Montana's Dinosaur Trail offers hands-on fossil digs and museums

The first dinosaur fossils in North America were discovered in Montana in 1854, as was the world’s first Tyrannosaurus rex nearly a half-century later. With over 75 dinosaur species —including a new species discovered last year — Montana is a hotbed for dinosaur fossils.

Whether you’re a family with children who love Triceratops or a solo traveler interested in paleontology, Big Sky Country is the perfect place to dive into dinosaur history at museums and dig sites on the Montana Dinosaur Trail.

The trail includes 15 facilities in 13 communities across central and eastern Montana, “each offering its own unique dinosaur displays and setting,” said Victor Bjornberg, volunteer coordinator for the Montana Dinosaur Trail.

At each facility, travelers can learn more about dinosaurs and how they lived, as well as the specific finds in Montana, like the first baby dinosaur fossils and egg nests uncovered in North America. You can even see special discoveries like Leonardo, “the Mummy Dinosaur,” an incredibly well-preserved specimen featuring fossilized skin and its last meal in its stomach, at the Great Plains Dinosaur Museum.

Bound for Glacier National Park? There are five Dinosaur Trail stops on the way — the Great Plains Dinosaur Museum and Phillips County Museum in Malta, the Blaine County Museum in Chinook, H. Earl Clack Museum in Havre and the Depot Museum in Rudyard. Limited on time or heading to Yellowstone for a weekend? Bjornberg suggests visiting the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman as it has “one of the country’s largest collections of North American dinosaurs including T. rex and Triceratops.”

The Museum of the Rockies recently opened Cretaceous Crossroads, an exhibit “that highlights the variety of dinosaurs, aquatic reptiles and other life forms living in this area in and along the Western Interior Seaway 72 (million) to 82 million years ago,” Bjornberg said.

Most excitingly, the Montana Dinosaur Trail provides travelers with the chance to contribute to the discovery of new fossils.

“Some of the takeaways we’d like visitors to have is just how cool dinosaurs are and an appreciation for the science and skills paleontologists use to find, uncover, prepare and preserve fossils for study and public knowledge and viewing,” Bjornberg said.

The Montana Dinosaur Center, Great Plains Dinosaur Museum and Carter County Museum invite kids and adults to uncover dinosaur fossils alongside paleontologists and staff through hands-on field experiences. Digs are held during the summer on half-day or multiday expeditions, during which you learn proper digging techniques, how to surface map and what to do if you find a fossil. The Carter County Museum hosts dinosaur camps for kids, while the Great Plains Dinosaur Museum offers five-day adult dig expeditions and a junior paleontologist program, a one-day dig experience for children ages 5-11.

Any fossils found must remain at the facility, but discover something significant and, Bjornberg said, “You may be offered the opportunity to name the dinosaur you just uncovered.”

Be sure to grab a Prehistoric Passport when you stop on the trail. The booklet shares information about the facilities and has space for field notes. Get your passport stamped at all 15 facilities within five years and you’ll receive a special Montana Dinosaur Trail T-shirt. Don’t forget the newest facility on the trail — Musselshell Valley Historical Museum’s Dino Depot in Roundup.

“New discoveries are happening here all the time, so if you’re a dinosaur enthusiast, a beginning paleo nerd or just casually interested and looking for a great adventure in one of the elite dinosaur discovery areas, the Montana Dinosaur Trail provides you easy access to this fascinating paleo story,” Bjornberg said.