Picketwire Canyon; Largest Dinosaur Trackway In North America

[Tim Smith]

I just took a trip to southeastern Colorado to the Comanche National Grassland and Picketwire Canyon. This site includes the largest fossilized trackway for dinosaurs in North America. It was a 10.6 mile hike in the heat, but a pretty awesome day overall. I think a late September trip would be ideal. Very remote and rugged. Not much fishing in the area but still a great venue.

[Phil Lilley]

Wonderful- thanks for sharing.

[Quillback]

Very cool.

[BilletHead]

Nice post Tim and thanks. We have been to Dinosaur national monument, Kemmerer and the Fossil butte National Monument although the monument was closed we did do a pay to place and got some fish fossils. Did the Florissant Fossil monument too. Pretty neat all the bug fossils. We have also explored around Vernal and found some Caddis and leaf fossils,

BilletHead

[ness]

Very cool. What is that between the two rocks with the orange claw things?

[Quillback]

Nice post Tim and thanks. We have been to Dinosaur national monument, Kemmerer and the Fossil butte National Monument although the monument was closed we did do a pay to place and got some fish fossils. Did the Florissant Fossil monument too. Pretty neat all the bug fossils. We have also explored around Vernal and found some Caddis and leaf fossils,

BilletHead

I spent a day at Dinosaur National Monument about 20 years ago, don't know what it's like today, but then it was somewhat overlooked and off the beaten path. Hiked into the back country, didn't see another person all day. Very scenic, interesting geology. I'd like to go back some day.

[ozark trout fisher]

Good stuff.

[Tim Smith]

Nice post Tim and thanks. We have been to Dinosaur national monument, Kemmerer and the Fossil butte National Monument although the monument was closed we did do a pay to place and got some fish fossils. Did the Florissant Fossil monument too. Pretty neat all the bug fossils. We have also explored around Vernal and found some Caddis and leaf fossils,

BilletHead

Thanks, Billet. Those places you list are some of my favorite places and I always look for excuses to take the long way to places and drop in when I can. This week I'm teaching a lab that will use the fossils I dug at Kemmerer. That's one of my favorite places anywhere. I got extra lucky at Vernal. I found a duck billed dinosaur tibia and scapula that's in the museum at Vernal now.

[Tim Smith]

Very cool. What is that between the two rocks with the orange claw things?

I swear to God that's a centipede that was 8" long if it was an inch. I had no idea they got that big in North America.

Scolopendra heros: Giant red-headed centipede. Venomous.

[Tim Smith]

I spent a day at Dinosaur National Monument about 20 years ago, don't know what it's like today, but then it was somewhat overlooked and off the beaten path. Hiked into the back country, didn't see another person all day. Very scenic, interesting geology. I'd like to go back some day.

Love that place. Some day I'm going to find a way to backpack along an interesting geological strata in the west. Ideally I'm going off trail and with enough water to stay for a week or more. They're still discovering new dinosaurs all the time. Once you're out there looking, you realize that stuff is all over the place out there.