Round Trip Distance: 4 miles
Difficulty: Strenuous
Elevation: 7618 - 9287 feet
Cellphone: 1-5 bars
Time: 3 hrs.
Trailhead: Silvershield
Fee: none
Attractions: World's longest dino trackway
The West Gold Hill Dinosaur Trackway is located near the end of the Silvershield trail in Ouray, Colorado. Found at the site are 134 consecutive footprints that were left roughly 150 million years ago by a sauropod dinosaur. At 106 yards long they form the longest known dinosaur trackway in the world.
For turn-by-turn directions to the trailhead, from your location you can enter 'Silvershield Trailhead' into your driving app.
Getting to the trackway requires ascending over 1,600 feet in elevation. The trail is steep in places with a few patches of scree where footing can be slippery.
Just past the quarter mile point from the trailhead there is an overlook with a bench upon which to rest and take in the views.
At this point you have already knocked over 300 feet off of the required 1,600 feet of elevation gain.
At the 1.1 mile point from the trailhead there is an intersection with the Oak Creek trail where the sign will direct you up the left fork.
After passing the intersection with the Oak Creek trail the steepness of the trail lessens a bit. Occasional small patches of poison ivy encroach upon the edge of the trail in places but they are easily avoided.
Around the 1.7 milepoint you will pass an old log cabin near the Rock of the Ages Mine.
The trail arrives at the tracksite right where the tracks make a wide 270 degree turn.
The trackway is visible from outer space as seen from this Google Satellite view. From overhead the entire trackway with its 270 degree turn is apparent in a single glance.
The tracks look deeper here as though it required the creature to put forth more effort in making the turn.
After the turn the tracks continue all the way to the edge of the mountain.
Just past the tracks to the south you can usually count on finding some water in a small stream or ditch that is there. If you brought your dog it will be a good place for them to cool off. Not knowing how dependable the presence of water is it would be wise to be sure and carry enough with you for your pets.
The Silvershield trail is a lot busier now that the entire trackway has been uncovered and publicised after it was purchased by the Forest Service from its previous private owner. Like many of the trails around Ouray it requires more effort than most casual hikers are accustomed to but it can be more easily managed by taking your time to get up the mountain. There are plenty of logs that provide natural benches to rest upon and once you reach the site you will be rewarded with seeing the longest known dinosaur trackway in the entire world. After that, maybe you will want to enjoy a nice soak in the Ouray Hot Springs Pool. If you would like to see it for yourself then all you have to do is 'Take a hike'.
The Silvershield trail is a lot busier now that the entire trackway has been uncovered and publicised after it was purchased by the Forest Service from its previous private owner. Like many of the trails around Ouray it requires more effort than most casual hikers are accustomed to but it can be more easily managed by taking your time to get up the mountain. There are plenty of logs that provide natural benches to rest upon and once you reach the site you will be rewarded with seeing the longest known dinosaur trackway in the entire world. After that, maybe you will want to enjoy a nice soak in the Ouray Hot Springs Pool. If you would like to see it for yourself then all you have to do is 'Take a hike'.
