The Judith River Dinosaur Institute, located in Billings, Mont., is a center dedicated to promoting paleontology to the general public. Six-day summer digs are offered three times a year. For those with a sincere interest in paleontology, the methods can be strenuous. All areas are carefully mapped before removal, and all found fossils are later analyzed in the institute lab. Specimens become property of the institute. Because the digs involve dusty, hard work and long days, all participants must be age 14 or older. Participants stay in their own tents; fees include the use of outdoor showers and latrines as well as daily meals and beverages.
Judith River Dinosaur Institute
Box 51177
Billings, MT 59105
(406) 696-5842
montanadinosaurdigs.com
Dinosaur digs are available at several different sites through the Dinosaur Journey Museum of the Museum of Western Colorado system. Half-day, full-day, three-day and five-day digs are conducted in both Colorado and Utah. A nearby quarry is the source of most of the shorter digs.These short digs are popular with younger children and are available for ages 5 and up. Digs longer than a day allow guests to dig alongside palentologists as they assist with actual excavations. Some longer trips include camping and rafting on the Colorado River.
Museum of Western Colorado: Dinosaur Journey Museum
550 Jurassic Ct.
Fruita, CO 81521
(970) 858-7282
museumofwesternco.com
The Two Medicine Dinosaur Center in Bynum, Mont., offers several options to guests with an interest in paleontology. Three-hour trips are offered in addition to one-, two-, three-, nine- or 10-day events. Fees vary according to interest, and private tours can be created according to a vacationer's interests. Guests are transported back and forth daily to the Two Medicine Center; guests are responsible for booking their own accommodations at nearby hotels or campgrounds and for packing their own food and water.
Two Medicine Dinosaur Center
120 2nd Ave. S.
P.O. Box 786
Bynum, MT 59414
(800) 238-6873
tmdinosaur.org
The Wyoming Dinosaur Center is located on the Warm Springs Ranch in Thermopolis, Wyo. It offers several dig-for-a-day adult, family and kids' programs during the dig season, which usually lasts from late spring to early fall. Fees include orientation and an introduction to methods of mapping and digging, transportation to and from the dig site, hourly tour buses for those who wish for an early departure back to the center and the use of necessary tools. The fossils are for collection and use by the center--they are not for guests to take home.
The Wyoming Dinosaur Center
110 Carter Ranch Road
P.O. Box 868
Thermopolis, WY 82443
(307) 864-5522
wyodino.org
PaleoAdventures provides guided tours of fossil beds in Belle Fourche, S.D. One- or two-day trips that include lunch and transportation to and from the dig site are offered; guests can opt to stay at the dinosaur-themed Raptor's Nest hotel (other hotels are also available). Children under 8 years of age are not allowed on digs, and a good physical condition is recommended for all participants. Fossils found are kept for museums or are sold to excavators for a fee. PaleoAdventures also works with private landowners in Wyoming and Montana to provide special digs; see website for details.
PaleoAdventures
2519 5th Ave.
Belle Fourche, SD 57717
(605) 210-1275
paleoadventures.com
