Copper Ridge Dinosaur Trackway

A short hike to see where an Allosaurus and a Brontosaurus dinosaur walked and left their footprints over 160 million years ago

This is the northernmost dinosaur track site in the Klondike area, and the easiest to hike to due to the short distance. These Allosaurus and Brontosaurus tracks were only discovered in 1989 and this site has two firsts to be noted.

It contains the first Brontosaurus tracks ever found in Utah.
The Brontosaurus tracks show the animal was making a right turn when it walked across this ground, no other track site displays a dinosaur walking other than in a straight line.

The two dinosaurs walked in different directions across a sandy area that had accumulated in an ancient river bed. The round ones are the Brontosaurus and the three-toed ones are from the Allosaurus which was the most abundant large predator found in the Morrison Formation. Look closely at the rocky ground and see if you can see the sandy ripples petrified in the stone.

The Allosaurus was 30 feet long and was an apex predator, eating large herbivorous dinosaurs, and perhaps other predators. The Allosaurus tracks show signs that the dinosaur was limping with different spacing between the left foot tracks and right foot tracks.

At the trackway, there are interpretive signs that go into detail about the dinosaurs and the site.

Route

The trail climbs at a moderate angle but it is only a short distance to the trackway site A line of rocks across the trail designates the trackway area..

Distance

0.3 miles total out and back

Getting there

From Moab, head north on US-191 for 22.9 miles.
Past the airport, mile marker 149, look for a small sign North Klondike Trails, right onto turn BLM 143/Copper Ridge Jeep Safari road at ( 38.824921, -109.781324 )
Cross the railroad tracks, and drive the dirt road for about a mile before bearing left and then continue to take a final right to the trailhead at ( 38.829982, -109.763376 )

Parking

38.829982, -109.763376

Copper Ridge Dinosaur Trackways Trailhead

Note

Dogs allowed
Late in the day or early morning lighting will show off the tracks best and make them easier to see
Hiking, biking only trail no motorized off-road vehicles

Photo Notes

Pour some water into a track to get a better picture of it
Late in the day or early morning lighting will show off the tracks best and make them easier to see

Nearby Dinosaur tracks

Dinosaur Stomping Ground is less than 2 miles south, taking BLM 143 out of the parking area for 0.9 miles, turn left onto Little Valley Road west 0.5 mile to the trailhead at ( 38.819588, -109.756941 )
Klondike Bluffs Dinosaur Tracks is 5.2 miles south, taking BLM 143 out of the parking area for 0.9 miles, turn left onto Little Valley Road west, then south for 4.3 miles to the trailhead at ( 38.773730, -109.712503 ) this sandy route is in bad shape and cannot be driven with a stock 4wd vehicle.

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