While driving any afternoon through rural Culpeper County and watching cows, horses and other livestock graze lazily in fields, it’s hard to imagine that over 200 million years ago dinosaurs roamed the Piedmont region that many of us call home today. Even though no dinosaur bone fossils have ever been found in Virginia, the state is home to some of the largest concentrations of dinosaur tracks in the world. It seems conditions that are perfect for preserving footprints are not so great for preserving bones!
One of the largest collections of dinosaur tracks can be found at Luck Stone Quarry in Stevensburg, where more than 4,800 dinosaur tracks crisscross the quarry’s floor. Luckily for those of us that find dinosaurs extremely exciting, the quarry partners with the Museum of Culpeper History for one weekend every year to host a Dino-Walk!
who left the tracks?
The majority of the tracks found are believed to have been left behind by six different kinds of smaller dinosaurs known as theropods.
how were the tracks found?
On what was probably a normal day in May 1989, quarryman Bob Clore found 17 tracks that looked like a giant chicken had been walking around. Unlike many other quarry owners who instruct their workers to destroy any traces of dinosaur tracks to avoid delays in mining, the owner of the quarry welcomed the discovery. Since their discovery he has stopped working that large section of the quarry and has welcomed both scientists and the public alike to come to the quarry and see the tracks for themselves.
Some of the tracks are displayed at the Culpeper Museum as well as the Natural History Museum in Washington DC.
walking where dinosaurs walked
Hourly tours at the quarry run during the day between 8 AM and 12 Noon. When we last went on the Dino-Walk in 2018 we arrived for the 12 Noon tour, and boy was it hot for a July afternoon! Once you arrive at the quarry they scan your ticket and then line your car up in the staging area. Once the previous group had been cleared out, it was our turn to enter the quarry!
Geek Tip: As we began our descent into the quarry our daughter started playing the Jurrasic Park theme song, setting the mood for our adventure!
I have to say that for me personally one of the most exciting parts of this adventure was driving the bottom of the quarry. Not only is it an interesting perspective that you wouldn’t normally get to experience unless you work at a quarry, but once you get to the bottom it almost looks like you have arrived in the age of dinosaurs. All that’s missing are pterodactyls flying overhead.
On to the main event! In general once you have parked you have about 45 minutes or so to walk around, take photos, enjoy the scenery, and talk to the volunteers from both the museum and Luck Stone Quarry. All the volunteers were super friendly and knowledgeable and happy to answer any questions you may have about the quarry or the history of dinosaurs in Virginia.
On the dry shale the tracks are difficult to see, even the ones that were circled with blue paint.
However, they are much easier to spot if you wet them with water! So a pro-tip is to bring some extra water along! But if you forget, it’s okay, the museum provides little plastic squirt guns.
Once you are done photographing the tracks, don’t forget to snap a few photos of the scenery! It is beautiful!
Whether you or you are just looking for a memorable afternoon out in the Virginia countryside, I highly recommend going on the Dino-Walk at least once!
