Dinosaur State Park

A National Natural Landmark Holding Around 2,000 Early Jurassic Dinosaur Tracks, About 500 Of Them Exposed Under A Geodesic Dome And The Rest Buried For Preservation; Graded To Match Dinosaur Valley State Park In Texas, The Direct Peer Already Seeded At 58 · Rocky Hill, Connecticut

In 1966 a bulldozer clearing ground for a state building in Rocky Hill turned over a slab of Portland Formation sandstone with three-toed footprints on it. Work stopped, the site was excavated, and around two thousand Early Jurassic tracks were found - made roughly 200 million years ago by a large theropod on the mud of a lake margin. About five hundred of them were left exposed and a geodesic dome was built over them; the rest were reburied, which is the standard and correct way to preserve a trackway. The result is one of the largest exposed dinosaur trackways in North America, and you walk on a raised deck directly above it. Outside there are two miles of woodland trails, a conifer arboretum and a plaster station where visitors can cast a track of their own in season - bringing their own plaster, because nothing is sold on site and people arrive without it constantly. The dome is heated and indoors, which makes this one of the better winter outings with children in central Connecticut, and the arboretum outside holds more than 250 conifer species.

400 West Street, Rocky Hill, Rocky Hill, Connecticut, 06067, United States

The exhibit centre under the dome is open most days through the middle of the day and afternoon, with at least one weekday closure - Mondays most often - and closed on several major holidays. The outdoor trails and the arboretum are open longer hours and in some seasons when the dome is not. Track casting in the plaster area outside is seasonal, generally May to October, and visitors must bring their own materials.

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