Dinosaurs

Wyoming is a state for dinosaurs. If you want to see evidence of their existence, come here. National Geographic had a "top ten" list sometime this last year compiled by a dinosaur expert. Wyoming was one his picks for places to find dinosaur artifacts. 50 different kinds of dinosaurs have been discovered in Wyoming, and skeletons from here are in museums all over the world.

If you like dinosaurs, try some of these spots:

The Wyoming Dinosaur Center in Thermopolis. They have a museum with mounted dinosaur skeletons and you can tour actual dig sites. Besides, Thermop is a great town to spend some time in.

Red Gulch Dinosaur Track Site: when you leave Thermopolis, drive north into the Big Horn Basin through Worland to Greybull and then turn east on US 14 towards Shell. Along the route you'll find a turn for the track site. It is a couple miles south on a dirt road. This is a fabulous spot for kids and adults alike. Out in the high desert, where there used to be a tropical sea, there are actual dinosaur footprints where there used to be a beach. There is nothing in the world like dinosaur tracks! There are interpretive signs, and a picnic area.

Western Wyoming Community College has a large dinosaur exhibit.

The University of Wyoming Geology Museum, in Laramie on the University campus, houses skeletons of dinosaurs and other early mammals, including large aquatic mammals.

On US highway 30 between Rock River and Medicine Bow, there is a site called Como Bluff. It is on the north side of the road. There is a queer little cabin/museum, the Dinosaur Fossile Cabin Museum, which is only open in the summer. It is made entirely of dinosaur bone fragments. It is private property, so be careful, but you can see and read a little.

An interesting piece of related trivia: Wyoming is apparently one of only two states to have both a state dinosaur (the Triceratops) and a state fossil (a small fish called Knightia). See if your state has a state fossil here.