Entry No. 17 — the Santa Fe file — filed under: paleontology

Ruth Hall Museum of Paleontology at Ghost Ranch

A one-species shrine to Coelophysis, a small Triassic predator whose bones turned up by the hundreds in a single quarry on the ranch's own land — including specimens pulled from an 8-ton plaster jacket that had to be crane-lifted onto a flatbed truck in 1985. The actual mass-death quarry, now a National Natural Landmark, is a short hike from the museum door.

The move: Buy the day pass, study the Coelophysis slabs indoors, then hike Kitchen Mesa Trail together to stand at the real excavated quarry before the museum closes.

• 📍 Abiquiu, NM (Ghost Ranch)
• 💸 $
• ⚡ Up for anything
• 🌗 Indoors

Where: 280 Private Drive 1708, Abiquiu, NM 87510

Hours: Added 2026-07-20 — confirm current hours before you go.

Plan a visit & invite your people →

Further reading: Official site · insidesantafe.com

last checked: 2026-07-20