Triceratops Trail is perfectly partnered with Dinosaur Ridge. If you can only visit one, Dinosaur Ridge is the easy choice, but Triceratops Trail adds more obviously foot shaped bulges as well as plant impressions and even raindrops to your experience. Triceratops Trail earned its name because one of the footprint bulges is possibly from a T Rex. They are locked behind a little cage to prevent theft/damage.
We were visiting on the 4th of July weekend, which ended up being a fun time to visit, because Golden had a street fair going on. Dinner in Golden afterward combined with the street fair made it a memorable day for the kids!
Pros: Less crowded than Dinosaur Ridge, and I thought the raindrops were amazing.
Cons: Paid parking. If you visit in 2016/2017 the bike path that takes you from the parking lot to the trail is closed, so you’ll want to see this website for directions. http://www.dinoridge.org/
Distance/Difficulty: 1.5 miles round trip, largely flat.
Directions: Park at the paid parking lots on the southeast side of the 19th Street and 6th Avenue intersection in Golden.
Trail Teaching:
- Triceratops Trail shows much younger footprints/impressions than Dinosaur Ridge. Triceratops Trail gives a peek into life 68 million years ago versus Dinosaur Ridge’s 100 million year history.
- While there are not as many signs as on Dinosaur Ridge, there are still educational plaques to help you learn about the imprints and bulges you’ll see.
Photos:
