Opened in 1993 after they found a mountainside of dinosaur bones weathering in the sun. The Wyoming Dinosaur Center is home to over 10,000 bones and fossils. Making it one of the best dinosaur exhibits I have ever seen! It features more than 50 mounted skeletons including a 106 ft. long Supersaurus. Which is one of the biggest dinosaurs ever assembled on earth. His name is Jimbo and was discovered in 1995.
Why Are There So Many Dinosaurs In This Area?
Since this area was once a shallow sea. There is a lot of marine life and reptiles here that date back to before the dinosaur era. Eventually the sea drew back and the area became land with many rivers. Dinosaurs now started roaming and leaving footprints behind. Eventually the Laramide Orogeny happened and the land rose to create mountains. As a result, a lot of the dinosaur bones are preserved within the mountains.
Some Rare Species
Because of this, you can see an incredible variety of ancient skeletons and fossils here. A lot of the specimens here are uncommon. Therefore you will not see them anywhere else. Including sea turtles, a Dunkleosteus, unhatched dinosaur eggs and the only Archaeopteryx outside of Europe. However the main concentration of bones found at the dig sites in this area are from Apatosaurus, Camarasaurus, Diplodocus and Allosaurus. Which doesn’t mean that this is all they display here. Wyoming Dinosaur Center has over 50 skeletons to admire.
Fun Facts
- Dinosaurs were able to regrow a tooth if ever they lost one. Because of this, most Dinosaur skulls have teeth of different lengths.
- A Camarasaurus that was dug up on site by personnel and visitors. 90% of the skeleton has been excavated over 20 years.
Hours
Open daily
Summer Hours:
May 15- September 15
8:00 am – 6:00 pm
Winter Hours:
September 16 – May 14
10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years.
Admission:
$10/ person for the museum
$12 to visit the dig site
$18.50 combination ticket for the dig site and museum
Plan to spend 2-3 hours here. Wear good walking shoes and bring a camera.
Directions
Wyoming Dinosaur Center
110 Carter Ranch Rd,
Thermopolis, WY 82443
From Hwy 20, go east on Broadway. Turn right on Hot Springs Blvd. It will become E Fremont St. Turn right on Carter Ranch Rd. Destination is on your right.
Accommodations
There are a few accommodations in Thermopolis. My link will search through all the online sites to find you the best price available. By purchasing your trip through my link, this site will earn a small commission on your purchase. Rest assured that it will not cost you anything extra! The only difference is that this site will earn a commission instead of another booking site. Thank your sponsorship!
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