Warner Valley Dinosaur Track Site
Historic sites
A BLM heritage site in the desert south-east of St. George where more than 400 Early Jurassic theropod footprints are preserved in open sandstone.
The tracks
Warner Valley preserves one of the more approachable dinosaur trackways in southern Utah. The site was long thought to hold about 161 prints; a detailed survey in 2010 raised the count past 400, and prints continue to be identified. They appear both as continuous trackways and as isolated impressions, and the best-preserved show toe pads and claw marks.
The larger prints are classified as Eubrontes and are generally attributed to a theropod of roughly Dilophosaurus size. The smaller ones are Grallator, attributed to coelophysid dinosaurs such as Megapnosaurus.
Visiting
The Bureau of Land Management manages the site as a heritage location with interpretive signing. Access is by unpaved road across open desert; the surface is generally passable but is not maintained to highway standard, and it should not be attempted wet.
The tracks are in open rock with no cover. Low sun early or late in the day throws them into relief and makes them far easier to see than at midday.
Nearby
Fort Pearce, a stone guard post from the Black Hawk War period, sits on the same road network, as does a section of the historic Honeymoon Trail.
Please leave them
The prints are irreplaceable and unprotected. Do not chalk, wet, cast or stand in them.
Related on the site: the Warner Valley dinosaur tracks and the Dinosaur Discovery Site.
Frequently asked questions
How many dinosaur tracks are at Warner Valley?
More than 400. A 2010 survey raised the count from an earlier estimate of about 161, and further prints have been identified since.
What kind of dinosaurs made them?
The larger Eubrontes prints are attributed to a theropod of roughly Dilophosaurus size; the smaller Grallator prints to coelophysid dinosaurs such as Megapnosaurus.
When is the best time of day to see the tracks?
Early morning or late afternoon. Low-angle sun casts shadow into the impressions and makes them far easier to pick out than overhead midday light.