In certain parks and areas, visitors can witness the footprints left by dinosaurs firsthand.
Places Preserving Dinosaur Footprints
Many people believe that traces of dinosaurs only exist in museums or special exhibitions. However, at various locations, you can walk in areas where dinosaur footprints have been left behind. Evidence of the creatures that once dominated the Earth has been discovered across the United States. Below are the parks that allow visitors to see dinosaur footprints up close.
Clayton Lake State Park, New Mexico
This site preserves more than 50 footprints of different dinosaur species, all perfectly preserved for about 100 million years. One of them is identified as a footprint approximately 30 cm long from a juvenile Iguanodon. Larger footprints found here belong to species that stood about 9 meters tall. Additionally, one trace shows a dinosaur slipping in the mud before regaining its balance. (Image: SaveLWCF).
Dinosaur State Park, Connecticut
Approximately 2,000 footprints identified as those left by carnivorous dinosaurs can be found here. The perfectly preserved footprints were accidentally unearthed in 1966 when a bulldozer excavated the area. At the park, visitors can walk through areas that showcase traces of vegetation existing during the Jurassic and Triassic periods. (Image: TripAdvisor)
Dinosaur Footprints Reservation, Massachusetts
Dinosaur footprints were discovered here earlier than in other locations, in 1802. Excavations revealed 800 footprints along the Connecticut River. These footprints are identified as belonging to one of the first dinosaur species on Earth. One of the footprints here is identified as belonging to small herbivorous dinosaurs, while larger traces belong to the Tyrannosaurus rex. Some fossils of Jurassic plants have also been found in the area. Additionally, fossilized ripples indicate that this area was once a body of water. (Image: TripAdvisor).
Picketwire Canyonlands, Colorado
Picketwire is currently the site with the most dinosaur footprints in North America. Here, visitors can hike 18 km to see about 1,900 fossilized footprints discovered in the area. After leaving the Withers Canyon trail, visitors have the opportunity to see 130 different footprints belonging to Allosaurus and Brontosaurus. Based on the footprints, it is believed that Brontosaurus lived in herds. (Image: David Mendosa)
Bull Canyon, Utah
Here, visitors have the opportunity to witness three-toed footprints belonging to theropod dinosaurs. These carnivorous dinosaurs existed about 200 million years ago, hunting in areas rich in trees and swamps. This raises the hypothesis that this area was once a lush vegetation zone with many natural lakes, rather than a barren region resembling a desert as it is today. (Image: Twitter).
