The Long Way
Hot Springs County
A guide speaks to a group of young people inside a large wooden pavilion over an archaeological dig site.
Plate I. Guided tour at Wyoming Dinosaur Center dig site. From wyomingdinosaurcenter.org
Two people excavating a fossil or artifact outdoors.
Plate II. Dig site, Wyoming Dinosaur Center. From wyomingdinosaurcenter.org
A young boy sitting next to a fossilized bone embedded in the ground.
Plate III. Dig site participant, Wyoming Dinosaur Center. From wyomingdinosaurcenter.org
A photograph shows a fossil specimen being measured with a tape measure next to a label.
Plate IV. Fossil excavation, Wyoming Dinosaur Center dig sites. From wyomingdinosaurcenter.org
People excavate a fossil in the dirt.
Plate V. Excavating fossils, Wyoming Dinosaur Center dig sites. From wyomingdinosaurcenter.org
A woman and two children brush and excavate a fossil in the dirt.
Plate VI. Dig For A Day, Wyoming Dinosaur Center dig sites. From wyomingdinosaurcenter.org
A person working at an excavation site with tools and materials.
Plate VII. Fossil excavation, Wyoming Dinosaur Center dig site. From wyomingdinosaurcenter.org
Visitors observe dinosaur skeleton exhibits in a museum gallery.
Plate VIII. Dinosaur exhibits, Wyoming Dinosaur Center. From cowboystatedaily.com

Wyoming Dinosaur Center dig sites

Thermopolis, Hot Springs County, Wyoming. Half-day dig.

Details

Map. Thermopolis, Hot Springs County, Wyoming. Larger map
Where
110 Carter Ranch Road, Thermopolis, WY 82443. Directions
When
7 days a week from May 25 through September 6, 2026.
Season
Winter Season September 16 - May 15; Summer Season May 16 - September 15.
Fees
The program cost is $80.00 per person, and this includes museum admission.
Hours
Shovel Ready programs operate from 9:00 am to noon and 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm.
Access
The Shovel Ready Program allows ages 3 and up to participate, regardless of experience; however, a parent or legal guardian must accompany anyone under age 18.
Walk-in or reserve
advanced reservations are required.
Phone
307.864.2997
Website
wyomingdinosaurcenter.org

With over 70 mounted skeletons and hundreds of displays and dioramas, the Wyoming Dinosaur Center will educate, inspire and capture the imagination of children and adults alike.

Notable Events

  1. 1993The center's land was purchased by Big Horn Prospecting Inc. deseret.com
  2. 1993Fossil hunters walking the hills around Thermopolis discovered dinosaur bones weathering out of the mountainsides. wyomingdinosaurcenter.org
  3. 1995The WDC opened, with Trey the Triceratops, mounted in Germany, as its only fully-mounted real fossil dinosaur. cowboystatedaily.com
  4. 2006Pohl, the center's founder, brokered the private sale of the archaeopteryx fossil, which sits on loan at the center under bulletproof glass. spokesman.com

People

  • Burkhard Pohl, Swiss-German fossil collector and the founder of the WDC.
  • Lee Campbell, paleontologist who excavated the Triceratops sold to Pohl for the museum's opening (1990s).
  • P.J. Kimle, center marketing director.
  • Ulrich Leonhardt, partner in Big Horn Prospecting Inc., which bought the land (1993).

Sources

  1. wyomingdinosaurcenter.org
  2. wyomingdinosaurcenter.org/museum
  3. wyomingdinosaurcenter.org/museum/hours-and-admission
  4. wyomingdinosaurcenter.org/mecevents/dig-for-a-day-5
  5. wyomingdinosaurcenter.org/programs/dig-site-tours
  6. wyomingdinosaurcenter.org/mecevents/shovel-ready-2
  7. wyomingdinosaurcenter.org/find-us
  8. cowboystatedaily.com/2026/03/08/after-30-years-in-wyoming-museum-trey-the-triceratops-to-be-auctioned-off
  9. commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Wyoming_Dinosaur_Center
  10. facebook.com/WyomingDinosaurCenter
  11. wyomingdinosaurcenter.org/mecevents/kids-dig-3-2