Built in 1936, Dinosaur Park was one of Rapid City’s original tourist attractions. While it certainly isn’t as thrill seeking as many other attractions in the area, it’s still worth a visit.
We unfortunately did not pick the best day to visit this park located high on a hill just on the edge of Rapid City. The temperature had dropped about 20 degrees from the day before (making it a true fall day) and it was incredibly windy.
We parked our car in the small lot, and first made our way into the small visitor center and gift shop. 2 of the 7 dinosaurs are located in this area before you climb up the hill. These two dinosaurs are smaller than the others located up the stairway.
It is a short walk up the hill, but seemed long in the cold and wind as we made our way up the stairs to see the giant dinosaurs.
As you can see, we weren’t the only ones braving the weather! Here’s the first guy we were able to get close to after turning to the left.
From there you could get a good view of the mighty brontosaurus.
As we took the path further to the left, we came across the stegosaurus.
As you can see, some of the sculptures are in need of a fresh coat of paint, but seeing as how they brave the weather all year round, they are still in pretty decent shape.
The trail then looped back to take us right next to the brontosaurus again.
Following that the loop takes you next to both the triceratops and the T-rex.
The T-rex was my personal favorite as he just seemed to be in a joyful mood. The views from the top of the park are beautiful and give you a great scope of the city. Overall it was worth the trek up the hill, but I recommend visiting on a warmer day!
Follow sitesandbitesjournal on Instagram for up-to-date news on our travels or sign up for e-mail updates for the blog for all the details following a trip!
Sites & Bites 