Dinosaur Valley SP, TX

Camper_bob · 07-22-2019, 02:17 PM

I used to write these all the time because I found it helpful to read what other JOF members had to say about parks I was considering. For one reason or another I haven't written one in a while, but here goes...

We stayed 3 nights at Dinosaur Valley State Park near Glen Rose, Texas last weekend (July 19-21, 2019).

We arrived at nearly midnight Thursday, and a phone call to the park during the day confirmed that as long as we knew which site we were headed to (which I did), late arrival was no problem, our site post would have a tag with our name on it, just go to the office to finalize check in first thing in the morning. No problem. Pretty common procedure for TX State Parks.

Sites were well spaced and generally well shaded. Some sites were TOTALLY shaded. We stayed in site 27 and we had what they consider "partial" shade. Our rig was only in the sun during the middle of the day. Most sites are "back in" for RVs, but we found this site to be better situated for a "nose-in" approach. Luckily we have a Motorhome, so we just pulled in front first. If you had a towable, this site would have been awkward at best.

In general the sites and the park seemed to be clean and well maintained. The previous occupant of our site left a BUNCH of trash in the fire pit. We cleaned most of it out, but since we didn't have a fire, we didn't get it totally cleaned out. There was also an aluminum picnic table on a cement pad, and lantern hooks as well as a standing grill available at each site, all in very good repair and very serviceable.

Only electricity (30A/20A) and water in the RV sites, which are also tent sites. Most sites had a flat, level place to pitch a tent if you needed. RVs sit on asphalt driveways of various lengths and were mostly pretty close to level; our site driveway was listed at 51 ft. I had just enough room to tuck the Grand Cherokee in behind the Greyhawk. If I had backed in, I could have hung the rear further into the site and eeked out a few more feet at the front of the site. Electricity was stable, and water pressure was good. My Watts adjustable water pressure regulator held at 50 PSI most of the trip; the water was relatively soft for my taste, but it was serviceable (we didn't drink it). Communal bathrooms with shower facilities were available, but we didn't use them even once. There are also picnic areas as well as 2 small play areas available.

There is one dump station located in the water/electric camping loop. It was somewhat crude, but serviceable. It is also "one-sided", meaning there is no way for multiple rigs to pull up on either side of the outlet; it's one-at-a-time only. We pulled up to the station just as someone was finishing up, so we had virtually no wait at check out time on Sunday. There was a hose there, so I took the opportunity to hook it up to my tank flush since there was no one waiting on me, but there was VERY low water pressure, so it didn't work very well. Also, eventually someone pulled up behind me, so I cut that part of my dump procedure short and got out of their way. I was able to adequately dump my tanks though, so no complaints.

Several independent sources said you wouldn't be able to see dinosaur tracks (what this park is known for) if the water in the Paluxy river was above 1.8ft. It was gauged at 3.4 ft while we were there and we saw PLENTY of dinosaur tracks at all the marked sites that we visited. Of course, our willingness to get wet had a lot to do with this, as did our willingness to "explore" and look for tracks. It was HOT last weekend, so we were more than happy to take a dip in the river and we were thankful the river had water in it. The river water was not what I would consider "cool", but getting wet and then drying off in the breeze offered some relief from the otherwise stifling heat. Just be sure to bring along a GOOD pair of water shoes or sandals; navigating the rocky river bottom, or even negotiating a trammel crossing in bare feet is not really feasible and detracts greatly from the enjoyment of exploring the river.

There are also over 20 miles of trail to explore in the park. Trails are generally well worn, but the trail markers may be difficult to spot. There are also markers designating the track sites, and sometimes those can be difficult to find as well. At least some trails are designated for mountain bike traffic. Careful as you get close to the river as there are some significant drop offs down to the river. In some cases more than 20 ft down to the river from the trail. So in some places, you have to find an "alternate route" if you want to get down to the river.

The little shop in the park had lots of neat souvenirs and a few sundry items if you forgot something. They did not stock propane though, so I had to make an impromptu run into town Friday night and I bought the last 2 1lb cylinders at the local grocery store. Firewood and ice were available in the camp store though. You could also rent kayaks and waders (for seeing the tracks and staying dry). We didn't see a single person rent kayaks or waders...

We also visited Dinosaur World just outside the state park and had a wonderful time. My son is almost 5 years old and a certified dino fanatic, so he geeked out the entire weekend, and Dinosaur World was no exception. It was a neat place to explore the pre-historic dino world with a few different interactive activities for the kids. I would say it's worth the price of admission and good for a half-day of activity for the kiddos. Bring your own picnic, and pack plenty of water.

We ate a late lunch/early dinner at Hammond's BBQ in Glen Rose. It was standard Texas BBQ fare, and it was VERY tasty. We try to get a little of everything at places like this, and everything we ate was very good. In Texas, good BBQ is basically a religion, and we would definitely go back to Hammond's.

Overall we had a FANTASTIC time (especially my son) and would certainly go back. Make your reservations early though because this is a VERY popular park.

Bookemdanno · 07-22-2019, 02:49 PM

Great write up Bob...our family had a great time there last year!

AmericanBiker · 07-22-2019, 02:59 PM

Nicely written review ... Thanks for the info!

Camper_bob · 07-22-2019, 03:44 PM

I forgot to mention this is the first place I've stayed in a LONG time where Antennaweb.org couldn't give me a compass bearing to even one OTA TV antenna. I aimed at Glen Rose just in case, but got nothing. I took a stab and aimed toward Fort Worth (the nearest major metro area, about 40-50 miles LOS) and was able to pick up a CBS station and one other. It was unreasonable for me to expect to pick up ANY stations, so I regard it a success that I picked up those 2!!

We usually like to try to find at least one OTA station in case of emergencies.

