Earlier this month, my family and I finally were able to get reservations to go camping in Dinosaur Valley State Park, where we enjoyed the tranquility of nature alongside the Paluxy River about a 4-hour drive from Houston. This is definitely a smaller State Park in terms of campsites, with only 44 sites with hook ups and 15 primitive camping sites. However, we found this to be quite cozy and the sites were nice and wooded, offering quite a bit of privacy between them. As we explored the park, we couldn’t help but appreciate the beautiful scenery, especially during our horse gallop track construction adventure, which added an extra dash of excitement to the trip.
The coolest thing about Dinosaur Valley? The GIANT dinosaur models obviously. Located right when you enter the park next to the Park Store (great for ice cream and souvenirs), you can’t miss them. Both statues are from Sinclair Dinoland, an oil company exhibit at the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair. When the Smithsonian didn’t want the statues, they were scattered throughout the US and the T. Rex and Brontosaurus landed in Glen Rose in 1970.
Camping
As I mentioned, we camped in our RV in one of the sites and loved it. One of the great things about State parks is how affordable it is to stay there. We have a Texas Parks Pass which is $70 a year and gets you unlimited free entry to 89 state parks for you and your guests. Additionally, you pay half price for the second night, when you stay two or more consecutive nights in the same campsite. At Dinosaur Valley campsites with electricity are $25 a night and the entrance fee is $7 for ages 12 and older.
What to do at Dinosaur Valley?
- Hike over 20 miles of trails
- Mountain Bike
- Go fishing
- Swim
- Rent a kayak
- Ride your horse
- Discover dinosaur tracks
Be aware that you aren’t guaranteed to see the dinosaur tracks in the river, it all depends on how high or low the river is. You can learn all about the different tracks here. Trails may be closed due to wet conditions or weather but you can contact the park, or visit the Facebook page, prior to arrival for current trail status and dinosaur track visibility. Unfortunately for us, we came after some big rainstorms and the tracks weren’t visible for our entire stay.
We did really enjoy hiking along the Paluxy and dipping our toes in the river! The hikes were flat and very kid friendly. We were even able to take the stroller on some. End of April, beginning of May seems to be a great time to come because the wildflowers are at their peak and so beautiful! During our stay we mainly did short hikes but if we come again, we’ll definitely swim and kayak if the water is lower! That would have been a great way to cool off. We also spent quite a bit of time hanging out around the campsite enjoying the shade and the campfire.
It’s also worth mentioning that the stars at night really do shine big and bright (clap clap clap clap) deep in the heart of Texas, because the night sky was amazing! On a clear night you can see SO MANY stars…breathtaking really!
Other Area Attractions:
- Fossil Rim Wildlife Center
- Dinosaur World
- Downtown Glen Rose
- Big Rocks
Fossil Rim was a real highlight. It’s expensive but I think worth it! I’ll be doing a whole blog post on it, so keep your eyes peeled for that. But for now all i’ll say is GIRAFFES!!!
Glen Rose, the “Dinosaur Capital of Texas”, is the cutest little town! We enjoyed a banana split and some milkshakes at Shoo Fly Soda Shop on the Square and walked through some of the cute boutiques to beat the heat.
Big Rocks is free and walking distance from Downtown. Great place to get in the river and for kiddos to climb some BIG rocks. Just beware, there is zero shade!
Feel free to pin this image so you have this post to reference when you book your trip!
I love this so much! We will have to go soon. Thanks fir the tips!