trek Through Time!  Interactives like the Goldilocks Footprint Experiment and the Dinosaurs in Our Backyard Computer Kiosk can be manipulated and explored, showing kids concepts such as how footprints are preserved and how layers of rock form.

Picture of Trek through Time Tracks of the Dakota displaySeveral hands-on Touch Carts in the Exhibit Hall also satiate kids’ desire to poke, prod, and touch things, and provoke questions such as, “What was this unusual thumb used for?” Replica fossils sit atop these carts, including skulls, claws, teeth, horns, and tracks. All replicas are meant to be touched and explored!

Thank you to the following individuals and entities for their help with the Trek Through Time exhibit:

  • Triebold Paleontology for the Pteranodon life restoration model and the Elasmosaurus skull replica! Triebold Paleontology operates out of the Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center.
  • Dinosaur Brokers for the mounting and prep of the replica Brachiosaurus skull and the Edmontosaurus arm and leg.
  • University of Colorado Denver Dinosaur Trackers and Dr. Martin Lockley for the wonderful track replicas on display!

The following also contributed to our exhibits:

VOLUNTEER DOCENTS NEEDED IN TREK THROUGH TIME!

Welcome visitors to our Trek Through Time exhibit hall, answer questions, offer guidance throughout the exhibit, and collect tickets and occasional payments. You’ll share the wonders of paleontology and geology with almost 250,000 visitors annually. Training is provided. Volunteer today.