Park offered no WiFi, but Verizon 4G LTE was generally strong. We played DVD's if we wanted to watch the "tube" after dark or while cooking meals inside.

Also, because of a lack of light pollution in the area, the stars are pretty magnificent. We had a lot of moon, so it wasn't as good as it could be, but it was pretty decent for a park NOT designated as a dark-sky park.

TxLoser · 07-22-2019, 06:16 PM

I nearly booked a site there this past weekend as it’s one of our favorite local spots. I chickened out though because I was worried about the height due to all the low trees and length of my new trailer. Also, the 30amp in the heat worries me. I’m 5 feet longer than the one I’d previously taken a few times. The site we used to like took every bit of the narrow road to back in.

I need to take a day trip up there and scout the sites that might work. Being an older park, some sites are at a 90 degree angle to the road and many have the fire pit and table on the wrong side. Great place though. Thanks for the write up. Glad you enjoyed it.

Bookemdanno · 07-22-2019, 06:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TxLoser

I nearly booked a site there this past weekend as it’s one of our favorite local spots. I chickened out though because I was worried about the height due to all the low trees and length of my new trailer. Also, the 30amp in the heat worries me. I’m 5 feet longer than the one I’d previously taken a few times. The site we used to like took every bit of the narrow road to back in.

I need to take a day trip up there and scout the sites that might work. Being an older park, some sites are at a 90 degree angle to the road and many have the fire pit and table on the wrong side. Great place though. Thanks for the write up. Glad you enjoyed it.

This was the 1st & only site that I felt I might have needed to use my manual slider to get into our site. I don’t know that I needed to slide it, but I did just to be on the safe side.

Camper_bob · 07-23-2019, 01:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TxLoser

I nearly booked a site there this past weekend as it’s one of our favorite local spots. I chickened out though because I was worried about the height due to all the low trees and length of my new trailer. Also, the 30amp in the heat worries me. I’m 5 feet longer than the one I’d previously taken a few times. The site we used to like took every bit of the narrow road to back in.

I need to take a day trip up there and scout the sites that might work. Being an older park, some sites are at a 90 degree angle to the road and many have the fire pit and table on the wrong side. Great place though. Thanks for the write up. Glad you enjoyed it.

All of those are valid concerns in my opinion. There are LOTS of low hanging tree branches, and even some of the sites themselves had lots of low branches. In fact, the fifth wheel that came in and parked next door to us the second night rubbed on them as I watched him pull in. I thought to myself that was not a good situation as the tree branches could open a rubber roof up like a zipper. Ours is fiberglass.

Also, MANY of the sites are at close to 90 degree angle to the road, and maneuvering in close quarters for sure. We actually made the loop to find our site and ended up going "the wrong way" back to our site to make it easier to get in. Since we were pulling in forward, I didn't quite have the clearance to do it with the JGC attached. So we looped back out, disconnected the Jeep and went back at it from the other direction. It was midnight, so I wasn't concerned with "traffic".

TxLoser · 07-23-2019, 08:41 PM

I watched big class A come in at night and do the same.

I like the new reservation system, but One thing I miss under the old system is getting assigned a spot, making the loop, and see no one that works better. Then they’d just swap it.

The park maps and reservation maps aren’t terribly accurate. The trees also make google maps a little tough. I think in the next few weeks, I’ll drive out there and make a list of sites that I can get into.

Bassdogs · 07-24-2019, 07:42 AM

DW and I visited the park a few years ago as it was generally on our route south out of Ok on our way south. I thought the dinosaur prints theme sounded like an interesting thing to see. In aftermath, It was. I am not a dinosaur freak but standing in a small creek and seeing thousand year old prints was profound. We found only 3 locations where prints were visible. They are not well marked and you have to pay close attention to the park material.

The park is pretty much in the middle of nowhere and would not be worthy of a stop if it weren't for the dinosaur prints. That said it is a nice CG and the facilities were in good condition.

Camper_bob · 07-24-2019, 09:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bassdogs

DW and I visited the park a few years ago as it was generally on our route south out of Ok on our way south. I thought the dinosaur prints theme sounded like an interesting thing to see. In aftermath, It was. I am not a dinosaur freak but standing in a small creek and seeing thousand year old prints was profound. We found only 3 locations where prints were visible. They are not well marked and you have to pay close attention to the park material.

The park is pretty much in the middle of nowhere and would not be worthy of a stop if it weren't for the dinosaur prints. That said it is a nice CG and the facilities were in good condition.

A few more than "thousand year old" prints. More like 60 million years.

I stopped a handful of times and looked at those prints with that thought in my mind. Those impressions were made tens of millions of years ago. It was surprisingly awe inspiring IMO.

TxLoser · 07-24-2019, 10:01 AM

I’d go there as a kid in the 80’s and there were many more visible prints. Over the years they’ve been sanded down and eroded away.

Camper_bob · 07-24-2019, 10:11 AM

Today we got 3 separate recommendations to visit the "Fossil Rim Wildlife Center" which is also near Dinosaur Valley State Park.

This is a non-profit wildlife park dedicated to conservation of various species of exotic animals. It looks like a REALLY neat place, and again, it came HIGHLY recommended by several of our friends when we were telling them about our trip.

I had explored this as a potential activity for us, but time just didn't allow it. I was looking for something else to do in the area in case we weren't able to see tracks in the park, but we found lots of tracks, so we spent most of our time in the State Park.

Next time, Fossil Rim will likely be on our list to see...

beyondblessed · 08-06-2019, 02:39 PM

What a great review and thanks for the write up. We visited the park and stayed 3 nights in site 17. This site over looks the river and was very large. It was the perfect site to get away and enjoy the stars at night. We have a smaller trailer, 30ft and had no issues with any trees or roads going in or out.
Happy Camping.

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