Is Eccles Dinosaur Park Worth Visiting? An Honest Guide
Here’s the short version: George S. Eccles Dinosaur Park in Ogden is a small, slightly weathered, mostly outdoor park with more than a hundred dinosaur sculptures, a real fossil museum, and zero shade. It’s also cheap, easy, and good for a few hours with little kids. So is Eccles Dinosaur Park worth visiting? For the right family, absolutely. Let me explain who that is before you drive 45 minutes for it.
Is Eccles Dinosaur Park Worth Visiting: Things to Consider
1. Where is it?
2. What is it?
3. It isn’t Open Every Day
4. What Can You See and Do?
5. How Long Do You Need?
6. No Pets Allowed
7. There is No Food or Water For Sale
8. There Are Dinosaur Park Events
9. Parking is Free
10. There Are Ways to Save
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Quick Verdict: Is Eccles Dinosaur Park Worth It?
Worth it if: you’re already in the Ogden area and have kids roughly 2 to 10 who love dinosaurs. Admission is a flat $12 per person (ages 2+), and there’s enough to fill two or three hours. I would not hesitate.
Maybe skip it if: you have no young kids, you’re chasing polished, climate-controlled museum experiences, or you’re tempted to drive an hour each way to see it as a standalone destination. It’s a good local stop, not a bucket-list one.
- Where: 1544 Park Blvd, Ogden, UT 84401
- Admission: a flat $12 per person, ages 2 and up; under 2 free (confirm current pricing before you go)
- Time needed: about 2 to 3 hours to do everything
- Best for: dinosaur-obsessed little kids
- Bring: water, sunscreen, and quarters
Is Eccles Dinosaur Park Worth Visiting?
1. Where is Dinosaur Park?
The park sits at 1544 Park Boulevard in Ogden, Utah, about 45 minutes north of Salt Lake City. The whole drive is wrapped in mountains, so even the commute earns its keep. The address is worth saving in your phone, because “the dinosaur place in Ogden” will only get you so far with a GPS.
What hotels are near George S. Eccles Dinosaur Park? There are several affordable choices nearby. If you’re building a wider Utah trip around it, the park pairs neatly with the Clark Planetarium and the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium, both an easy drive away.
2. What is Eccles Dinosaur Park in Ogden, Utah?
It’s two things wearing one ticket: an 8.5-acre outdoor sculpture park and an indoor Stewart Museum of Paleontology. The outdoor half is the main event, with more than a hundred dinosaur sculptures scattered along walking trails, plus playgrounds and a place to dig in the sand. The indoor half holds the real science: fossils, skeletons, bones, gems, and a couple of animatronic dinosaurs going at each other.
The indoor museum is small and won’t take long. The outdoor park is where your kids will actually want to spend their time, weather permitting.
Pro tip: The outdoor section has absolutely no shelter from the weather. Check the forecast before you visit. A surprise downpour or a 95-degree afternoon will end your day faster than a toddler can spot a Tyrannosaurus. The same no-shade warning applies to Governors Island if you’re ever in New York, by the way.
Bonus pro tip: Don’t forget the sunscreen. There is nowhere to hide from the sun out there.
3. It isn’t Open Every Day
This is the one that strands people: the park keeps seasonal hours, and the closed days change with the calendar. In summer it’s open most days, including Sundays. Come fall it’s typically closed Mondays, and in winter it’s usually closed both Sunday and Monday with shorter afternoon hours. It also closes for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day.
Translation: do not just show up. Check the current hours for the exact day you’re planning to go, because nothing deflates a carful of dino-obsessed kids like a locked gate.
4. What Can You See and Do?
Pro tip: Arrive early. Every area of the facility is best enjoyed without a crowd breathing down your neck. Beat the rush.
Dinosaur Park
The outdoor park is the headline attraction: walking trails winding past more than a hundred dinosaur sculptures. Most are family friendly, but some are mid-meal, and at least one is lying on the ground with a bloody wound next to a Tyrannosaurus rex. Nature is metal, and so is this park.
Fair warning: the sculptures have been out in the Utah weather for years, and some could use a refresh. A few make noises, a few don’t. A few have wires hanging out, a few don’t. None of this bothered my kids in the slightest, but if you were expecting Disney-grade animatronics, recalibrate.
Playgrounds
There are outdoor playgrounds with dinosaur theming worked in, which means your kids will eventually abandon the actual dinosaurs to go climb on a slide, as kids do.
Dig in Sand
There is an outdoor sandbox excavation area where kids can dig for fossils. It is, by every measure that matters to a five-year-old, the best thing there.
Feed Fish
There is an outdoor pond full of fish that have grown deeply, professionally accustomed to children feeding them. Your kids will want in on the action the second they see the water boil.
Pro tip: Bring quarters. The fish food comes out of coin machines, and “we forgot quarters” is a hard sentence to say to a hopeful four-year-old.
Explore the Indoor Museum
The indoor area features dinosaur skeletons and real fossils, more statues, and a fairly extensive gem section. It’s the part of the visit that does the educational heavy lifting, and a welcome break from the sun.
Pro tip: There are animatronic dinosaurs upstairs. One is a baby at risk of being eaten. This won’t bother most kids, but I personally watched one child scream and refuse to exit the elevator, so they aren’t for everyone. If yours is sensitive to noise or jump scares, consider packing noise canceling headphones.
Mine a Gem
Kids can pay extra to mine a gem in the indoor building. You don’t need to do this. You’ll have a perfectly nice day without it, and your wallet will thank you. But if you cave, you cave.
Pro tip: This area gets crowded, especially when a big group heads that way. If you spot little to no line, stop what you’re doing and go.
