Moab, UT--Dinosaur Tracks

Our final adventure in Moab was the dinosaur tracks.

The Copper Ridge Sauropod Dinosaur Tracks site is about a mile drive along an unpaved road just north of Moab, UT. We had a little adventure finding the turn off the highway, but it is indeed very close.

The site did not seem to be too popular with the tourists. There must have been no more then 10 visitor groups who have signed the “guest book” in the last week. We walked about 100 yards up a trail and reached a sign describing the tracks, the dinosaurs and showing a photograph of one of the tracks at the site.

Nick and I walked out to the rocks beyond the sign and began our search for the promised footprints. I did not really know what I was looking for, so I was more or less pointlessly wondering about looking at various shapes of the rock under my feet. Nick definitely had a purpose. He was diligently pouring water over different depressions in the rock hoping to see the dinosaur paw imprint. But to no avail. Half an hour later we were still walking staring at the same rocks looking for the tracks.

I decided to take a little more interest in finding the tracks because I sensed that we would not leave the place without seeing the dinosaur tracks, and the idea of spending the rest of the evening there did not appeal so much to me. Nick and I decided to concentrate on the photo displayed on the sign and to search for the rocks in the photo in order to identify the location of the tracks.

To make the long story short, the tracks were located in front of the sign, not beyond it where we were so diligently searching. In other words, the tracks would be behind a person reading the sign. We essentially walked right over them when we approached the sign.

The sauropod tracks were enormous, but not so interesting in appearance because there was very little detail visible in the enormous holes in the ground. The raptor tracks, on the other hand, were fascinating. They clearly revealed the three separate “fingers” with claws at the end.

Nick’s rejoicing over finding the tracks had no end. He photographed them from all angles possible. He poured water in them to make their shape clearly visible. He stood in the tracks. He lay next to the tracks. He had me photograph him in various poses next to the tracks. When the thorough documentation of our visit to the dinosaur track site was over, Nick and I left the tracks to dry out in the sun and drove south out of Moab. Tonight our destination was Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado.