Millions of years after the last dinosaurs roamed the earth, these prehistoric reptiles still fascinate. Maybe you’ve got a nephew or niece going through that phase where all they want to do is share their favorite dinosaur facts — from the fearsome T-Rex to sillier-sounding varieties like Gasosaurus and Pantydraco. (They’re all real names; you can look them up!)
Imagine their glee when you tell them there is a place in Texas (not far from Ft. Worth) where you can literally walk in the primeval footprints of ancient dinosaurs. Dinosaur Valley State Park in Glen Rose, TX, is an archaeological wonderland that takes visitors on a journey back in time. With its picturesque landscapes and rich geological history, the park has become a hotbed for paleontologists and dinosaur enthusiasts alike. Unearthed within its grounds are some of the world’s most diverse, well-preserved dinosaur tracks, offering a unique glimpse into the lives of these ancient giants.
The park is located along the banks of the Paluxy River, which played a pivotal role in creating the dinosaur tracks. Over millions of years, the river’s flow and periodic flooding allowed for preserving the tracks within the soft, sandy limestone beds. As the water receded, the imprints left by the dinosaurs were left undisturbed, slowly becoming embedded in the geological strata. The muddy river bottoms were the perfect environment for dinosaurs to leave deep prints so well-defined that visitors can see the imprints of the nails on the animals’ claws.
Through the years, those prints were filled with silt and sediment that protected the details as time and pressure converted the mud into limestone. The area around Dinosaur Valley was quite a gathering spot for dinosaurs, specifically two species who left behind the evidence of their roamings around the river.
Acrocanthosaurus was a 15-foot-tall omnivore that was part of the therapod family of dinosaurs, characterized by clawed, three-toed rear feet upon which it walked upright. Acrocanthosaurus left the most fascinating and detailed prints seen in Dinosaur Valley. Still, the plant-eating Sauroposeidon would have been the most dramatic sight in the park, stretching more than six stories tall to eat leaves from the tops of trees and weighing in at 44 tons — as heavy as two filled tractor trailers. The footprints of the Sauroposeidon aren’t as prototypically “Jurassic Park-ish” as therapods, but the enormous round impressions left by the massive beasts can be three feet across!
Fossil hunters and amateur paleontologists discovered the remarkable dinosaur tracks of Dinosaur Valley State Park in the early 20th century. The site quickly gained recognition for its abundance of tracks, and the Texas Board of Parks and Wildlife officially designated the area as a state park in 1972. This being Texas, visitors can even bring their horses to ride around the park. But keep in mind that there is no potable water other than the Paluxy River, so you’ll have to BYOB (bring your own bucket.)
Many of the best-preserved tracks lie beneath the waters of the Paluxy, which protects them from too much human traffic and fills them with silt to limit erosion over time. Occasionally, the river level drops enough to expose some truly jaw-dropping sights. The recent spate of extreme heat and drought has temporarily dried up the river to unveil a long trail left by a single Sauroposeidon strolling through the mud 113 million years ago.
Not seen since the year 2000, the “Lone Ranger” trackway gets its name because it was obviously made by one dinosaur, although other animal tracks cross the path along its amazing 350-foot length covering 140 steps. The prints are so deep and detailed that people seeing them on Instagram have expressed doubts that they are authentic, claiming that the park crew must have planted them there as a tourist trap. Rest assured, they are very real, and park researchers have been discovering and documenting prints in the area since the beginning of the 20th century, long before anyone gave the first “like” on the ‘Gram.
The latest drought has exposed new prints around the park, including some so detailed that scientists can determine that the Lone Ranger must have slipped in the mud during his trek. Researchers are carefully brushing the sediment out of the newly discovered prints to measure, photograph, and document them before the river rises again to protect the treasures for who knows how long.
Given the park’s significance as an archaeological treasure trove, conservation efforts are a focus of the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department. A delicate balance must be struck between allowing visitors to experience the tracks firsthand while preserving them for future generations.
To protect the tracks from erosion and human impact, raised boardwalks and viewing platforms have been installed to ensure visitors can explore the area without damaging the delicate imprints or disrupting the surrounding ecosystem. In addition, strict regulations and guidelines are in place to safeguard the fossilized treasures.
In the future, visitors may not have such open access to these significant artifacts from the Early Cretaceous era, so if you decide to see these marvels in person, please be thoughtful about how close you approach as you hike on the 20+ miles of trails in the park. Dinosaur Valley State Park does limit the number of visitors, so make a reservation in advance for an eight-dollar day pass or to rent a campsite.
Happy tracking!
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For more ideas about where to take an educational vacation, visit StyleBlueprint’s Travel archives.
