Montana Dinosaur Trail

23/12/2024

Happy ! This is the skull of a Columbian Mammoth (MOR 604) that was discovered in Montana. As recently as ~ 11,000 years ago, these relatives of modern elephants roamed North America. You can encounter this mammoth and more fossil mammals in the Cenozoic Corridor at MOR.

14/12/2024

Happy ! Museum of the Rockies (MOR) Exhibit Specialist, Brian Helms, is surface scanning the humerus (upper arm bone) of a duck-billed dinosaur (MOR 2844) discovered in the Cretaceous Judith River Formation (~77 mya) in Montana. This specimen will join the fossils of many other dinosaurs, marine reptiles and more as part of the upcoming Cretaceous Crossroads Exhibit opening at MOR in Summer 2025!

11/12/2024

In Bynum or Havre this Saturday (Dec. 14) there are Christmas Parties going on. The Montana Dinosaur Center's Christmas Party is 1-4 pm at the Center in "downtown" Bynum. The H. Earl Clack Museum brings back their Dinosaur Christmas Event at the Holiday Village Mall 1-3 pm as part of the community's Winterfest Craft and Vendors Fair. https://www.havredailynews.com/story/2024/12/05/local/dino-christmas-is-back-saturday/547123.html
Happy Holidays All!

A favorite holiday activity for local children is back, with the H. Earl Clack Memorial Museum Dino Christmas at the Holiday Village Mall 1-3 p.m., during the Winterfest Craft and Vendor Fair. The museum, part of Montana's Dinosaur Trail, has been holding the Dino Christmas event for years. The offe...

10/12/2024

In this Season of Gift Giving the Montana Dinosaur Trail received a Great Gift! A Kalispell Family – 4 yr. old Emma, 7 yr old Raymond along with Mom and Dad (Ashley & Chris) – completed their 3-year Trail travels this November which brought the number of 2024 Passport Finishers up to 62 – A New Record!!!! To help us celebrate, Ashley provided Trail Travel Photos from each of the 14 Trail Facilities and these thoughts on the Family’s Experience: “The entire "trail" was such an awesome experience for our whole family. The kids are already asking when we can go back to different museums and maybe even do a dig. We loved it!....We have fun stories and memories from every single stop. Thanks again!” It was our pleasure…..that’s why we're here….SO there’s Your cue – get a Montana Dinosaur Trail Passport at any Trail Facility or online at https://mtdinotrail.org and start your Trail Experience!

08/12/2024

December Holiday Greetings from the Montana Dinosaur Trail! As you’re traveling around Montana this Holiday Season, 6 of the Trail’s facilities are open on regular schedules, 5 are welcoming you by appointment (24 hr. advance notice requested) and 3 are closed, but focused on getting ready to open in the Spring of 2025 in even better shape than this year (Schedule Below). Montana Dinosaur Trail Passports are always a fun gift or having Paleo-Artist Jenn Hall’s Trail images on merchandise of your choice is a wonderful way to say – “Let’s Go Adventure in Montana!” Both are available on our Trail Website’s Passport and Shop Pages – https://mtdinotrail.org. Have a Great Finish to 2024 and We look forward to seeing you in the New Year!

Montana Dinosaur Trail Facility Operating Schedules
December 2024

Blaine County Museum, Chinook: Open Mon-Fri 9 am-5 pm EXCEPT Closed Dec. 24-26.
Carter County Museum, Ekalaka: Open Monday-Friday 9 am-5 pm, Saturday-Sunday 1-5 pm EXCEPT Closed All Federal Holidays.
Depot Museum, Rudyard: Open by Appointment Only, 406-355-4356.
Fort Peck Interpretive Center, Fort Peck: Open By Appointment Only Mon-Fri, call 406-526-3493 or 406-526-3411 ext. 0.
Frontier Gateway Museum, Glendive: Open by Appointment Only (24 hr Advance Notice Minimum) through May 2025. Call 406-377-3018 or 406-365-4653.
Garfield County Museum, Jordan: Open by Appointment Only (24 hr Advance Notice Minimum) call Karen Witt 406-557-2544.
Great Plains Dinosaur Museum, Malta: Closed for December 2024-February 2025.
H. Earl Clack Museum, Havre: Open Tues-Sat. 1-5 pm. Wahkpa Chu’gn Buffalo Jump site/Tours Closed until May 2025
Makoshika State Park, Glendive: Visitor Center Open Wed-Sun. 10 am-4 pm, Closed State & Federal Holidays; Park open for Day Use 7 am-10 pm and overnight camping.
Museum of the Rockies, Bozeman: Open Daily 9 am-5 pm EXCEPT Closed Dec 25, and Jan 1.
Old Trail Museum, Choteau: Closed until May 2025.
Phillips County Museum, Malta: Open Monday-Saturday 10 am-5 pm.
The Montana Dinosaur Center, Bynum: Open By Appointment Only, Call 406-469-2211. Book 2025 Field Digs at https://tmdinosaurcenter.org/
Upper Musselshell Museum, Harlowton: Closed December 1, 2024-April 1, 2025.

08/12/2024

Happy ! Dinosaur skulls changed a lot as they grew from babies to adults. Here is a juvenile (MOR 548) and adult (MOR 549) Hypacrosaurus stebingeri. Adults have a large crest on their head that may have been used for visual displays and vocalizations. These duck-billed dinosaurs roamed the area that is now Montana ~76 million years ago.

