Sauropod Trackway Trail

The Sauropod Trackway Trail leads to one of the most remarkable natural phenomena accessible to the general public anywhere in the world: actual dinosaur footprints preserved in the limestone bed of the Paluxy River, created by massive sauropods and theropods approximately 113 million years ago during the Early Cretaceous period. When river levels are low, dozens of three-toed theropod tracks and the enormous circular impressions of sauropod feet are clearly visible in the riverbed, some measuring more than a meter across.

The experience of standing in a river and placing your hand inside a depression made by a creature that walked this same ground over a hundred million years ago is genuinely awe-inspiring and unlike anything available at most natural areas. The trail descends to the river where the primary trackway sites are located, with interpretive panels explaining the paleontological significance and the ancient coastal environment in which the tracks were made. Fiberglass dinosaur models near the trailhead provide scale reference for the creatures that made these impressions. River conditions strongly affect trackway visibility; tracks are best viewed during summer low water. The short distance makes this loop suitable for all ages and fitness levels, though river crossings in lower water are required to access the best trackway sections.