Dinosaur Wild Walk
Continue learning as you stroll through history’s wild side with a visit to our dinosaur park. Here, visitors will find a smooth, compacted-dirt trail that meanders through a high-plain desert forest that’s home to 16 different life-sized, skinned, animatronic dinosaurs, some of which will track your movements, and which are sure to surprise and excite.
Museum Tour
Over 10,000 Square Feet
Our museum features over 10,000 square feet of exhibit space dedicated to dinosaur-age creatures that once lived in our area right here in Colorado. Some of the world’s most well-known and beloved dinosaurs were first found just outside Cañon City, in the Garden Park Paleontological Area. Dinosaurs and other critters continue to be discovered here, and the fascinating stories of their discovery are detailed in our museum.
Part of an Ocean
Did you know that Colorado was once part of an ocean? We have an entire exhibit hall dedicated to the ancient marine creatures that occupied the waterways in this area. The Cretaceous Interior Seaway has been dubbed by experts, “the world’s most dangerous environment.” Come see what made this such a treacherous place!
Roam Free or Guided
You may feel free to wander among the exhibits at your own pace, but we encourage you to take a guided tour, (free with your paid admission.) Our knowledgeable Adventure Guides will take you on a tour back through time, unlocking secrets of both the creatures displayed here and the exciting and sometimes scandalous history of the people who found them and helped to make them famous. It’s a truly exciting story that we tell through interactive stations, fascinating displays, and engaging tours. Tours generally last approximately 45 minutes and do not require reservations or scheduling.
Ropes Courses
To get the road-trip wiggles out and to take advantage of our stunning view of the Royal Gorge Bridge and the mighty Sangre de Cristo mountains, we offer two ropes courses, one for junior guests (Tykes course is up to 48”) that is a fun way for them to explore their budding balance, and a large one for the more adventurous—a three-story course that will challenge guests to experience fun obstacles at a height of over 24 feet. Of course, safety is paramount and participants of both courses will be tethered in full-body harnesses while still being able to self-guide freely and securely anywhere on the course.
For added excitement and lasting memories, guests traversing the T-Rex Terror Ropes Course will be able to get face-to-face with both an 80-feet long Diplodocus, and the mighty roaring T-Rex, which stands more than 20-feet tall. There’s nothing else like it in the world!
Please note that we have the following weight, height and clothing restrictions for T-Rex Terror Ropes Course: Please, no dresses, flip-flops, sandals without ankle straps, high-heel shoes, or any other type of shoe that could easily fall off your feet. Also, you must be 48” and above or 42” and above accompanied by an adult. All participants must be under 6’8″ tall and weigh less than 300 lbs. Also, pregnant women and people with preexisting heart or other conditions that would make them high risk for such activity are not allowed to participate.
WEATHER AND OUR OUTDOOR ATTRACTIONS:
Weather in the Colorado Rockies often defines the word “unpredictable”, especially in the spring and fall and during the summer’s thunderstorm season. Because safety is always foremost in our minds, we reserve the right to close the Ropes Course and our Dinosaur Wild Walk to ensure the well being of our guests. If your visit to the Royal Gorge Dinosaur Museum coincides with a weather-related closure to our outdoor attractions, you can:
—Take another spin through our museum and wait for the weather to clear (Hint #1: Colorado thunderstorms are typically powerful-but-short-lived. Hint #2: The Chewy Marshmallow Treats at our snack shop are really good!)
—Collect a rain-check voucher from our ticketing office. You can return anytime during the same calendar year and present your voucher and your original receipt and enjoy our outdoor attractions.
—After an hour of weather-related delays, we are more than happy to refund the outdoor-portion of your ticket fare—just present your receipt at our ticketing office and we will take care of you and your family.
Paleo Lab
Our 775-square-foot paleontological laboratory is run by the Garden Park Paleontological Society, a local non-profit organization, which uses our facility to prepare recently unearthed fossils from Colorado’s fabled Garden Park Fossil Area, and from many other fossil projects from around the country. Paleo Lab
Kids’ Exhibit
Our indoor interactive center is geared towards kids (ages 3-12) and features games, multi-media stations, and age-appropriate content that serve to educate and entertain tomorrow’s scientists.
Theater
Step into our state-of-the-art, Dolby-enhanced theater and enjoy our rotating selection of dinosaur-related films. Our ten-foot screen adds a fun, family orientated, multi-media element to any RGDE visit.
Gift Shop
Some visitors love hunting for old bones, while others love hunting for fun mementos of a fantastic visit to a world-class dinosaur museum. The Royal Gorge Dinosaur Experience’s Gift Shop offers thousands of items, ranging from the fun and whimsical to the large and toothy. Can’t wait for your visit? Visit our online store here [Coming Soon].
Snack Shop
Enjoy light, pre-prepared snacks, as well as a variety of soft drinks, specialty teas, gourmet drip coffee, and more. Our snack shop offers needed provisions for hungry paleontologists, as well as a place for tired parents to catch their breaths after a Jurassic-era adventure.
Kids’ Dig
If there’s one thing that kids love more than dinosaurs, it’s discovering (cast) fossils. Our Kids’ Dig is filled with a non-stick variety of pea gravel and the faux bones of a T-Rex for pint-sized archeologists to unearth.
