Since my kids were little we’ve spent a good portion of our vacation time searching for dinosaur fossils and tracks! My oldest and I have even participated on a few excavations, and it’s something we truly bond over! Here’s 8 of our favorite locations to see tracks on public or accessible land across the state, and one not so easy, but definitely worth a mention!
1.Big Bend National Park, Rio Grande River While scores of dinosaurs have been found in the Big Bend Region of Texas, the only tracks to be seen aren’t for the faint-hearted, and I haven’t seen these myself, since they are only accessable via a week long river trip on the Rio Grande!
2. Bosque River, Hico to Iredell These tracks are a conundrum, since the best way to access the tracks, except for making friends with a local landowner, is to kayak down the Bosque River. The problem is that if the water is high enough to kayak, you’re probably not going to see the tracks. What has worked best for us is to pack plenty of water and a lunch and just get in the river when it’s low and hike down to see the tracks. While the river is public land, be sure not to climb up the river banks, which are private property.
3. Cibolo Nature Center, Boerne Take a hike on the trail to see the dinosaur tracks. The Nature Center also has a Farmers Market each Saturday during the Summer, so pair them up for a fun visit!
4. Dinosaur Valley State Park, Glen Rose One of the most famous sites in the state, the Dinosaur Tracks at the State Park are easily seen along the Paluxy River. In fact, at the Blue Hole Swimming Area, you can even swim up to one!
5. Government Canyon State Natural Area, San Antonio Located in a slow-draining dry creekbed, these tracks are hard to spot after a rain. Call the State Park for information before driving out.
6. The Heritage Museum of the Texas Hill Country, Canyon Lake One of the most significant trailways of dinosaur tracks, there are over 28 different tracklines, with over 200 tracks dating back to 110 million years ago!
7. Leander Dinosaur Track, 601 S. Gabriel Drive, Leander (parking) You’ll need to wear a pair of water shoes to head down to the San Gabriel River to see the tracks in the riverbed, but even when there is water, you can see the tracks! Use caution and courtesy when visiting this FREE site!
8. McFall Mountain and the Creation Evidence Museum, Glen Rose There was a time when you could pay $5 to access the tracks and then spend the day playing in the river, but now the tracks are being incorporated into the Creation Evidence Museum, which offers a great Public Dig each Summer to unearth more tracks along the river. The 2020 excavation will be June 29-July 3rd. $10/day.
9. Walnut Creek, Springtown A mom and her kids spotted these tracks while on a hunt in the creek bed in town for arrowheads! This is an easy walk down to the tracks, located in a park in downtown!
Keep Having Fun in the Texas Sun!
Michelle
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