The Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM’s) Moab Field Office invites the public to the grand opening celebration of the Mill Canyon Dinosaur Tracksite Trail.
This short interpretive trail features more than 200 tracks, representing eight different types of tracks and six different dinosaurs. Imagine an ancient lakebed where these animals trudged through a thick, gooey mud more than 112 million years ago.
An opening ceremony is planned for 1:30 p.m. on Friday, April 1, in the parking lot at the Mill Canyon Dinosaur Tracksite Trailhead. This will be a kid-friendly event with tours. Paleontologists will be on hand to answer questions about the dinosaurs and other fossils in the area, including the best ways to view and enjoy them, how scientists study them, and how to protect these amazing resources.
To get to the trailhead, drive about 15 miles north of Moab on U.S. Highway 191. Turn left on the dirt road marked “Mill Canyon.” Follow signs for the next 0.8 miles to the parking lot for the trail, located to the right in the rock-lined parking area.
The site was discovered in 2009. Since 2013, a professional team of paleontologists has uncovered, recorded and studied the tracks. The team discovered both meat-eating and plant-eating dinosaurs, as well as a bird and crocodile. Some of the most unique tracks belong to a relative of the famous Utahraptor. These new tracks were previously unknown in North America.
In geologic time, constructing the trail was quick, thanks to the help of Utah Friends of Paleontology, Southeastern Utah Interagency Fire Crew, Utah Conservation Corps, Grand County Trail Mix and Southern Utah University Intergovernmental Internship Cooperative. While the BLM funded much of the project, Canyonlands Natural History Association raised funds, and private donations to the Utah Friends of Paleontology were essential to its success.
Members of the public invited to attend
For more information, contact ReBecca Hunt-Foster, BLM Canyon Country District Paleontologist, at 435-259-2100.
