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Dinosaur Museum
St. George Dinosaur Discovery Site
You will really enjoy a visit to the Johnson Farm Dinosaur Museum which is right in the middle of St. George.
The St. George Dinosaur Discovery Site at Johnson Farm displays some of the oldest and best-preserved dinosaur tracks in the world. Dinosaur tracks were discovered on the Johnson farm in February, 2000. The site is still in the early stages of scientific study – to date more than 1,000 tracks have been found within a 10-acre area. Most of these tracks were made by Dilophosaurus-like creatures and are three-toed, 13-18 inches long.
There are also some smaller tracks and researchers have identified skin prints and impressions made by tail drags and swimming movements.
The tracks were found in large slabs of sandstone dating back some 200 million years to the beginning of the dinosaur era. Residents of Washington County walked, worked and planted over that sandstone for many years, never realizing it sheltered this treasure trove of dinosaur artifacts.
Most of the tracks are “negative impression” casts that appear as bumps on the stone. The area was once the bottom of an ancient freshwater lake in the center of the super-continent Pangea. Footprints left in the mud filled with silt and sand, and more sand was deposited over the top. The mixture eventually solidified into sandstone and mudstone, forming the casts.
Dr. Johnson donated his land to the city of St. George and the U.S. Congress recently appropriated funds to help construct a science and visitor center. Volunteers do most of the work at the site.
Small groups can just show up during open hours. Larger groups should schedule a tour.
To get there, take exit 10 from I-15 onto 3050 East (Pineview Drive). Follow it south until it swings to the southwest and becomes Riverside Drive. Just continue driving until you reach the site, which is marked by a sign.
- Open hours: 10 am until 6 pm
- Days of operation: Monday through Saturday
- Closed Sundays
- Open every holiday except Christmas & Thanksgiving
- Address: 2180 E. Riverside Drive
- Phone: 435-574-DINO (3466)