Rabbit Valley: real dinosaur bones you can visit, but not collect

Out at the far western edge of Mesa County, where I-70 nears the Utah line, the ground holds real Jurassic dinosaur bones. You can walk up and look at them.

The Rabbit Valley Trail Through Time is a short loop that starts at the Mygatt-Moore Quarry, where crews have dug out bones from sauropods, armored dinosaurs, and predators. Interpretive signs point out fossils left in place in the rock. It is reached from I-70 Exit 2 and sits on land managed by the BLM Grand Junction Field Office.

Here is the key rule: the fossils are protected. You can look and take photos, but removing, casting, or defacing vertebrate fossils is against the law. That holds true across BLM land in the area, not just at the marked trail. Pocketing a “cool rock” with a bone in it can be a serious mistake.

The trail runs through open high desert with little shade, so summer visits call for water, sun cover, and an early start.

For directions, hours, and the rules on fossils, check the BLM’s official Rabbit Valley page before you go.