Dinosaur Trips

24/04/2024

24/04/2024

10/04/2024

This photo might look ancient, but it’s only a few decades old. The Triceratops skeleton being unloaded here is on display in our Dinosaur Hall. The Drumheller water tower is visible in the far background.

22/02/2024

Absolutely Vicious

Day 3, May the 4th be with you, 2024 the Route 66 Million Years Ago trip will be visiting this amazing animal at the Petrified Forest! This stop is going to be awesome, as are all of the adventures planned for this epic roadtrip across the Southwest!

This visit will be hot on the heels of the Arizona Museum of Natural History, and right before the Grand Canyon! If you enjoy dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals, museums, vistas of the Southwest, and amazing people this is the trip for you! Visit www.dinosaurtrips.com for more info.

On to our animal info 🙂.

, “chisel crocodile”, was 30’ of raw power. The skull, long and lean, was the end of many an animal.

A , it was well adapted for an aqueous environ, though being an egg-laying reptile meant it had to dig a nest and lay eggs. It was the largest predator of its time, eating anything it wanted. Dinosaurs were tiny ( ) and would provide its toughest prey. The water’s edge was not safe, especially considering there were lots of about.

This animal has has the usual taxonomic challenges of animals named long ago. First dubbed by Camp in 1930, it has had four (?) other genus names tied to it at some time. In 1995 the material was dubbed , splitting it from . My goodness it can be challenging to work with fossils 🙂! (But that’s where the fun is!).

Note where its nose is, right in front of the eyes and not on the top of its snout. These are not , but convergent evolution arriving at the same perfect predator shape of long snout and tail, ideal for tweezing fish whilst efficiently swimming with lateral undulations of a deep tail.

22/02/2024

The Zodiacal light event is taking place this week and what better place to see it than at Dinosaur Provincial Park – away from city lights with a great view of the night sky.

This event, known as false dawn, appears just after twilight as a cone of faint light spreading upward from the horizon.

Book a campsite, pack your warm layers and grab your thermos of tea or hot chocolate for an evening under the stars.

https://albertaparks.ca/parks/south/dinosaur-pp/information-facilities/camping/dinosaur/

20/02/2024

Today, Dinosaur Trips celebrates a monumental anniversary in dinosaur explorations. Two centuries ago today, in the annals of scientific history, the curtain rose on our epic journey with the description and naming of the first dinosaur, the Megalosaurus. On Feb. 20, 1824, William Buckland, a minister and geologist, first formally named a dinosaur, even though we wouldn’t have the word ‘dinosaur’ for another 20 years.

The Oxford University scholar based his paper in which he described and named Megalosaurus on fossils that had been discovered at Stonesfield in Oxfordshire, UK. The bones had actually been collected several decades prior. This pivotal moment in scientific history introduced us to a whole new group of animals that would completely reframe our understanding of life on Earth and give rise to the study of dinosaurs!

18/02/2024

12/02/2024

12/02/2024

Today, we raise a glass to the man who first unearthed the Tyrannosaurs rex; Barnum Brown (Feb. 12, 1873 - Feb. 5, 1963).

Barnum Brown was a charismatic individual, a relentless explorer, and a true pioneer of paleontology who left an indelible mark on the world of science and our fascination with the prehistoric.

In the spirit of adventure and exploration, let’s celebrate the man who unceasingly dug deep, both literally and metaphorically, into the mysteries of our planet’s past.

From the Badlands of Alberta to the jungles of Guatemala, Brown’s discoveries unlocked the age of dinosaurs, unveiling the awe-inspiring tales of colossal creatures that ruled the ancient landscapes.

Here’s to the intrepid explorer who brought dinosaurs out of the shadows and into our imaginations!

Happy Birthday, Barnum Brown. May your legacy continue to inspire the curious souls chasing their own fossils and discoveries.

10/02/2024

Your recommended read! Michael Crichton’s fictionalized telling of the legendary battle between palaeontologists Marsh & Cope across the wild American west: Dragon Teeth.

09/02/2024

JUST A FEW SPOTS LEFT! RESERVE YOUR PLACE TODAY!

Alberta Badlands & Beyond - Day 9 and 10:

Days 9 and 10 of your two-week trip are a real highlight of this odyssey as you’ll be digging (literally) deep into the world of bones, dust, and the kind of adventure that gets your hands dirty.

Forget the casual stroll through a museum – this is real-deal dinosaur digging, and while most visitors only get to visit the Bonebed for a few hours, Dinosaur Trips has carved out a couple of days of proper fossil excavation at the legendary Pipestone Creek Bonebed.

Pipestone Creek is like the Fort Knox of fossils, a dense treasure trove of prehistoric gold. And guess what? We’re on a mission to unravel the mysteries it’s been holding onto for some 70 million years. Each fossil we unearth is a piece of the puzzle, a clue to the enigmatic lives these ancient creatures led.Our adventure begins at the The Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum, where you’ll get suited up with the real deal fossil hunting tools.

