Dinosaur State Park

Write a Review860-529-8423

CLOSED NOW - Opens at 9:00am

In August of 1966, bulldozer operator Edward McCarthy was excavating a rocky site for a state building. He turned over a slab of gray sandstone and saw something very exciting: six large, three-toed footprints. Within a few weeks of the discovery, state officials decided to preserve the site as a state park. Two seasons of careful excavation resulted in one of the largest on-site displays of dinosaur tracks in the world. Fossil tracks are named independently from fossil animals. No skeletal remains were found at the Rocky Hill site so scientists speculate that the animal was similar to Dilophosaurus based on the shape and size of the footprints and the age of the sandstone where they are found. Hear more during our interactive track talk! The Park offers school field trips, as well as family-oriented programming on weekends, school vacations, and during the summer months. The Park has several days where admission is free over the summer in June and August!In August of 1966, bulldozer operator Edward McCarthy was excavating a rocky site for a state building. He turned over a slab of gray sandstone and saw something very exciting: six large, three-toed footprints. Within a few weeks of the discovery, state officials decided to preserve the site as a state park. Two seasons of careful excavation resulted in one of the largest on-site displays of dinosaur tracks in the world. Fossil tracks are named independently from fossil animals. No skeletal remains were found at the Rocky Hill site so scientists speculate that the animal was similar to Dilophosaurus based on the shape and size of the footprints and the age of the sandstone where they are found. Hear more during our interactive track talk! The Park offers school field trips, as well as family-oriented programming on weekends, school vacations, and during the summer months. The Park has several days where admission is free over the summer in June and August!