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dinotracks

98 million year old dinosaur footprint fossils 10 minutes from downtown El Paso
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Our trained DinoTracks hiking guides will take you on a tour of this prehistoric landscape.

The Insights El Paso Science Center now owns 211 acres of DinoTracks at the border of 2 countries and 3 states, thanks to a generous donation from Stanley Jobe .  The site was donated to Insights following the initial discovery of the dinosaur footprints by geologist Eric Kappus in 2002.  Millennia of geological activity has changed the wet environment to an extreme and arid desert, but with a trained eye, we can still see the evidence of an ancient dinosaur beach at the DinoTracks site today.

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Join Insights for prehistoric tour of fossilized dinosaur tracks right in the heart of the Border Region.   Trained hiking guides will take you on tour of 10 different geology sites.

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Become a Dinotrack Tour Guide

Thank you for your interest in becoming an Insight's Dinotrack Tour Guide. This is an amazing and rewarding opportunity to educate our community not only about fossilized dinosaur tracks but a multitude of other subjects such as geology, animal tracking, and more. Click the above link to register!

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DinoTracks Guided Tours:

  • Animal tracking basics

  • Aquatic/marine fossils

  • Chihuahuan Desert Plants and Animals​​

  • Dinosaurs and Paleontology

  • Fossil formation

  • Geologic history

  • Trace fossils

  • Tectonic Plate Activity and Earthquakes

  • The Rio Grande River Basin

  • Sedimentation and Erosion

  • Volcanism

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Thank you Stanley Jobe!

DinoTracks tours would not be possible without the generous donation of 211 acres of property to Insights.  Following the discovery of the DinoTracks in 2002 by Eric Kappus, Stanley Jobe donated the property to Insights El Paso Science Center to protect the dinosaur tracks and be developed as an educational resource for the Border Region.

Thank you Southwest University and dr. Eric Kappus!

The continuation of research of our 211 acres of land at Mt. Cristo Rey and the DinoTracks would not be possible without the support of Southwest University and Dr. Eric Kappus. Insights appreciates our partnership and the combined mission to educate our community about one of our Border Region's hidden gems. 

dinotrack tours FAQ’s:

Can I visit the DinoTracks Site without a guide from Insights?​

  • Please remember that the DinoTracks site is private property; if you would like to visit the DinoTracks site without an Insights tour guide, then you will need to review this use agreement and submit a request by phone or email.

Where can I download a copy of the liability waiver?

  • Prior to your booked tour,  you will receive a digital copy of our liability waiver and your guide will have extra copies on the day of the tour.  If you would like to print your own or need an extra copy, please download it here. 

Gift Cards

  • DinoTracks Tours make great presents!  Please contact Insights by phone (915) 534-0000 or email us (info@insightselpaso.org) to request a DinoTracks gift card.

How do I become a DinoTracks tour guide?

  • Do you enjoy helping others understand geology and paleontology? Insights seeks guides from all majors, cultural backgrounds, and experiences.  DinoTracks Tour Guide Training Sessions are typically held twice per year, in the spring and fall. DinoTrack tour guides provide a 2.5 mile, ~3 hour tour of our fossilized dinosaur tracks near Sunland Park to groups of 8 – 30 adults or children. For each tour, guides can choose to receive volunteer credit or a stipend.

  • All interested parties age 18+ are encouraged to apply.  If you are interested in joining our team of DinoTrack tour guides, please submit an application today! After an application review, selected Tour Guides will participate in a half-day training including an informational hike, then shadow tours at their convenience. Upon certification, tour guides will choose to earn a stipend or volunteer credit (i.e. Texas Master Naturalists) per tour given. Apply Here.

Still have questions?  Please contact us!

Insight's general
tour policies

School Tours​

  • Cancellations Due to Weather:  In the event that inclement weather disrupts a scheduled tour, it may be rescheduled one time with no additional fees applied.

  • A second rescheduling request, due to weather or another unforeseen circumstance, will incur a 15% rebooking fee. 

  • Cancellation after Payment Confirmation has been Received: Within two weeks of the scheduled tour date will incur a 10% rebooking fee.

  • Insights will reschedule a school tour at no charge only if NOAA weather forecast reflects: 1) 80% chance or greater of heavy precipitation during the scheduled tour time, or 2) Wind gusts of over 60 miles per hour. Registered participants will be contacted prior tour cancellation with details.

Public Tours

  • Tour Guests may reschedule a tour to another month one time with no additional fees applied.

  • Each additional rescheduling request (after the first free rescheduling request) will incur a $3 fee per guest.

  • Full cancellation of a paid tour will incur a fee of $5 per person.

  • Our gift cards are available via Eventbrite.

Insights will only cancel a Public First Sunday Tour when NOAA reflects a weather forecast of: 1) 80% chance or greater of heavy precipitation during the scheduled tour time, or 2) Wind gusts of over 60 miles per hour. Registered participants will be contacted prior tour cancellation with details.We want you to have a great tour, if the weather looks surprisingly unpleasant, feel free to rebook your tour for the next month, or schedule a private tour.

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Private Tours

DinoTracks Tours make great presents!  Please contact Insights by phone (915) 534-0000 or email us (info@insightselpaso.org) to request a DinoTracks gift card.

How do I become a DinoTracks tour guide?

  • Do you enjoy helping others understand geology and paleontology? Insights seeks guides from all majors, cultural backgrounds, and experiences.  DinoTracks Tour Guide Training Sessions are typically held twice per year, in the spring and fall. DinoTrack tour guides provide a 2.5 mile, ~3 hour tour of our fossilized dinosaur tracks near Sunland Park to groups of 8 – 30 adults or children. For each tour, guides can choose to receive volunteer credit or a stipend.

  • All interested parties age 18+ are encouraged to apply.  If you are interested in joining our team of DinoTrack tour guides, please submit an application today! After an application review, selected Tour Guides will participate in a half-day training including an informational hike, then shadow tours at their convenience. Upon certification, tour guides will choose to earn a stipend or volunteer credit (i.e. Texas Master Naturalists) per tour given. Apply Here.

Still have questions?  Please contact us!

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