Dig into Hands-On Paleontological Experiences in Wyoming that Bring Disney-Pixar's "The Good Dinosaur" to Life

In the film, an Apatosaurus named Arlo and his human friend, Spot, traverse the beautiful—and at times, challenging—landscape, but Arlo is not the first dinosaur to roam the state. Wyoming is home to some of the best dinosaur fossil fields in the world, and the only state completely overlaying the Morrison Formation, a sequence of Upper Jurassic sedimentary rock known to contain hundreds of dinosaur fossils.

In the film, an Apatosaurus named Arlo and his human friend, Spot, traverse the beautiful—and at times, challenging—landscape, but Arlo is not the first dinosaur to roam the state. Wyoming is home to some of the best dinosaur fossil fields in the world, and the only state completely overlaying the Morrison Formation, a sequence of Upper Jurassic sedimentary rock known to contain hundreds of dinosaur fossils.

"Fans of Arlo and 'The Good Dinosaur' can roam the same areas that real dinosaurs did in pre-historic times, learn about what life was like for these creatures and even dig for dinosaur fossils throughout the state," said Diane Shober, Executive Director of the Wyoming Office of Tourism. "The film's setting was inspired by iconic Wyoming landscapes, which helps showcase the state's deep connections to paleontology."

Wyoming is home to more than a dozen paleontological museums, dig sites and trails where visitors can admire and even find their own fossils. A few of those sites are included below with a full list and map of locations at WyomingTourism.com/things-to-do/Paleontology.

About the Wyoming Office of Tourism

The Wyoming Office of Tourism is the only agency charged with promoting and marketing the state as a vacation destination to domestic and international leisure visitors. The tourism office provides inspiration and trip planning tools in partnership with local tourism entities. Marketing programs have consistently supported increased visitation, and Wyoming welcomed a record 10.1 million visitors in 2014. Tourism is the second largest industry in Wyoming and employs more than 31,000 residents.