Roadside Attraction
Butler Wash Dinosaur Tracksite
Comb Ridge
Overview
Not far off UT-95 near Blanding lies the Butler Wash Dinosaur Tracksite, a small but fascinating window into the distant past. A short walk leads to several distinct dinosaur tracks preserved in a sandstone layer, left behind more than 160 million years ago. I had driven past this spot many times before finally stopping - and I’m glad I did. It’s an interesting and worthwhile detour if traveling through the area.
The Butler Wash Dinosaur Tracksite preserves two different sizes of meat-eating dinosaur (theropod) tracks that were first reported to the Bureau of Land Management in 1994. The tracks show that these two different types of dinosaurs lived in this area during the Jurassic Period more than 160 million years ago.
These unique tracks provide a glimpse into the past. Tracks help paleontologists understand the approximate size of the animal; the speed it was moving, the direction it was heading, and other interesting observations about its daily life that we would not be able to learn from bones alone. Continue down the trail to see what stories these tracks have to tell you.
Getting There
The Butler Wash road takes off at mile post 111.9 on UT-95 (111.9 miles from Hanksville, or about 12 miles from Blanding). Reset your odometer as you leave the highway. About 1/4 of a miles from UT-95 is a pullout with a paystation for permits as well as informational signs about the tracksite. This is the trailhead.
Route Description
From the trailhead, follow the trail a short distance to the slickrock layer. The tracks are in the slickrock layer next to the road. They usually have a ring of rocks around them that makes them easy to find.
Maps
12S 622206E 4155073N
37°32'04"N 109°37'01"W
12S 622288E 4155029N
37°32'03"N 109°36'57"W