30/11/2024

Make a wish this ! In fact, make two! This is the furcula (or ‘wishbone’) of the Tyrannosaurus rex ‘B-Rex’ (MOR 1125) being held next to that of Montana’s T. rex (MOR 980) in the Hall of Horns and Teeth at MOR! While we may think of the wishbone as a bird feature, it evolved first in their ancestors.

30/11/2024

24/11/2024

Here's a good look at what the Carter County Museum and the area surrounding Ekalaka is all about - Non-Stop-Local Billings reporter John Martin provides the story:

EKALAKA, Mont. – The Carter County Museum in Ekalaka is a hidden gem on the eastern Montana plains, offering a unique glimpse into the region's prehistoric past. This "dino-mite" museum

16/11/2024

Happy ! This is the holotype skull of Nakonanectes (MOR 3072), a plesiosaur that swam through the Western Interior Seaway that covered much of North America in the Late . Plesiosaurs are not dinosaurs; they are aquatic reptiles that lived during the Age of Dinosaurs. This animal's jaws are filled with needle-like teeth that helped it snare its prey!

13/11/2024

If in Malta MT this Friday, here's your Reminder!

🌟🍷🦖 Get Ready for a ‘Non-traditional’ Wine & Dino Evening! 🎉

Join us on Friday, November 15th from 6:30-8:00 PM for a fantastic blend of fine wine, dino delights, and a journey to Japan! 🇯🇵✨

🔹 Members: FREE Admission!
🔹 Non-Members: Just $10 at the door or at local banks!

What's in store?
✨ Chat live with the Fukui Dinosaur Museum!
🎬 Exclusive behind-the-scenes scoop on the short film “Daughter of the Plains”!
🐾 Explore our stunning exhibits and savor complimentary wine, beer, and delectable snacks!

🙌 Plus, enjoy a fun 50/50 raffle, exciting games, and our fabulous gift shop will be open!

Let’s raise a glass to an amazing year and make unforgettable memories! 🥂

Tag your dino-loving friends and don't miss out! 💖✌️

11/11/2024

Happy ! MOR/MSU recently returned from the annual meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Over a dozen students and staff presented their work on dinosaurs, crocodiles, turtles, fossil preparation, collections management, education, outreach and more!

02/11/2024

Happy ! Edgarosaurus (MOR 751) is a short-necked plesiosaur discovered in the Cretaceous Thermopolis Shale near Edgar, Montana. This marine carnivore used its long snout to capture fish and other soft-bodied prey.

01/11/2024

Welcome to November everyone! Below are this month’s operating schedules for the 14 Montana Dinosaur Trail Facilities. Four of the facilities have upcoming November/December events you may be interested in checking out – Carter County Museum, Great Plains Dinosaur Museum, Museum of the Rockies and the Two Medicine Dinosaur Center. We’ve highlighted most of them on our page but you can get details and contact info on our website’s Events Page as well: https://mtdinotrail.org. We look forward to seeing you along the Montana Dinosaur Trail!

Montana Dinosaur Trail Facility Operating Schedules
November 1, 2024

Blaine County Museum, Chinook: Open Mon-Fri 10 am-6 pm EXCEPT Closed Select Federal Holidays.
Carter County Museum, Ekalaka: Open Monday-Friday 9 am-5 pm, Saturday-Sunday 1-5 pm EXCEPT Closed All Federal Holidays (including Election Day, Nov 5).
Depot Museum, Rudyard: Open by Appointment Only (24 hr Advance Notice Minimum), 406-355-4356.
Fort Peck Interpretive Center, Fort Peck: Open By Appointment Only Mon-Fri, call 406-526-3493 or 406-526-3411 ext. 0.
Frontier Gateway Museum, Glendive: Open by Appointment Only (24 hr Advance Notice Minimum) through May 2025. Call 406-377-3018 or 406-365-4653.
Garfield County Museum, Jordan: Open by Appointment Only (24 hr Advance Notice Minimum) call Karen Witt 406-557-2544.
Great Plains Dinosaur Museum, Malta: Open Nov 15, 6:30-8:30 pm, Wine & Dino Evening, $10/person; Nov 29-30, 10 am-3 pm, for tours and holiday shopping; Otherwise by Appointment Only (3 person minimum, 24 hr Advance Notice Minimum) Call 406-654-5300 or email: [email protected].
H. Earl Clack Museum, Havre: Open Tues-Sat. 1-5 pm. Wahkpa Chu’gn Buffalo Jump site/Tours Closed until May 2025
Makoshika State Park, Glendive: Visitor Center Open Wed-Sun. 10 am-4 pm, Closed State & Federal Holidays; Park open for Day Use 7 am-10 pm and overnight camping.
Museum of the Rockies, Bozeman: Open Daily 9 am-5 pm EXCEPT Closed Nov 25, Dec 25, and Jan 1.
Old Trail Museum, Choteau: Closed until May 2025.
Phillips County Museum, Malta: Open Monday-Saturday 10 am-5 pm.
The Montana Dinosaur Center, Bynum: Open By Appointment Only, Call 406-469-2211. Book 2025 Field Digs at https://tmdinosaurcenter.org/
Upper Musselshell Museum, Harlowton: Open by Appointment Only (24 hr Advance Notice Minimum) and to get Passport Stamps call Nancy at 406-239-2255 or Karena 406-366-5118.