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Dinosaur Journey Museum – Fruita

Hosted by the Museum of Western Colorado, Dinosaur Journey Museum features hands-on, interactive exhibits. See real fossils, cast skeletons and robotic reconstructions of various dinosaurs. It’s located in Fruita, which is part of the Dinosaur Diamond, a scenic driving tour of the Southwest.

One of the newest exhibits is a large Triceratops skull, possibly one of the largest ever found. There’s also a working laboratory where fossils are prepared for display, a simulated earthquake ride and a “quarry site” where kids can uncover actual dinosaur bones.

Address: 550 Jurassic Court, Fruita , CO

Phone: 970-858-7282

Season: Year round

Website: museumofwesternco.com/dinosaur-journey

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Tickets & prices Dinosaur Journey Museum - Museums of Western Colorado

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Admission prices & discounts for tickets to Dinosaur Journey Museum - Museums of Western Colorado in Fruita

The following overview lists the admission prices and various discounts and discount codes for a visit to Dinosaur Journey Museum - Museums of Western Colorado in Fruita . All prices are displayed per age group or reduced rate group. You can also directly book your discounted online ticket for the Dinosaur Journey Museum - Museums of Western Colorado here, if available, or make a reservation to reserve a timeslot if applicable.

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Hairpin turns greet drivers in Colorado's Fruita Canyon.

Dinosaur Diamond Prehistoric Highway

Loop through western Colorado and eastern Utah on I-70, US 40, 191, Utah 128, Colorado 139 and 64

Distance: 480 miles

Time: 3 to 4 days

Season: Spring through fall. Some side trips are on unpaved roads that can be impassable after rain or snow; check locally before proceeding.

Traces of prehistoric “thunder lizards” highlight the route through an expanse of Utah and Colorado. Dinosaur fossils and footprints date from 150 million years ago, when conditions were right for preserving the bones of huge plant-eaters and those of the fierce carnivores that preyed on them. As you drive this loop, you’ll pass rugged red-rock canyons, spectacular geological formations, and cottonwood-lined rivers flowing through rolling, arid, high-plains terrain.

Before visiting Dinosaur National Monument , begin your trip just over the Colorado state line near the town of Dinosaur . A 31-mile scenic drive starts at the park visitor center and winds north to Harpers Corner , near where the Green and Yampa Rivers meet.

You may want to head straight for the national monument’s Dinosaur Quarry north of Jensen, Utah. At the visitor center here you can see thousands of fossils of many species of dinosaurs.

Then follow US 40 west to Vernal. In the Dinosaur Garden outside the Utah Field House of Natural History State Park Museum are 18 life-size models, including the predator called Utahraptor, discovered in 1991. The museum itself is full of dinosaur skeletons and exhibits.

Vernal is also the headquarters for the Ashley National Forest , through which the route passes as US 191 heads west and south into Indian Canyon. Cliffs rise steeply beside the road as it climbs into coniferous forest at 9,100-foot Indian Creek Pass and then heads down to the small town of Helper. The Western Mining and Railroad Museum has exhibits on coal mining and railroads.

The route follows the Price River to Price—another must-stop for dinosaur buffs. The Utah State University Eastern Prehistoric Museum displays fossil dinosaurs and a cast of a mammoth skeleton.

For more dinosaurs, take a short side trip off the main loop. From Price drive south on Utah 10 for 12 miles to Utah 155 and turn east to Elmo and Cleveland. Follow signs to Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry , which has the most concentrated collection of Jurassic-era dinosaur bones known anywhere.

Back in Price, the loop heads southeast for 60 miles through rolling terrain and washes to meet I-70. Go east 25 miles and continue south on US 191. In about 15 miles, turn west on Mill Canyon Road (impassable after rain) to reach the Mill Canyon Dinosaur Trail . Your next side trip off US 191 might be on Utah 313 to the Needles section of Canyonlands National Park where you can catch a glimpse of the Green River before it joins the Colorado.

Just before you reach Moab on 191, you’ll find Arches National Park , the premier showcase of the rock formations that have made this region famous. More than 2,000 natural arches are here, as well as buttes, spires, and a vast variety of other shapes. Many formations can be seen from park roads, especially in the Windows area.

