dinosaur valley state park

Went during Spring Break Some areas were closed due the days of rain. There were still plenty places to hike/walk around. The trails are well marked. Loads of trails for hiking and biking. Bike trails were closed (due to rain). Family friendly and helpful staff.

Loved hiking to the overlook and what a view! The kids of course enjoyed playing in the river. Not many tracks to look at because the water level was too high but still enjoyed the ones that were visible. Worth a trip and the fee!!

O...M...G it was so awesome and beautiful. My husband and I hiked on the blue trail to the yellow trail to the scenic overlook of the Paluxy River. The view was so beautiful. It is definitely a must if you are in area. We are making plans to go back and visit in the summer so we can enjoy the river because it was just a little to cold this time. We weren't able to really see the dinosaur tracks because they were covered in mud, but to be honest it really didn't matter it was still so amazing.

So great our family and friends go every year ....great hiking trails nice views from the top once you make it. So much to do that it never gets old.

It was so beautiful, my siblings and my mom were in absolute awe with how unique and fun it was. The whole sight was free of all noise other than fresh, flowing water. Personally, I would spend my life there if I could. Dinosaur Valley State Park is one of the best family daytrips I have ever been on.- Lillie-Belle Grove, age 10

Got to see real dinosaur tracks. A great place to hike. Has a small gift store to purchase drinks, snacks, momentos.

Very nice campgrounds with a lot of trails throughout the area where the giants once lived. A large group of energetic hikers were able to locate numerous caches in the park. River was extremely low but allowed easy access to see the footprints left by creatures that roamed this area.

This is one of my favorite parks. If you are a runner or a biker you will enjoy getting lost in the woods and crossing the river back and forth as you explore the trails.

My wife and I went there a couple of days ago. There were only 3 cars in the whole park, so that was nice.The sign said the most of the tracks weren't visible due to recent rain. We powered on, stopping at every pullout and walking a lot of the trails. We actually saw quite a few of the tracks. Off season was a big plus for us. We went across the river and up to the overlook as well, nice view from up there. $7 each adult or $14 for a carload, take a few friends and make a day of it. I did not stop at the private place with the animatronic display just outside the park. I wish the app would let us post photos.

We were only able to do a day-trip visit, but I would love to come back for a camping trip and spend a few days with my older grandchildren (age 6 & up) who seemed to appreciate the historical aspect of walking where dinosaurs actually walked. The younger ones (under 6) were not so impressed, although they did like seeing the large dinosaur statues at the entrance. Even those were not a "biggie" for them, though, since we had just left Dinosaur World, which is a half-mile up the road and had loads of dinosaur exhibits. We did see the main track area, with multiple tracks visible in the clear river bottom....too cool! However, there were miles of hiking trails, including one with a 45 foot waterfall that we would have loved to see, but just didn't have time. The park was just gorgeous -hilly, rocky, and beautiful scenery. Don't miss this park on your trip to Glen Rose!

The dinosaur footprints are a bonus. The main area of footprints is heavily visited. When we were there, two children, about 4 and 5 years old, were running through the main pool where the tracks were. The children disturbed so much silt, no one else could see the tracks. Of course, the parents did absolutely nothing except ask their children to please not splash so much. We really did enjoy the park until that point. The weather was perfect, in the 60's. The hiking trails were all well marked, the park facilities were very clean. There is a nice gift shop and proceeds benefit the park. Admission is $7 for adults.

This park has great trails that are well groomed and are easy for families and for people who want a nice walk in the woods for a couple of hours. I went there to see the dinosaur tracks which was very cool. My husband and I hiked for 2 hours as the paths are easy, well groomed, and pretty level without many hills.There are a lot of campgrounds, families, and seems like a great place to bring a dog if you have one. Definitely worth the stop if you are in the area.

The Dinosaur Valley State Park in Glen Rose was a great way to spend the morning. $14 for two adults, kids under 12 free. We did two well marked trails that covered 3 miles and a very well designed, new and well planned trivia trail with questions about local wildlife. The kids had access to clean restrooms and we only found one piece of litter the whole trip, I would of picked it up, but it was shards of bottle-glass. The river was clean, shallow, easily crossed thanks to the fossilized mudflats that contain the many dinosaur tracks, and typically crystalline like all of the Paluxy river. Every part of the trails we used were passable by any small, but tough, child or small pets. The one exception was fenced off and well marked and had been caused by unavoidable storm damage. The exhibit inside was better than many museums, and I especially enjoyed the geological and geographical panels that provided the best explanations I have ever seen as to prehistoric geography/geology of Texas. I was also happy to see several large and active groups of Scouts, families, parties, couples, equestrians and cyclists. Go check it out, you will not be disappointed.

The $7 entrance fee is money well spent in order to hike around the state park. There are several trails without many technical portions.Be aware that even though a sign at the visitor center stated "tracks are not visible today," there were tons of visible prints. The water was above them so that you couldn't touch them- but could see them easily! I recommend this as a summer vacation so that you could take advantage of swimming, however we had a great visit on a sunny day in January. I recommend taking a bag lunch and hiking up to the lookout point above be Paluxy river.

This park was not worth the $7 we each paid to view it. We expected to see a good view of several dinosaur footprints in the ground. Instead, we saw a few muddy impressions that *might* have been footprints, a lot of hiking trails, and a river with no footprints discernible to the untrained eye. In only one place that we saw were the footprints marked with signage.We received a map when we entered the park, but other than that there was almost no information as to where we could find footprints. The park information promised one site with "hundreds of footprints" of dinosaurs that looked like they were dancing in all directions. We found what we *think* was that site, and peered into the river trying to discern what might possibly be footprints. We made some guesses, but really had no idea. If you had not told me the river had dinosaur footprints in it, I would never have known. The footprints were not marked at all, and I'm still not sure if what we saw were footprints or not.We visited all of the key sites listed on the park map, and the only definitive footprints we saw were those at #2, which were roped off marked with two signs that said "footprints." Even then, most of them just looked like dips in the ground with water and leaves standing in them. You could somewhat make out the shape of footprints in some of them, but it was underwhelming.With better signage, including signs that outlined the shapes of footprints in front of the viewers, this park could be much better. We saw several families with young children while we were there, and some looked disappointed. We all left the site disappointed ourselves. Perhaps, as other reviewers suggest, the park is better viewed during drought conditions. If so, please make sure to call ahead and check on conditions before you arrive. Sadly, our visit was not worth the drive.