Then, we’re off to Pipestone Creek for a hike to the Bonebed. And now, the main event – the excavation. Armed with your tools and guided by the Museum’s paleontologists, you’ll be chipping away at the secrets of the past.

What will you find? Well, that’s the million-year question. Fossils, fragments, maybe even a clue that turns the paleo world on its head.It’s two days of digging where the only thing more exciting than the fossils we uncover is the fact that we’re helping to write a new chapter in the ancient story of Pipestone Creek. This is the real deal, the kind of adventure that leaves you saying, “I didn’t just see history; I dug it up with my own hands.”

08/02/2024

‎Show Dads With Nerdy Ambitions, Ep Dino Discoveries and Megalodon Mysteries - Feb 7, 2024

02/02/2024

This Fossil Friday, meet “the sheep of the Mesozoic” Protoceratops andrewsi. This herbivore was a very common animal and is remarkably well-represented in the fossil record. Its scientific name, which means “first horned face,” was inspired by its rudimentary nose horn. Like Triceratops and Psittacosaurus, this animal was a ceratopsian or “horned-face” dinosaur. At full size, it might have weighed as much as 500 pounds (227 kilograms)!

Photo: D.Finnin / ©AMNH

01/02/2024

Travel with Drs. BC and Cristy on a Dinosaur Trips adventure across Arizona & California. We will be exploring cool museums with behind-the-scenes access! Plus, beautiful landscapes such as the Grand Canyon. Can't wait!

Call 1888-641-5059 or Email [email protected]
Book by February 1st and get a $250 discount!

Learn more about this paleo packed adventure on the Fossil Crates YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/FossilCrates

31/01/2024

It’s somehow the 5th WEDNESDAY THIS JANUARY?!? How is that even possible? We’re here to help you get through it by inspiring your dreams of a Canadian adventure unlike any other! Click the link to our Badlands Alberta playlist in our bio and lose yourself in the spirit of Western Canada and the prehistoric shores of the Western Interior Seaway.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2YPAIZ3bcVZGdCxFFnTiaj?si=bdd61d3243f7465b

27/01/2024

Check out the Fossil Crates YouTube channel today, 1/17/24 @ 11am EST/8am PST: https://www.youtube.com/FossilCrates

Dr. BC and Zach from Dinosaur Trips go over the many highlights of our upcoming Red Rocks & Raptors Dinosaur Trips Adventure across Utah & Colorado!

Travel with Drs. BC and Cristy to cool museums with behind-the-scenes access! Can't wait!

Learn more about this paleo packed adventure today at 9am on the Fossil Crates YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/FossilCrates

26/01/2024

It’s Fossil Friday, so let’s keep the music going with another playlist to soundtrack your travel dreams this weekend!

Grab a beverage of your choice, hit play, and start daydreaming about exploring Utah & Colorado with Dinosaur Trips and Fossil Crates own Dr. Brian Curtice this May!

We’ve got a great selection of songs about Colorado, Utah, the Rocky Mountains, memories, hardship, heroes, and more from both local and international artists.

Click the link below to listen!

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/79dHVa4eAxAmMe4pT9MD9Q?si=qBVn0N13TKSCM0vLYFNNFA&pi=u-nx7qCta6SnqQ

26/01/2024

If you’re looking for some adventurous inspiration, we have a Spotify playlist for you! Give our ‘Route 66 Million Years Ago’ playlist a listen at the link below and start dreaming of hitting the road with Dinosaur Trips and Fossil Crates own Dr. Brian Curtice this May!

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7yB7jLcRNt9OrFSrDnAwOC?si=YuR91m4cSBGku7ofw_leTQ&pi=u-qRUHBh3oTcCZ

24/01/2024

In the midst of these frigid winter days, we find ourselves daydreaming about a return to the rugged Badlands of Alberta and beyond once again this summer. We’re already counting down the days until we return to the wild allure of the great Canadian outdoors and one of the richest fossil destinations in the world! We invite you to join us for your choice of three exhilarating journeys this July and August.

Alberta Badlands & Beyond (Ages 12+);
June 30 - July 13
July 15 - 28

Alberta Badlands Family Adventure (All Ages):
July 30 - Aug 6

22/01/2024

Picture this if you can; it’s a gorgeous spring morning on the shores of Great Salt Lake, Utah. You sip your coffee as the sun makes its climb upwards. You’re reflecting on the previous day’s visit to the Mountain America Museum of Ancient Life at Thanksgiving Point. You’re taking a moment to mentally revisit the 60 complete dinosaur skeletons you saw, and your time going into the museums’ restricted areas, with paleontologist Dr. Brian Curtice of Fossil Crates leading the way. It’s a lot to get your head around.

Good thing we’re headed out to a place that’s going to give you plenty of space - mentally and physically - to contemplate everything you’ve already discovered through the first few days of your Utah & Colorado Dinosaur Trips experience.

