Ballroom Track Site - Dinosaur Valley (Somervell County, Texas)

Whenever I travel, I make an attempt to find interesting sites to visit in the area. This weekend, I'm in Dallas for a convention and after spending some time researching the area before my trip, I decided to take some time out to visit Dinosaur Valley State Park, which is home to some very well preserved dinosaur tracks. Knowing the drive from my hotel to the park takes a little over an hour, I get an early start and arrive at the park at about 8:30 AM.

The Ballroom Track Site is near the front of the park and is described as the best of the parks offerings. After getting out of my rental car, I'm hit in the face with the humidity the mid-west is known for. I grew up in this part of the country, I've lived out west in the high desert of northern Nevada for over fifteen years now, and my tolerance for humidity has evaporated in that time. The trail system is a bit confusing at first, as the equestrian trail, trails to campsites, and the trail to the track site are all tangled.

After finally getting my bearings and ending up at the shallow creek, I wade out into the clear slow-flowing stream and immediately start seeing numerous dinosaur tracks preserved in the fossilized mud. The water is generally only about a foot deep and nice and cool, in contrast to the air temperature.

The tracks here are mostly from theropods, but the occasional large sauropod track can also be found. These examples are said to be among the best preserved in the world and having visited a few other sites around the country, I can see why. These examples benefit from what must have been a very muddy creek bed millions of years ago when these dinosaurs began their ballroom dance, as can be seen by the depth of the tracks. Some sink several inches into the mud-turned-stone. In addition, some examples are so well preserved the talons/claws are clearly visible. 

As I wade up the creek a short distance, I can't help but think back to times as a child when my dad and I would explore the creek beds of Hurricane Creek near his childhood home in western Kentucky. While we never found any dinosaur tracks in those creek beds, I firmly believe those adventures he led me on had a major influence on my love of the great outdoors and sense of adventure. He's been gone for nearly ten years now, but I'd like to think his spirit lives on through me. Miss you, dad.

I continue up the creek bed and find a few more examples, but the section known as the Ballroom is certainly the most heavily populated. In all, I've spend about an hour wondering around the area and hiked probably a mile or so, but it was time extremely well spent. I'm in awe of this site and how well preserved the tracks are. I would highly recommend this site to anyone in the area with even the slightest interest in dinosaurs.