After Arches you can visit Moab , famed as a center of outdoor activities in this red-rock country, or pick up the Colorado River Scenic Byway .   Over the state line, stop in Fruita to visit the Dinosaur Journey Museum , full of robotic dinosaur models, fossils, interactive displays, and dino-themed exhibits. After your museum visit, drive to Dinosaur Hill (1 mile south on Colo. 340) and view past excavations of several important dinosaur finds.

Fruita is the western gateway to Colorado National Monument , with its gorges and monoliths. Get an overview of the park along 23-mile Rim Rock Drive, a paved road with overlooks and interpretive areas offering far-reaching panoramas.

The loop returns to its start along Colo. 139, which climbs to excellent views at 8,240-foot Douglas Pass. The highway passes through Canyon Pintado National Historic District , a “painted canyon” with more then 200 Native American pictograph and petroglyph sites. Roadside signs identify several of these sites as you drive north to Rangely.

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Map and information originally published in National Geographic's Guide to Scenic Highways and Byways

Side Drive: You may have encountered Native American petroglyphs before, but it's unlikely you've ever seen anything like the 600 symbols inscribed on the front page of Newspaper Rock.

Don't Miss: The "Wall of Bones" at Dinosaur National Monument's Quarry Exhibit Hall features more than 1,500 dinosaur bones still embedded in a rocky cliff face.

Be Safe: Many unpaved roads in this area are suitable for ordinary cars, but they often become impassable when wet, so be sure to check the weather forecast before setting out.

Motorcyclist Memo: When riding through this arid landscape, drink water early and often to avoid the dangers of dehydration.

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Who We Are: Meet Julia McHugh, Dinosaur Journey Museum’s new curator of paleontology

Local Local | Jul 28, 2014

Editor’s note: Who We Are features men and women embodying Grand Valley’s unique spirit. Send nominations to [email protected] .

When Julia McHugh took over Dinosaur Journey Museum ’s open curator of paleontology position June 23, she hit the ground running — working in the field all but a handful of days, which culminated with the extraction of 6-foot-7-inch long, 2,800-pound Apatosaurus femur from the Mygatt-Moore quarry last week . The site, located just a few miles from the Colorado/Utah border, is home to a variety of prehistoric fossils, both dinosaur and aquatic.

“I’m having a blast,” she said. “This is a great area for paleontology. There’s so much right outside.”

McHugh took over from longtime curator, John Foster, who recently moved on to work for the Museum of Moab .

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“She’s really good,” Foster said of McHugh. “She definitely bonded quickly with the volunteers. I’m looking forward to working with [Dinosaur Journey] on future projects.”

Before moving to Grand Junction, McHugh worked for Oklahoma State University’s Center for Health Sciences in the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology. She was the senior research assistant for the anatomy and vertebrate paleontology track.

“I assisted in faculty research labs for vertebrate paleontology, and managed the volunteer program and public outreach,” McHugh said.

While in Oklahoma, McHugh also worked as a research associate with Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History . She received her Ph.D. in 2012 from University of Iowa’s Department of Geoscience and previously studied at both Idaho State University and Hanover College in Indiana.

“This job [at Dinosaur Journey] was written like it was made just for me,” McHugh said. “Right now I‘m taking stock, learning the lay of the land and status of the museum. Then I’m coming up with a vision for the next 10, 20 and 50 years. You always have to be moving forward.”

One long-term project McHugh would love to accomplish is a joint expansion on Dinosaur Journey’s Fruita site with The John McConnell Math & Science Center of Western Colorado , which is currently located in Grand Junction.

“It would be a math and science campus for [grades] K-12,” she explained, with a shared education building. “We’re still in negotiations with the City of Fruita. Nothing is set in stone at this point.”

McHugh also traces her first dinosaur dig to Mesa County in 1997.

“It was a dig in Wyoming that was done through Dinamation International, the company that was here and built this building,” she said.

According to McHugh, her interest in geology and paleontology is long-standing, originally stemming from a childhood passion for rocks.

“Mom has a photo of me at 18 months, sitting in a flower bed in a dress looking at scoria. I got into fossils at age 13.

“My favorite dinosaurs are the same ones I liked as a kid,” she added. “Apatosaurus is my favorite herbivore and Allosaurus is my favorite predator. They’re both prevalent in Grand Junction.”

Besides sharing her passion for paleontology through tours, volunteer-based dinosaur digs and community outreach, McHugh will also be teaching classes (one each semester) at Grand Junction’s Colorado Mesa University . This fall she will instruct an Introduction to Geology class; then in spring she’ll teach an Introduction to Paleontology class.

