Triceratops Gulch Project (TGP)

Learn to Dig for Dinosaurs!

Learn to dig dinosaurs with us!

If you're tired of sitting in an armchair, reading about the adventures of others and ready to get your hands dirty, the Triceratops Gulch Project might be for you. Morrison Natural History Museum has partnered with the Glenrock Paleontological Museum in Glenrock, Wyoming to offer the fossil expedition experience of a lifetime. Our programs are operated like an informal field school, where participants are introduced to project-based paleontological field work and lectures that support current research projects. In other words, we don't shove a brush in your hand without guidance or shoo you off your finds. We aim to enhance your paleo-literacy and make you part of the crew. This philosophy makes the Triceratops Gulch Project a different species of field program.

Work with museum crews as they explore fossil sites of the Upper Cretaceous Lance Formation of Wyoming. You will find fossils. Collection takes place at sites containing dinosaur bones, teeth, and the remains of an extinct ecosystem we are actively reconstructing. Learn basic geological concepts to put fossils into the context of time. Develop the eye for recognizing rock from bone as we teach you how to prospect for fossils. Help document sites and collect specimens that haven't seen the light of day since they were buried over 66 million years ago. When appropriate, learn mapping and field jacketing techniques for the safe recovery of fossil bones. Through the Triceratops Gulch Project you will make discoveries of your own.

The fossils you recover will be curated in the permanent collection of the Glenrock Museum. We will get you to the dig sites, provide you with excavation equipment and a hearty breakfast, lunch, snacks, beverages, an optional crew dinner in Glenrock. Most importantly we provide instruction and guidance every step of the way. The rest of the experience is up to you.

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Enroll now!

  • Contact Sarah Miller at Email:  s.miller@mnhm.org to begin your enrollment process. 
  • Reach out to Matthew T. Mossbrucker Email: director@mnhm.org with program questions.

Is this Program Right for Me?

In the field, romance of expedition quickly turns to the reality of excavation. It will be hot. Or cold. Or wet. There will be little to no shade from the summer sun. It will be windy and grit will stick to your sweaty skin. You will suffer for your science. But, you will also contribute to paleontology by making your own discoveries and placing them in a public collection for all to marvel. These comments are not sardonic, but insight into the reality of the adventure.