Colorado still lies a couple days away on this particular adventure. Today brings a trip out to Antelope Island. Home to free-ranging buffalo herds that are 500-strong. There’s also mule deer, bighorn sheep, pronghorn (aka antelope), and a whole cast of other desert critters. And then there’s the millions of birds that congregate along the shores surrounding the island. The wildlife of the wild west. Oh and, of course, there’s the cowboys.

You make sure to properly lace up your hiking boots and fill your water bottle with good cold water because we’ve got some trekking ahead of us this morning.

Welcome to the start of Day 3 of ‘Red Rocks & Raptors,’ your 8-day adventure across Utah and Colorado.

Find the complete day-by-day itinerary at https://dinosaurtrips.com/paleontology-trip-utah-colorado/

📸: Antelope Island, Utah | Visit Salt Lake

17/01/2024

Hi, I’m Zach Vanasse, the founder/director of Dinosaur Trips. I can’t stand my selfies, but I love museums, so to show my support for , which is a global movement that turns conventional stereotypes on their heads, I reluctantly share this selfie I took with at the from last summer’s Chicago city expedition experience.

is all about breaking down barriers and proving that museums aren’t merely stuffy institutions with no sense of fun, but are actually inspiring and vibrant spaces that can - and will - change the way you look at the world around you. Join us in celebrating by sharing your museum selfies with us!

16/01/2024

May 5, 2024: ‘Route 66 Million Years Ago Day 4Get ready for a morning that's going to rock your prehistoric socks off.

We're kicking off the day at Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument with a sunrise that'll make you question if you've stepped into a land of dreams. The lava flow sprawls across the landscape like Mother Nature's canvas, a wonderland of rock shaped a thousand years ago in a volcanic symphony.
Back in the day, the ground here tore open, and lava erupted into the sky, rewriting the story of the land and the lives of those who called it home. Fast forward a millennium, and here we are – amidst the rocks, with trees and flowers making a comeback, welcoming visitors who come to witness and remember the most recent volcanic eruption in the heart of Arizona. Now, after absorbing the energy of that volcanic spectacle, it's time to hit the road and head towards the grandeur of Grand Canyon National Park.

We're starting at the east entrance, where the Desert Watchtower beckons us to explore the geological wonders that lie ahead.
Our journey unfolds through Grandview Point, Moran, and Lipan – each vista a testament to the forces that have shaped this majestic canyon. But we're not just here for the views; we're diving deep into the Yavapai Geology Museum, unlocking the secrets hidden within the canyon's ancient walls.
For those craving a bit more adventure, Yaki Point is calling. It's the gateway to a trail that'll take us below the rim on the South Kaibab Trail; a plunge into the heart of the canyon, with Cedar Rest or Skeleton Point as our ultimate destinations. This is where the views get up close and personal.

As the day gracefully bows out, we're capping it off with a sunset spectacle at Mather Point, soaking in the grandeur of the Grand Canyon as the sun bids adieu. Enjoy the sunset, and let the echoes of today's adventure linger in your dreams. Onward!

14/01/2024

14/01/2024

May 4, 2024: ‘Route 66 Million Years Ago’ - Day 3 - Petrified National Forest

Today we're gearing up for a northward jaunt to the magnificent Petrified Forest National Park and a ride through the annals of time. As we hit the road, feast your eyes on the scenic wonders of Tonto National Forest and Sitgreaves National Forest. More than a nice drive, it's a journey through landscapes that have witnessed eons of evolution.

Then, buckle up again as your guide takes you on a scenic drive to witness the wonders this park has to offer – fossils, badlands, buttes, mesas, ancient petroglyphs, and more. It's all about feeling the heartbeat of the prehistoric past.

We're making pitstops at iconic spots like the Painted Desert, where the landscape is a canvas painted by Mother Nature herself.

Then, off to Puerco Pueblo, where ancestral Puebloan homes and petroglyphs await along a 0.3-mile loop trail. But the adventure doesn't stop there – Newspaper Rock is next on the list, boasting over 650 petroglyphs, some as ancient as 2000 years.

As the day winds down, we're wrapping it up at Jasper Forest for a panoramic view of an area laden with petrified wood.

Fossil Crates own Dr. Brian Curtice will be leading the way as our paleo expert! Complete 9-day itinerary at link below!

https://dinosaurtrips.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Arizona-California-2024-Itinerary.pdf

12/01/2024

Happy Fossil Friday! We’ve got a great Q&A with Kathryn Abbott for our newest edition of Working With Dinosaurs! Learn all about her unusual journey to her dream job at the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology, and read her inspiring words for all young girls out there who want to become paleontologists.

Working with Dinosaurs – A Q&A with Kathryn Abbott, Science Educator, Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontolgy At Dinosaur Trips, we’re not just interested in dinosaurs and prehistoric life, we’re also interested in the history of paleontology, the people who work in dinosaur museums, and the folk...

12/01/2024

A Paleontologist's POV of the American Southwest -

I could only live with “Dinosaur Trips Newsletter” for so long. I mean, how unimaginative can you get? Dinosaur Trips is meant to be all about sparking the imagination. It had to go.