When McHugh isn’t working, she loves to travel and dabble in photography, documenting her trips across the world.

For more information about Dinosaur Journey Museum, visit http://www.museumofwesternco.com/visit/dinosaur-journey .

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Outdoors | Colorado’s 10 best dinosaur destinations, from…

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Outdoors | colorado’s 10 best dinosaur destinations, from museums to track sites and quarries, from the denver museum of nature and science to the remote dinosaur lake in la junta, colorado is a fossil hotbed.

The Rocky Mountain West has unparalleled access to artifacts from the dinosaur age because the uplift that formed the mountains unearthed layers of rock that were buried for millennia prior, said Bruce Schumacher, senior paleontologist with the U.S. Forest Service.

That’s why when development companies start digging on new projects, they often stumble across dino remains . Even the Colorado Rockies’ triceratops mascot, Dinger, was inspired by fossil fragments found during the construction of Coors Field.

Because of that, the state boasts a robust paleontology community which, in turn, means many fossils end up on display locally. All the better for would-be dinosaur hunters.

Here are 10 places across Colorado where you can walk literally in the footsteps of long necks, see rare discoveries and even join an excavation.

Where to walk amongst the dinosaurs

Dinosaur ridge (morrison).

One of Colorado’s most iconic dinosaur locales is also one of its most easily accessible. Dinosaur Ridge in Morrison is a quick detour off I-70 and replete with fossils and tracks that are visible from a paved, two-mile road. The site includes a visitors’ center with indoor exhibit halls, kid-friendly digging areas and a gift shop. Those looking for more adventure can traverse the Triceratops Trail, a 1.5-mile gravel path that starts in Golden and provides access to a rare Tyrannosaurus Rex footprint. Be aware that Dinosaur Ridge is immensely popular, welcoming about 250,000 visitors per year. Guided tours are available in both areas. Free; more information at dinoridge.org .

Dinosaur National Monument (Dinosaur)

The town of Dinosaur adopted its name in 1966 as a harbinger of its greatest asset, the Dinosaur National Monument. The 210,000-acre monument encompasses desert canyons in both Colorado and Utah where visitors can recreate and get a prehistory lesson. The most famous attraction is the Quarry Exhibit Hall, located in Utah, which features a vertical rock wall where 1,500 dino bones have been carefully excavated so they are visible as they would be at an active dig. While there aren’t fossils on the Colorado side of the monument, there are numerous places to camp, hike, raft, see petroglyphs and take a scenic, dinosaur-inspired drive. Day entry costs $15 to $25 depending on your vehicle, or it’s included with the purchase of a national parks pass; more info at nps.gov/dino/index.htm .

Picket Wire Canyonlands (La Junta)

Southeastern Colorado is home to North America’s largest tracksite, which features more than 1,900 prints representing more than 130 different dinosaurs. Nestled deep within the Picket Wire Canyonlands (part of the Comanche National Grasslands near La Junta and Trinidad), hikers need to trek more than 11 miles round trip on foot to visit Dinosaur Lake in the remote Purgatoire River valley. But folks say it’s worth it to see the thousands of tracks from herbivorous sauropods, carnivorous theropods on two legs, and even tracks from what experts believe to be a familial herd of dinosaurs . Free; more information at fs.usda.gov/recarea/psicc/recarea/?recid=77620 .

Rabbit Valley Trail Through Time (Mack)

If you’ve ever wanted to see a working quarry, the town of Mack, about 30 miles west of Grand Junction, is the place. The Rabbit Valley Trail Through Time is a 1.5-mile walkable loop that skirts a quarry where excavators have found thousands of bones from Jurassic-period giants like Camarasaurus and Allosaurus. The site turned up one of the oldest known fossils from a species called Iguanodon. Free; more information at blm.gov/visit/rabbit-valley-trail-through-time .

West Gold Hill Dinosaur Tracksite (Ouray)

One of the world’s most intriguing dinosaur tracksites recently became part of the public domain. The West Gold Hill Tracksite in Ouray is unique because of both its size and pattern, which show a sauropod taking 134 consecutive steps and making a 270-degree turn. The tracksite has long been an open secret among locals, but since the U.S. Forest Service acquired the land where it resides in April, the agency is now prompting its whereabouts. Expect a steep hike up to 9,300 feet in elevation to see the prints in person. Free; more information at fs.usda.gov/detail/gmug/news-events/?cid=FSEPRD1171521 .

