The Friends of Dinosaur Ridge is known for our world-famous dinosaur tracks and world-class education programs. Our two main campaigns for donations are Education and Fossil Preservation. Don't let us go extinct!
The mission of the Friends of Dinosaur Ridge is to preserve the paleontologic, geologic and historic resources on Dinosaur Ridge, Triceratops Trail and the outlier sites in the Morrison-Golden Fossil Areas National Natural Landmark and to educate the public about these resources.
The Friends of Dinosaur Ridge (FoDR) incorporated in 1989 as a group of 10 volunteers renting a hall for meetings. We have grown to 120 members, 40 staff, and 120 volunteers.
Dinosaur Ridge was designated as a part of a National Natural Landmark in 1973, and in 2011 more fossil sites, including Triceratops Trail, were added to that landmark designation. In 1994 we moved into a building (historic house on the Rooney Ranch) on a 1.4 acre property purchased by Jefferson County that became our Visitor Center.
In 2004 we opened Triceratops Trail at the Fossil Trace Golf Club to the public.
In 2008 many improvements were made at Dinosaur Ridge, including instigating guided bus tours and completing the indoor exhibit hall, Trek Through Time.
In 2011 we constructed a cover over a sandstone wall containing impressions of palm fronds and tracks at Triceratops Trail.
In 2013 the Friends of Dinosaur Ridge purchased a building on the west side of Dinosaur Ridge to become the "Discovery Center," which opened in 2014. We hope to attract a portion of the millions of visitors to Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater to our site as well.
In 2018, we hosted over 250,000 visitors from around the world.
Testimonials available upon request.
