Digging for Dinosaurs

Are you looking for fun and exciting things to do in Montana for vacation?  Go dig for Dinosaurs! If you don’t do it for your kids, do it for yourself. If you have kids, drag them along for the adventure.

The adventure is looking for 65 million year old fossils of Triceratops, Stegosaurs, Crocodiles, and even the infamous Tyrannosaurus Rex in the motherlode of fossils, Montana. You get a real paleontologist as your guide and dig supervisor. He will fill you with the history of northeastern Montana in the Mesozoic era, as well as anecdotes of previous digs. Did you know that this entire area was a fresh water swamp much like the Everglades is today, except much larger? Did I mention that you’ll also work?

Maybe you’ll be lucky like me and find a Triceratops in a hillside. You’ll work hard to uncover it and find the extent of your find, but you will be the first person to see this beast for 65 million years. 

Maybe you’ll hunt the buttes and arroyos for new sign of a fossil. Maybe you’ll help dig and then plaster a find as part of the permanent team. Whatever happens, you’ll be an active part of finding the history of our planet, not watching someone else do it on TV.

I went to the area around Jordan, Montana last June, after signing up with Paleoworld. I looked on the web to hunt for dinosaurs. I was looking for a new adventure, and Paleoworld seemed to offer a hands-on experience. I’m not a “watcher” so I signed up.

I flew into Billings, rented a car and drove north for 75 miles, then Northeast for 30, and Northeast again for 70 more miles, until I got to Jordan. When you drive in Montana you can see a car coming toward you from 5 miles away, just over the rise. Traffic is not a problem.

Everyone associated with the program made me feel comfortable right away. I never felt among strangers, just people I hadn’t met yet. I knew that I would not be an observer to the dig so I brought the right clothing, jeans, boots, gloves, and a hat. They’re not kidding when they call Montana “Big Sky” country. It is big. You can imagine the herds of Buffalo moving across the prairie, and see the antelope play.

Your visit doesn’t have to be all work though. Save a day or two. The Lewis and Clark trail is less than two hours away, and the Missouri is dammed in Montana creating a large reservoir filled with trophy fish. I missed it last year, but there is also an annual recreation of the battle of the Little Big Horn at the end of June.

Additionally, you’ll spend your time in the new West, where the land seems to go on forever and cowboys who pass you on the dirt highway always wave because they’re neighborly. I saw deer, owls, ducks, in addition to the visits of the antelopes, and the most precious animal in Montana, the steer, almost every day.

Now get out there and find your own history! Be a part of it. Take pictures, keep a journal. You’ll be a more interesting person for it, and you’ll have fun.

Find more information about dinosaurs at PaleoWorld Research Foundation  and other fun things to do at Montana's tourist attractions.