Dinosaur Valley State Park

Situated along the Paluxy River about an hour outside of Ft. Worth, Dinosaur Valley State Park is an absolute dream to visit. Well, it is for those of us who like to dream of fast moving, hungry carnivorous dinosaurs. 113 million years ago, the area was the muddy edge of the sea and apparently a dinosaur thoroughfare. The tracks were first documented over a hundred years ago after a flood exposed the tracks. Although erosion is slowly whittling away many of the documented tracks, more are being exposed every big weather event, as the water of the Paluxy continues to do it’s thing, year after year. If ever you wanted to truly feel like you were walking with these glorious creatures, you have found the right place.

As you enter the park, you will no doubt notice two gigantic fiberglass models; an Apatosaurus and a Tyrannosaurus rex donated to the park in 1970, after being shown at the 1964/65 New York’s World Fair. Alas, they are more fun than historical as neither of these dinosaurs left their mark in the Paluxy mud. Do stop to take some photos and please be absurd- who wouldn’t want that background for holiday cards or your Linkedin profile.


So, what kinda tracks are we talking?

There’s several different types of dinosaurs representin’. The most prolific and easiest to identify are mostly from Acrocanthosaurus, a bipedal therapod that wasn’t much smaller than a T-Rex. Had those two met in a dark alley, it’s a toss up who would walk away from that fight. You can find their clawed, three toed tracks all over the place, from dinosaurs of all ages- including a baby that was clearly booking it.

You’ll find evidence of herbivorous sauropods, which are the triangle-ish and rounded tracks- some include little indents for their five toes! Dino beans! Sauroposeiden can be 70 foot long (think “brontosaur”). You can see adult and juvenile tracks at the park. Remains have also been found nearby; these dinos are also known by the name Paluxysaurus jonesi Rose. 

The Denio Site has a lot of dino diversity documented, including a squiggle, possibly a track from a giant prehistoric invertebrate. At this site you can also see claw marks that likely came from a swimming dinosaur (maybe a Spinosaur) and prints with an elongated heel, which may have originated from a Ornithomimid (which resembles a modern ostrich). 


This was definitely a hopping prehistoric beach.

Extreme drought in 2022 and 2023 dried up the river and banks and volunteers and park officials were able to uncover many more previously undocumented stretches of dino prints. The Ballroom Site became a social media frenzy space (so much so that park rangers labeled it as such on printed maps). Near the Denio Site you’ll find a newly named Paul Baker site. Over the two decades I’ve been visiting this park, it’s been really interesting to watch previously exposed tracks disappear with erosion only to find new, well preserved tracks come to the surface. It’s such a treat. 

I like to come to the park when there is still water in the river. The Paluxy tends to dry up in the summer even in non-drought years, which makes it easier to hike to the tracks, but I find it a lot more fun to tube and splash to the different track sites myself. Having the water as an added relief to the heat is lovely, so consider a trip in the spring or fall if you’re able. I’m sure “Tubing with the Dinosaurs” is bound to be a thing one day. 

The river tends to “big flood,” so over the years I have seen attempts made to make the park more accessible, much of that work is quickly undone by a big weather event. If you would like details about accessibility, please contact the park directly for the most up to date information. This park is highly toddlerable, but do be careful about being in the sun too long.

Glen Rose, TX, is delightful. Make sure to plan ahead as it is definitely a sleepy little Texas town and therefore things tend to close early. 


If you live further south and can’t quite commit to the trip to Glen Rose at this time, I do suggest checking out the tracks in the South Fork of the San Gabriel, by Leander: www.batcitytreks.com/home/austin-hikes/dinosaur-footprints-leander

From their website http://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/dinosaur-valley/map 

Directions:

The park is located four miles west of Glen Rose. Take U.S. Highway 67 to FM 205 for four miles to Park Road 59; then go one mile to the headquarters. Use the honor box located at headquarters to pay fees after office hours.

The Park HQ is located at:

Latitude (degrees, minutes, seconds) N:  32° 14' 46.50"

Longitude (degrees, minutes, seconds) W:  97° 48' 48.13"

Links for More Information:


Thanks to the 2022/2023 extreme drought (we needed at least one silver lining!) additional tracks were exposed- such a big find several national and international publications picked up the story, included the New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/24/science/dinosaur-tracks-texas-drought.html?smid=url-share 


Although, I feel it’s fairly easy to happen upon the tracks, the park’s website features a very handy guide and mapping tool you can use to hit the main sites:  http://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/dinosaur-valley/dino-tracks  


Into Geocaching? https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/parks/things-to-do/geocaching/ 


The park has abundant camping sites available and apparently a bring your own horse policy, if roaming nature in a saddle is your thing. For more information, please visit http://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/dinosaur-valley 

Park Info:


1629 Park Rd 59

Glen Rose, TX 76043

Telephone (254) 897-4588

Entrance Fees


First Published 2014 

*Post Updated September 2023