Prehistoric Locations Around Denver

Denver was a hotbed of prehistoric activity. A tour of a few spots around the region reveals everything from dinosaur bones to prehistoric human activity.  You will discover these prehistoric sites either in museums or in their original locations. Here are six prehistoric locations around Denver.

Dinosaur Ridge in Morrison

Dinosaur Ridge, located at the base of the Rocky Mountains, is a perfect place to see dinosaur bones encased in stone and dinosaur footprints imprinted in sandstone. The site is part of the National Natural Landmark in Morrison.

Millenia ago, ancient beasts roamed the beaches and shore of a submerged Denver and environs. As the mountains formed , they covered and preserved the remnants of footprints and dinosaur remains. In 1877 Professor Arthur Lakes discovered some of the remains, including the first stegosaurus bones uncovered in the modern age.

Since the 19th Century discovery, more dinosaur bones and Brontosaur bulges (the imprints of the enormous dinosaurs preserved in layers of slate and sandstone) were unearthed. Our favorite site was the slab of Dakota Sandstone where we saw hundreds of prehistoric footprints from Allosaurus, Iguanodons, and Apatosaurus.

Today, you can tour the Dinosaur Ridge site. Bus tours of three discovery points run every half hour. Or you can brave the hike up the inclined mountain to see the remains without auto assistance.

Dinosaur Ridge also has an exhibition hall/museum, kids dig sites, replica dinosaurs, and a gift shop.

Check out our post for a complete guide to Dinosaur Ridge.

Magic Mountain in Golden

Each summer, a team of archaeologists dig at the Magic Mountain site. Archaeologists unearthed remains of a semi-nomadic human population. We believe that these ancients made the region home 10,000 years ago.

Several archaeological digs revealed hunting and cooking utensils used by these ancient peoples. Unfortunately, the site has been ransacked by thieves over the years and centuries of remnants have been lost. As such, archaeologists may never be able to reach a working knowledge of what the prehistoric humans did during these years.

Each summer, the Denver Museum of Nature and Science hosts the archaeologists, and as a special treat, hosts members of the public to the site.

Our family was fortunate to be a part of these summer tours. We learned a great deal about the ancient peoples who lived in the area. As a special treat, we got to dig in the dirt alongside the archaeologists. We learned that archaeology is a painstakingly complex science that requires a lot of time and patience. But, we’ll never forget the chance to dig in the sites, searching for shards of tools or weapons used by the ancestors.

Read about our Indiana Jones-like adventure on our Magic Mountain Archaeological Dig.

Denver Museum of Nature and Science

The Denver Museum of Nature and Science is one of the largest museums of its kind in the United States. One of the highlights of the museum is its extensive collections, “Prehistoric Journey.”

In the exhibit, you get to see a virtual recreation of the planet earth and the epochs showing its formation. From here, you wind your way through the exhibit hall, witnessing examples of marine and terrain life from the earliest marine specimens to replicas of the first human “Lucy.”

Prehistoric Journey leads you up and down floors of dinosaur bones, replica mammals and aquatic life, and casts of dinosaur bones. It is fun to look down upon the bones from an upper floors, but then to also proceed down to the floor where you can walk among the gigantic beasts. The museum also houses some of the finds from the Lamb Springs Archaeological Site (read more about this below).

As you finish winding through the exhibit hall, you can watch scientists chipping away at actual dinosaur bones encased in rock.

Read more about what you can see and do at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.

Morrison Natural History Museum

The Morrison Natural History Museum showcases many of the original specimens found in Morrison, including Dinosaur Ridge. The small museum has representative bones and casts from different eras of prehistoric history.

One of the enjoyable features of the museum is the touch factor. Yes, you can touch the specimens at the museum. Ever wonder how sharp a T-Rex’s teeth were? Simply touch the serrated incisors of the cast.

The museum offers more than dead specimens. You also can see a Herkimer Lizard and a milk snake.

Our favorite part of our tour was heading into the lab where we were able to watch the Museum Director chisel away at a dinosaur specimen, and then get to try our hands at excavating a dinosaur bone ourselves. The kids (and the adults) felt like real paleontologists in the lab.

See what Family Well Traveled got to touch and uncover at The Morrison Natural History Museum.

Lamb Spring Archaeological Site

Ten thousand years ago, southeast of downtown Denver, an ancient people hunted a herd of mammoth. In the 1960s, farmer Charles Lamb uncovered the hunting ground, revealing the final resting place for at least 30 mammoths.

Today, you can tour the archaeological site on select days. After our experience at Magic Mountain, we researched and found this second location where we could see the paleontology remains from 10,000 years ago. I quickly signed us up for the Saturday morning tour.

Our tour first met in the meeting rooms of a local library. Here, a representative from History Colorado Museum told us the history of the Lamb Springs Archaeological Site. We saw a documentary presentation about the site, and then looked forward to our drive to the actual location.

Unfortunately, we thought we were going to dig in the dirt, as we had at Magic Mountain. We were disappointed because this tour did not involve digging. Instead we got to see the pit and field where the mammoth bones were uncovered. There have been a couple of archaeological digs at the site, but the pit and environs have been back-filled with dirt, preserving the specimens in their locations.

This meant that we were unable to see the actual bones and specimens, which was disappointing to us. We did, however, see a replica cast of a mammoth head.

I must admit that it was interesting to hear how archaeologists try to piece together a story based on the specimens found at the site. The large boulders used to kill the beasts are not indigenous to the region, but can be found several miles away at the base of the Rocky Mountains. The scientists believe that the ancient peoples brought weapons and tools from several miles away to the site where they were able to slay the mammoth.

Triceratops Trail in Golden

The trail is administered by the friends of Dinosaur Ridge. Like Dinosaur Ridge, you will see the footprint impressions of triceratops, Edmontosaurus, and T-Rex in the sandstone along the 1.5 mile trail.

In addition, you see the impressions left by beetles, small mammals, birds, palm frond and other plant life. We enjoyed seeing the impressions left by raindrops which fell millions of years ago.

Triceratops Trail is an easy city hiking trail. There is little elevation gain. Parking is located at the Colorado School of Mines, adjacent to the trail.

You Might Also Enjoy:

Want to explore other prehistoric fossils in Colorado? Discover Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument.

Colorado isn’t the only state with prehistoric remains. Read about our trip to see prehistoric specimens in Western Nebraska.

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