Open Air Museums, Treat with Care
Copper Ridge
Dinosaur Tracksite
The Copper Ridge site, north
of Moab, features the tracks of a sauropod (long-necked dinosaur) and the
theropod (meat eating dinosaur). The many different kinds and sizes of dinosaur
tracks make Copper Ridge unique. The preservation of the tracks is fantastic,
and this site is well worth a visit. There are tracks made by a sauropod
(probably a Camarasaurus, Apatosaurus, or Diplodicus), as well as Allosaurus
and small mammal tracks, all dating back to the Jurassic period. The BLM has
placed interpretive signs in the area, and parking is less than 100 yards from
the site.
How to get there:
From Moab, go north on US Hwy 191 for 23 miles.
Turn right ¾ miles past milepost 148. Cross the railroad tracks and follow
signs south on the dirt road. It is 2 miles to the tracks from the highway. If
coming from the north, (I-70), turn left ¼ miles past milepost 149 and continue
south on the dirt road.
Dinosaur Stomping
Grounds
A gradual up-hill 1.5 mile
hike is required, 3 miles round trip. The pedestrian trail parallels a mountain
bike trail then branches off, follow rock cairns to the Jurassic age tracksite.
How to get there:
From Moab,
go north on US 191 for 23 miles. Turn right 3/4 mile past milepost 148. Cross
the railroad tracks and follow the main road for 1 mile. Take the right fork
(left fork goes to the Copper Ridge Dinosaur Tracksite) and continue for just
over half a mile to the North Klondike Mountain Biking Trailhead parking area.
Trail departs from here. http://www.blm.gov/ut/st/en/fo/moab/recreation/hiking_trails/dinosaur_stomping_ground.html
Mill Canyon
Dinosaur Bone Trail
Get a glimpse of an era when
huge creatures roamed the earth. Dinosaur bone still encased in rock may be
viewed in Mill Canyon by following a short nature trail near the Monitor and
Merrimac trails. This is a short self-guided interpretive trail. There are
signs along the way. Free pamphlets from the Dogwood BLM office, Moab
information center and on http://www.discovermoab.com/pdf/Mill%20Canyon%20Dinosaur%20Trail.pdf
How to get there: Drive 15 miles north of Moab on Hwy 191, turn left
onto a dirt road marked Mill Canyon. This road is just north of milepost 141.
Cross railroad tracks. Proceed 0.6 miles on this dirt toad to a “Y”
intersection. Keep left for 0.5 more miles to reach the intersection to the
Mill Canyon Dinosaur Bone Trail. The trailhead will be 0.6 miles farther. The
dirt road crosses a short sandy wash.
Poison Spider
Dinosaur Tracksite
Two rock slabs with
footprints of meat-eating dinosaurs are visible from the pull-out on Hwy 279 or
the parking lot of the Poison Spider trailhead. One slab is at the base of the
cliffs, a second slab is halfway down the slope, just above the cliff that
drops down to the road. The lower slab contains the tracks of at least 10
different meat-eating dinosaurs, ranging in size from 17 inches to 5 feet at
the hips. All of the animals appear to have been walking at speeds of 3 miles
per hour.
How to get there: From the center of Moab, travel north on Hwy 191 for
5.9 miles and turn left on Hwy 279. Continue 6 miles to the Poison Spider
trailhead. Parking lot is up on the top of the hill.
Willow Springs
Dinosaur Tracksite
The Willow Springs stie
features the tracks of theropods and ornithopods (three-toed dinosaur) and
those from sauropods (long-necked dinosaur). The numerous tracks at this site
were made about 165 million years ago by dinosaurs waling in the tide-lands of
an inland sea that lay to the east of this area. The tracks are preserved in
the hard sandstone of the Entrada Formation. Theses tracks have been exposed
for numerous years, and the tracks are beginning to erode. The sauropod tracks
may appear as only potholes to the general viewer, with the three-toed tracks
being easier to see. The BLM has placed interpretive signs in the area.
How to get there:
From Moab, go north on Hwy 191 for 12 miles. If
coming from I-70, go south on Hwy 191 for 18.7 miles. The tracksite is 3.4
miles off of Hwy 191, on the Willow Springs Road. A wide loose sand wash will
have to be crossed.
Localities like these are
rare and need to be preserved for generations to come. Please be cautious and
considerate when observing these dinosaur Bones and tracks. Do not walk on the
actual fossils. Collecting vertebrate fossils from Public Lands is illegal and
violators will be prosecuted. Any disturbing, casting, rubbing or pouring
anything into the fossils, including tracks, is expressly forbidden under
federal regulations [43 CFR 8365.1-59a0 910].
Help the BLM preserve these
paleontological resources for future generations by treating them with respect
and reporting looting or vandalism to a Bureau of Land Management ranger or
other local authority. Contact BLM –Utah Moab Field Office at (435) 259-2100,
82 East Dogwood, Moab; US Forest Service Office at (435)259-7155, 755 N Main
St., Moab.
