Royal Gorge Dinosaur Experience — Attraction in Four Corners States

So, this place was AWESOME... but what took the stars down from a 4, was that I stopped in the day before to check it out to see if it was indeed where I wanted to take the grandlittles. (VERY long drive!) They explained the costs, even marking a sheet w/ what I'd have to pay, per person. Next day, we arrive & pay. As we get to the outside part, we're told that the adults need tickets for the parts that we were TOLD previously, that we did NOT need, since we were only watching the kids participate. So I had to go back in & pay more. Then, the snackbar wasn't open....yet they don't allow outside food?! Wth?! We bought drinks just to get some "snuck in" healthy snacks in, in between activities! You're moving & grooving for hours... you need protein, right?! The dig was cool...but for the $10 extra that you pay, they could allow the kids to fill the bag versus "four items!" I mean. Its mostly rock. The climb things were amazing! The outside employees were super kind & helpful...seemed they cared about safety. The walk was cooler than I thought, though the snake warning signs were overkill & frightened my littles. One would suffice to caution!t Inside was really cool & informative! Loved that a real paleontologist was in the lab that day, & talked to my "future paleo!" The movie was NOT geared for kids....SUPER BORING...but no loss! It wasn't extra. Overall, wish there was one in St Louis as I'd return for sure!

Edit to add comment to owner reply: I feel that I gave an accurate & honest review for our visit. Money wasn't really an issue, since we were on vacay...but your employee DID INDEED explain it, incorrectly! She admitted such. I specifically asked if we needed the full package, since I knew that my 55 year old self & my 77 year old mom, were NOT going to do the climbs! LOL She stated that EVERYTHING outdoors could be done as a non- participant for no charge & that I'd, of course, stay with mny 4 year old through it all. Not sure why you don't just simplify your rates and add a true "all inclusive rate" without any ala carte items. For the indoor AND all of the outdoor items. Also, re your snack bar closure... my littles wanted FOOD. We spent from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. there.... and milk or overpriced jerky strips were the only real protein snacks that we saw. We didn't know the area will enough to leave and come back... plus wanted a FAST snack/meal so we could fully enjoy our admissions. Im pretty sure CO would allow an outdoor area for picnics & outside food coming in?! I'm sorry that tou weren't more appreciative of the great things and compliments I said about our visit, & over focused on the negative. It's constructive criticism... run with it. Don't make your customers, who all in all, spent a couple of hundred dollars in admissions, snacks, & gift shop items, ...

Our 4 year old son is obsessed with Dinosaurs so we made the 2.5 hour drive to visit this place for his birthday.

We found the process to get in and tickets(even though we had pre-purchased online) far too long and painful with young children. We did buy the full experience and we're very surprised to find out that the staff marks off each experience on your wrist band as you do it so that you can only do each thing 1 time. There was old outdated mask signage everywhere and often there were 2 of them next to each other that contridicted the other.

The dino walk was underwhelming at best. There are multiple signs warning you to watch out for snakes so be aware if you have a snake phobia. The dinos were in fairly bad shape and almost everyone had tears or miscolored parts in their bodies and probably half of them didn't move or make sounds when you walk up to them. I found it really lame that one of the dinos caught fire in 2018 and they left the metal substructure out there. At first I thought it was to show the kids how the animatronics worked but there were no moving parts in this one or any signage. On our way out we noticed a picture posted in the entry foyer that showed the fire. I was left feeling like the owners were just lazy and never replaced it.

The kids rope course was tiny and took exactly 5 minutes to do and for our kids to be bored. The dig site could be fun but the whole area is covered in black shredded tire mulch which makes that whole area miserably hot to be in. Within minutes the kids wanted to go into the air-conditioning and it was only 80 degrees out.

The museum section had several assembled skeletons but again was underwhelming. The kids played on the "jeep" for a few minutes but I failed to understand what that had to do with dinos. The kids also found the "party room"(really just a 12 x 20 space with only 3 walls) that had some dino toys on a table. They played with those for 30 minutes while the good dinosaur movie played on a tv on the wall.

We did try to purchase 2 dino toys on our way out and again we're met with the same poorly run ticket process. And weren't sure if we needed to go back in the long entry line or cut in front of people to purchase the dinos.

In the end, we spent a total of an hour and a half and while the experience was just "ok" and nowhere even close to worth the price(even with the 15% online discount). We will not be going back again. It's just not worth that price. Or the drive! I think $5-$10 should be the right price for this place. Even our kids told us they didn't...

We absolutely loved visiting here; it was everything we thought it was going to be! We arrived when they opened so it wouldn’t be busy and could relatively have the place to ourselves. Our son is autistic and has always been interested in dinosaurs. When we arrived he couldn’t stop smiling, pointing and naming all the dinosaurs, and saying ‘wow’ over and over.

The place was clean and well kept (very important to me), with multiple activities to offer, including a Dino themed play room that even had dinosaur kid movies playing. How cute!! I personally loved how some of the indoor dinosaur (hanging) skeletal structures moved; such a cool touch!

The outside kid play area was better than the photos and the trail was enjoyable. Our wagon didn’t forget best on the gravel trail so if you have a wagon or stroller make sure it’s meant for ‘off roading’. I do wish the dinosaurs moved a bit more when you walked by but it was enough to entertain my son so it’s enough for me. He especially loved the T-Rex next to the obstacle course. I personally didn’t do the course but my son’s father says he enjoyed it.

We spent a few hours here and absolutely loved it! We couldn’t help but buy multiple toys and items from the gift shop! They also have their own little restaurant/concession stand. Sadly it wasn’t open when we visited but i think it’s a great thing to have.

Overall we would definitely travel to Colorado again just to visit here again! Maybe even stay in Royal Gorge instead of driving in from Colorado Springs. We fell in love with it and how happy it made our son! 10/10...