Where to see bones at their best

Dinosaur Journey Museum (Fruita)

Located in Fruita, about two hours south of the Dinosaur National Monument, the Dinosaur Journey Museum includes an exhibit hall with Jurassic-period fossils, life-size skeletal recreations, and animatronic dinosaurs including a T. Rex. Of particular note on display is a species called Fruitadens, one of the smallest non-bird dinosaurs ever discovered named for the town of Fruita where scientists found the first fossils. The museum also invites locals of all ages to join in real dino digs each summer. Tickets cost $9 for adults and $5 kids; more information at museumofwesternco.com/visit/dinosaur-journey .

Denver Museum of Nature and Science (Denver)

There’s lots to explore at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, but dinosaur lovers will want to start on the building’s third level where skeletons tower over the exhibit hall and immerse visitors in the dinosaur age. Exhibits cover the ages pre- and post-dinosaurs, so patrons can learn about ancient plants, reptiles and mammals, and how the climate has evolved. There are also fossils guests can touch and an Earth Sciences Lab where volunteers prepare fossils for onsite displays. Tickets cost $24.95 for adults and $19.95 for kids, with additional fees for access to additional attractions like the planetarium; more information at dmns.org .

Morrison Natural History Museum (Morrison)

Located five miles from the show-stopping Dinosaur Ridge, the Morrison Natural History Museum contextualizes Colorado’s role in the dinosaur age with fossil displays, history through the Ice Age, and hands-on exhibits. The museum, located in a refurbished cabin, is fueled by ongoing research that it does in-house as a nonprofit organization. It allows non-professionals to join excavations, too. General admission tickets cost $18 and kids’ admission costs $12; more information at morrisonco.us/335/Morrison-Natural-History-Museum .

The Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center (Woodland Park)

The Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center near Colorado Springs is something of a showroom for its parent company, Triebold Paleontology, Inc. , which has been collecting fossils since 1989. Its founder Mike Triebold is said to have discovered several “firsts” in the field, such as the first complete and intact skeleton of Protosphyraena perniciosa , a prehistoric fish. In 2022, the Triebold Paleontology team discovered a juvenile T. Rex and many of the bones they have so far are on display, including shoulder bones and vertebrae. The bones indicate the animal was injured while alive and some also have gnaw marks on them from after it was deceased. Tickets cost $13 for adults and $9 for children; more information at rmdrc.com .

Royal Gorge Dinosaur Experience (Cañon City)

At the Royal Gorge Dinosaur Experience in Cañon City, visitors don’t get to just look at fossils and relics, they also get to play among them. In addition to a 10,000-square-foot museum, the venue includes a digging area for kids to excavate their own treasures, a “wild walk” that takes patrons through a landscape dotted with life-size animatronic dinos, and two ropes courses that offer aerial views of all of the above plus the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and the Royal Gorge Bridge. The venue is near an active quarry called the Garden Park Fossil Area , the site of the Bone Wars in the 19th century , so you could swing by both places on one trip. Tickets range $15 to $41.95 for adults and $12 to $31.95 for kids depending on how many attractions you want to experience; more information at dinoxp.com .

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Dinosaur Journey Museum to host “Dinos on the Rocks”

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KJCT) - The Museums of Western Colorado have announced that Dinos on the Rocks, a cocktail-tasting fundraiser, will be taking place at the Dinosaur Journey museum in Fruita.

The event is scheduled for August 3rd with VIP entry beginning at 6 p.m. and general admission at 6:30 p.m. The event is expected to end at 9:30 p.m. Dinos on the Rocks will feature cocktail tastings, appetizers, desserts, a silent auction, and games for attendees to enjoy while taking in the educational aspect of the Dinosaur Journey Museum!

General admission is $70 per ticket and VIP Admission is $95 per ticket. Event attendees must be 21+. Everyone will need to provide a form of ID in order to enter.

Proceeds from Dinos on the Rocks will support Dinosaur Journey’s efforts to update exhibits and enhance educational programs to ensure the museum continues to inspire wonder and curiosity about the prehistoric world.

Tickets can be bought here .

More general information about the Museums of Western Colorado can be found here .

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