Entry No. 161 — the Denver file — filed under: raised dino tracks
Triceratops Trail
A free, 1.5-mile gravel trail through a reclaimed clay-mining canyon where 68-million-year-old Triceratops and Tyrannosaur tracks protrude outward from vertical sandstone walls as raised negative casts — the inverse of a normal footprint, as if viewed from below the mud surface — alongside fossilized palm fronds. Designated a National Natural Landmark in 2011, it's one of the only places on Earth where you can see dinosaur tracks this way.
The move: Park free on weekends in Jones Lot A off 19th St, then walk the 1.5-mile loop together, stopping at each interpretive panel to find the "outies" — challenge each other to spot the raised three-toed Tyrannosaur print and the four-toed Triceratops tracks bulging out of the canyon walls. Bring lunch and finish with a cold beer at one of Golden's nearby breweries (Cannonball Creek or Barrels & Bottles are a short drive away).
📍 Before you go The trailhead hides at the southwest corner of Jones Lot A, a Colorado School of Mines lot one block east of 6th Avenue and 19th Street — head east on 19th and turn onto Jones. Parking is free on weekends but paid on weekdays, and only a couple of spots sit right at the trailhead; on busy days fall back to street parking on Tangent Way or the Mines Park lot, reachable via a pedestrian underpass beneath 6th Avenue. It's free, self-guided, and flat gravel — about an hour round trip — with no restrooms or shade, so bring water and sun protection. The raised "negative-cast" tracks read best in low, raking morning or late-afternoon light. For deeper context, time a visit to one of the "Walk with a Geologist" events, or pair it with sibling site Dinosaur Ridge just down the road before those Golden breweries.
- 📍 Golden
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: Trailhead at Jones Lot A, 19th Street & Jones Road, Golden, CO 80401
Hours: Mined 2026-06-07 — confirm current hours before you go.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: dinoridge.org · visitgolden.com · nps.gov
last checked: 2026-06-07