Buffalo Bill museum from Dinosaur Ridge
Ride starts at Dinosaur Ridge area, which is one of the world’s most famous dinosaur fossil localities. In 1877, some of the best-known dinosaurs were found here, including Stegosaurus, Apatosaurus, Diplodocus and Allosaurus. In 1973, the area was recognized for its uniqueness as well as its historical and scientific significance when it was designated the Morrison Fossil Area National Natural Landmark. The rocks on the west side of Dinosaur Ridge are part of the widespread Morrison Formation of Jurassic age. It is in these rocks, where Arthur Lakes, a professor at the Colorado School of Mines and one of the premier fossil hunters of his day, discovered the dinosaur bones in 1877. Fifteen quarries were opened along the Dakota hogback in the Morrison area in search of these fossils. Geologists believe the hogback was created fifty million years ago, in the same upheaval that formed the Rocky Mountains. A hundred million years before that, Dinosaur Ridge wasn’t a ridge; it was the shore of an ancient seaway, a popular beach destination for the Jurassic set. The rocks on the east side of Dinosaur Ridge are part of the Cretaceous Dakota Formation. When Alameda Parkway was being constructed in 1937 to provide access to Red Rocks Park, workers discovered hundreds of dinosaur footprints embedded in the sandstone on the east side of the ridge. These were found to include mostly Iguanodon footprints, carnivorous theropod tracks are also present.
Region: Colorado
City: Morrison
Distance: 25.71 km
Elevation Gain: 780 m
Elevation Loss: 297 m
Difficulty: 463 (Moderate)
FIETS Index: 2.08 FIETS
Avg Grade: 3.29 %
Max cat climb: 2
Min elevation: 1755 m
Max elevation: 2387 m
Ride Category: Climb