Montana’s Dinosaur Trail

Dig Into the Deep Past of Southeast Montana

The story of Southeast Montana goes back further than most people realize — all the way to some of the most fearsome creatures to ever walk the planet. The Hell Creek Formation—one of the most fossil-rich geological layers in the world—runs right beneath the surface of this landscape, and it’s still giving up its secrets. Triceratops skulls. T. rex teeth. Rare tyrannosaurs found in local ranch country. The dinosaurs of Southeast Montana aren’t locked away in a vault somewhere—they’re here, on display and in the ground, in the towns and badlands you’ll drive through.

Southeast Montana is home to three stops on the Montana Dinosaur Trail, a passport-style network of 15 world-class paleontology destinations across the state. From the canyon walls of Makoshika State Park in Glendive to the legendary collections at the Carter County Museum in Ekalaka, to the Dino Depot at the Musselshell Valley Historical Museum in Roundup and the Frontier Gateway Museum in Glendive , this corner of Montana punches well above its weight in prehistoric discovery. Add in real fossil dig opportunities, annual events like Ekalaka’s beloved Dino Shindig, and small towns with genuine western character, and you have everything you need for a trip unlike anything else.

Explore our itineraries below and start planning your journey into deep time. You can also visit The Montana Dinosaur Trail for the full statewide passport map and all 15 trail locations.