5. How Long Do You Need?
The property is 8.5 acres, with indoor exhibits, outdoor play areas, and trails to walk the outdoor dinosaurs. If you want to see and do everything, plan to be there at least three hours. If your kids are little and you’re really just there for the sculptures, the sand, and the fish, two hours covers it comfortably.
6. No Pets Allowed
Pets, other than service animals, are not allowed anywhere on the property, including the outdoor dinosaur area. If you’re working this stop into a larger road trip with the family dog, plan ahead, because your dog is not coming in. There’s no good way to leave a dog in a hot car in Utah, so build a plan around that before you arrive.
7. There is No Food or Water For Sale
You can feed the fish here, but you can’t feed or hydrate anyone in your own party.
There used to be a quick-service restaurant, but it hasn’t operated since COVID, and the current park lists only a gift shop, no cafe. As far as I could tell, there’s nowhere on site to buy water. No vending machine, no cart, no fridge. Nothing. We resorted to buying a plastic souvenir cup from the stand by the front desk gift shop and filling it at a water fountain, which is exactly as undignified as it sounds.
Pro tip: Bring a refillable water bottle. In an outdoor Utah park with no shade, water is not optional.
Bonus pro tip: Outside food is allowed, so pack a lunch. Alternatively, hit a restaurant nearby before or after your visit.
8. There Are Special Events
Special events run throughout the year, and they’re a genuinely fun reason to time your visit. The headliners are Dinos in the Dark around Halloween and Dinos in the Snow during the December holidays, an evening event with the park lit up in the cold. Check the current offerings for your travel dates to see if anything lines up, since themes and exact dates change every year.
9. Parking is Free
Parking on the property is free, which is a small mercy after years of paying for it everywhere else. It isn’t a huge lot, but the walk to the door is short and easy, even with a stroller and a kid dragging their feet.
10. There Are Ways to Save
Admission is reasonable to begin with, but there are still ways to bring it down.
Know the Ticket Price Before You Go
How much are tickets to the Dinosaur Park in Ogden, Utah? Pricing has simplified since I first visited: it’s now a flat single-day rate of $12 per person for ages 2 and up, with kids under 2 free. There are no separate adult, senior, student, and child tiers anymore, so a family of four runs about $48 for the day. Always confirm current pricing on the official ticket page before you go.
Buy a Membership If You’ll Visit More Than Once
This is the easiest real savings. At $12 a visit, a family membership pays for itself fast if you’re local or planning to return. Beyond a year of admission, membership also gets you into the Ogden Nature Center, Ogden Union Station, and Tracy Aviary on specific days, which turns one dinosaur ticket into a small stack of Ogden outings. Check the current membership tiers and exact reciprocal days before you buy.
Visit with a Group
The park offers discounted group and field-trip rates through tiered packages for groups of 10 or more, with the cheapest options landing a few dollars below the regular per-person price. If you’re organizing a birthday crew, a class, or a multi-family outing, it’s worth it.
Note: Group and field-trip bookings must be reserved at least seven days in advance, so this is a planning move, not a same-day decision.
Ask About Reduced-Rate Access
The park has offered reduced-rate options aimed at making it accessible to more families, including a discounted annual membership tier for SNAP and EBT households. If budget is the thing standing between your kids and a hundred dinosaurs, ask at the front desk or check the membership page for current programs.
Groupon
Deals come and go, but it’s worth a quick look at Groupon before you buy at the gate. Availability fluctuates, so don’t count on it, but there’s no harm in checking.
Eccles Dinosaur Park FAQ
How much does Eccles Dinosaur Park cost?
Admission is now a flat single-day rate of $12 per person for ages 2 and up, with kids under 2 free. That works out to about $48 for a family of four. Pricing changes over time, so confirm the current rate on the park’s official ticket page before you go.
How long should I plan to spend there?
Plan on two to three hours. Three if you want to do everything, including the indoor museum, the playgrounds, the sand dig, and the fish; two if your kids are little and mostly there for the outdoor dinosaurs.
Is Eccles Dinosaur Park good for toddlers?
Yes. The outdoor sculptures, playgrounds, sand-digging, and fish-feeding are all toddler gold. The only caution is the upstairs animatronics, which can startle a sensitive little one, and the complete lack of shade, so plan around the weather and pack water.
Is there food at Eccles Dinosaur Park?
Not for sale on site. There’s no cafe and, as far as I could find, no water for sale either. Outside food is allowed, so pack a lunch and bring your own water, or eat at a restaurant nearby before or after.
Is Eccles Dinosaur Park worth it?
If you have young kids and you’re already in the Ogden area, yes. At a flat $12 a person for a couple of hours with a hundred-plus dinosaurs, it’s an easy yes. As a standalone, drive-an-hour-each-way destination for adults, it’s a no.
Final Thoughts – Is Eccles Dinosaur Park Worth Visiting?
Is Eccles Dinosaur Park worth visiting? If you’re in the area with young kids, it definitely is. There’s enough to fill a few hours, and even full-price admission at a flat $12 a person is completely reasonable. It’s not polished and it’s not enormous, but it’s honest, cheap fun for dinosaur-aged kids, and I wouldn’t hesitate to go back. If you’re putting together a bigger Utah itinerary, the Utah Olympic Park makes a great companion stop.
I would love to do a family trip here with my younger siblings. Thanks for writing such an in depth review.
I would say it is worth visiting and is a great educational opportunity. My nephew would love it.
Looks like a great place to visit! We have something similar here in Florida. Thanks!
This is a great place to let kids explore and learn more about dinosaurs. Wasn’t aware of it. Thank you!
This is interesting place to go to and learn about dinosaur. Thank you for sharing about this park.