Dinosaur Valley State Park
Dinosaur Valley State Park is one of the top landmarks in north central Texas. Featuring the limestone, sandstones and mudstones formed by being the shore of an ancient sea, it is a unique place. This composite of different stones, coupled with the sculpting of the Paluxy river, brought to the surface the harder rocks bearing fossils and bone.
Dinosaur Valley State Park is less known for the discovery of skeletons than the footprints of ancient dinosaurs found in the rock bed that make up the park's river bottom. Because of this, much of the tourism is done on boats with transparent bottoms so that the prints may be viewed. There are also prints above ground that can be looked at.
It is believed that many, if not all, of the footprints are roughly 65 million years old. This makes them slightly younger than Jurassic period dinosaur prints, but still on the tail end of that era. This means that the footprints are still impressively large, although not quite as massive as some prints from the Jurassic period.
As many of the prints at Dinosaur Valley State Park are under the water, it is strongly suggested that you call in advance to check on river conditions. If the water is high or agitated, there will be low chances that the boats will be running or that the prints will be very visible.
As much of the tourism relating to dinosaurs is weather permitting only, there are a variety of other activities for the family. Ranging from long hiking trails, campsites, backpacking trails, an equestrian area, outdoor amphitheater and an interpretive center, there is a lot that can be done at the park both relating to dinosaurs and for unrelated entertainment.
There is a $5 / day entry fee to Dinosaur Valley State Park, with additional fees for access to some of the camping facilities. The fees to the camping facilities are dependent on the type of camping you are planning. If you are planning on taking advantage of the backpack trails and camping area, you will need to check the weather. If the river is swollen, access to the backpacking trails may be cut off, as they are across the water from the entrance to the state park. It is suggested that you call in advance to reserve a place if you want to use the camping sites with water and electric hookups, as availability is limited.
