Entry No. 41 — the Dallas file — filed under: giant-rocks
Big Rocks Park
Big Rocks Park is a free city park where the Paluxy River has sculpted massive Cretaceous limestone boulders into a natural playground of rounded caves, cracks, and wading pools right at the river's edge. Glen Rose — the self-styled "Dinosaur Capital of Texas" — sits on these same fossil-bearing limestone formations, making every rock you scramble over a piece of the deep past.
The move: Pack sandwiches and water shoes, then spend an afternoon hopping and scrambling across the giant limestone boulders while wading through the shallow, spring-fed Paluxy — after, walk the Riverwalk upstream to Heritage Park and poke around the dinosaur tracks the river keeps exposing in the riverbed.
📍 Before you go This is a Glen Rose city park roughly 75 miles southwest of Dallas, so plan it as a day trip rather than an evening run. Park in the small lot off Barnard Street, or leave the car at Paluxy Heritage Park and follow the Riverwalk down to the rocks. Late spring through late summer is the sweet spot, when the spring-fed Paluxy runs low and clear; after heavy rain it can turn high and fast, so check water levels first. Bring grippy water shoes, since the limestone gets slick. It is walking distance from the historic downtown square, and Dinosaur Valley State Park is a short drive away.
- 📍 Glen Rose
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: 1014 SW Barnard St, Glen Rose, TX 76043
Hours: Mined 2026-06-07 — confirm current hours before you go.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: visitglenrosetx.com · Atlas Obscura · Tripadvisor
last checked: 2026-06-07