Massachusetts is known for a lot of things (like taxes and the Patriots NFL team), but dinosaur fossils are not generally associated with the Bay State. That said, the town of Holyoke, in western Mass, hosts an unexpected diamond-in-the-rough, or rather, footprints in the rock. Holyoke, MA is the site of the where the first dinosaur tracks to be studied and recorded scientifically (~1836) remain for modern-day paleontologists to explore!
Getting there:
If you're arriving from the north, take I-91S to exit 18 and travel along Route 5 South until you see the yellow guard rail and information stand around 5mi in. There's parking for 4-5 cars, maybe a couple more if you park on the grass (likely prohibited, and possibly at the risk of towing).
From the south, take I-91N to exit 17, then turn onto Route 141 East to Holyoke. Turn left on Route 5 North and then look for the yellow guardrail around 2mi for the Dinosaur Footprints Reservation.
There are no entrance fees, although the park is generally closed during the winter.
There is short path from the parking area to the main fossil area that's easily traversed, though the rocks can get slipper in rain and ice.
According to the site stewards, there are over 800 tracks in the area, although we only found a small fraction of that. Similarly, there are supposedly fossil plant impressions, fish, and other fossils nearby.
Thanks for the great article!
Thanks for the post!