Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection

Emergency Burn Ban In Effect 10/26/24 - An emergency burn ban is now in effect for all Connecticut State Parks, Forests, and Wildlife Management areas, prohibiting the use of all outdoor grills, firepits, and campfires, and the kindling and use of flame outdoors. DEEP and local agencies are working to contain several active fires across the state. Please avoid all affected State Parks and Forests, as well as the blue-blazed Mattabesett Trail. The Enduro Trail in Voluntown and portions of North Stonington within the Pachaug State Forest are closed at this time. Please note that today's forest fire danger report remains at an 'extreme' level. More information about the current fire danger, burn ban and recommended safety measures can be found here

Press Releases

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09/21/2022

Visitor Center at Dinosaur State Park Reopens After Infrastructure Update

(HARTFORD) – Bring a sense of wonder on your next visit to Dinosaur State Park in Rocky Hill! The Visitor Center recently reopened for indoor public visits and viewing of the dinosaur footprints trackway. The Visitor Center was closed for several months for an infrastructure modernization which included a complete replacement of its heating and air conditioning system. 

School and group field trips to the Park and Visitor Center resumed earlier this month. Students and educators once again have the opportunity to make observations and ask questions throughout various 90-minute programs. Please visit Field Trips for school programs for all ages and registration information.  

For those who have an interest in dinosaurs, there’s much to love about the 200-million-year-old fossil trackway, interactive exhibits, activities and the chance to cast one’s own dinosaur footprint to take home. The exhibit center houses over 750 dinosaur tracks exactly where they were discovered in 1966. The town of Rocky Hill is within the Connecticut Valley, which has a long history of fossil track discoveries. Outstanding specimens uncovered in 19th century brownstone quarries found their way into museums throughout the world. A new chapter in the history of such discoveries was written in 1966 when thousands of tracks were exposed in Rocky Hill. This remarkable site became Dinosaur State Park. The park itself contains more than 2,600 individual dinosaur footprints.  

In addition to the Visitor Center, Dinosaur State Park offers an array of trails ready for visitors to explore and enjoy year-round. Visitors can enjoy interesting and hands-on activities and programs inside and outside the Park itself, from the amphitheater to the picnic grove. Fossil shows, mineral explorations, gem or mineral mining, or live animal programs are sure to educate and interest visitors of all ages. Visit the Events Calendar for activity updates. 

Established in 1913, the mission of the Connecticut State Park System is to provide natural resource-based public recreational and educational opportunities through a system of state park and forest recreation areas, environmental centers, and nature centers that provide an understanding of, access to, and enjoyment of, the state’s historic, cultural and natural resources.  

Today, Connecticut has 110 state parks and 32 state forests attracting more than 13 million visitors each year, generating over $1 billion in revenue for the state and supporting 9,000 private sector jobs. Those driving Connecticut-registered motor vehicles are provided free entrance to the parks thanks to the Passport to the Parks program. For more info on Connecticut State Parks visit: www.ct.gov/deep/stateparks

Dinosaur State Park Tracks

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