Montana is something of a dinosaur enthusiast’s haven, and the state prides itself on the many impressive fossil discoveries unearthed in the region over the decades.
There are a total of fourteen Dinosaur Museums in Montana with some amazing displays of artifacts and fossil remains, and the state even has its own Dinosaur Trail.
Looking at some of the Jurassic-style landscapes in Montana, it is not that difficult to believe that some of the best dinosaur fossils have their home in the state, and some of these are recognized as being among the most important discoveries by paleontologists.
Montana visitors and residents alike can step back in time to check out the remains and the reconstructions of some of the biggest monoliths ever to walk the earth.
Montana’s Dinosaur Trail takes in the whole gamut of the 14 dinosaur museums, and this provides a pretty broad range of opportunities to find out much more about the prehistoric occupants of the region.
Certainly, you will encounter some of the greatest paleontological discoveries from the last century or so along the trail and in the dinosaur Museums in Montana.
So whether you’re a visitor to the Treasure State or a Montana native, you could do much worse than checking out these impressive displays dating back to paleolithic times if you are at all interested in this significant part of the region’s history.
These are some of the top Dinosaur Museums in Montana for dinosaur lovers.
Ten Dinosaur Museums in Montana
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- Museum of the Rockies
- Great Plains Dinosaur Museum
- Blaine County Museum
- Two Medicine Dinosaur Center
- Old Trail Museum
- Carter County Museum
- H. Earl Clack Memorial Museum
- Fort Peck Interpretive Center
- Frontier Gateway Museum
- Garfield County Museum
- Gledinve Dinosaur Musem
- Upper Musselshell Museum
- Phillips County Museum
- Rudyard Dinosaur Museum
1. Museum of the Rockies, Bozeman
This museum for dinosaurs is probably the best-known in Montana, and not without good reason. Here you will find possibly the most impressive specimen of a T-Rex that you’ll see anywhere.
The Museum of the Rockies is actually part of the Montana State University, which is Smithsonian-affiliated and hence the main hub of fossils that are considered state and federal exhibits.
The museum is widely considered to be one of the primary historical institutes across the globe, with a renowned and extensive collection focused somewhat on the large T-Rex specimen.
Some of the exhibits in the museum are permanent while others change from time to time, and exhibits are both inside and outside the institute.
You can also find educational programs, lectures, and various events at the museum, which is also accredited by the American Alliance of Museums and forms part of the Montana Dinosaur Trail.
2. Great Plains Dinosaur Museum & Field Center, Malta
The Great Plains Museum is another participating organization of the Montana Dinosaur Trail, and can be found right in the middle of what is known as ‘dinosaur country’.
The museum contains a wide range of Jurassic and Cretaceous fossils like those of the Stegosaurus and the Triceratops among others, as well as some well-preserved specimens of the duck-billed dinosaur the Hadrosaur.
The most prized exhibit of this particular institute is one of these duck-bills in something of a mummified state.
The museum also offers various educational programs for children and adults which often incorporate field digs and such, though these are held mainly throughout the summer months.
3. Blaine County Museum, Chinook
The Blaine County Museum was established in 1977, and its exhibits feature different aspects of history, including prehistoric.
The Paleontology Department has a range of fossils and other exhibits that mainly were discovered in the Judith River Formation.
Here you’ll find Hadrosaur and Gorgosaurus remains from the region, and there are some fairly huge displays of both reptile and invertebrate specimens from millions of years back, including ones from the ocean.
4. Two Medicine Dinosaur Center, Bynum
The Two Medicine Dinosaur Center is another of the Montana Dinosaur Museums featured on the Dinosaur Trail, and this place features some of the first baby dinosaur remains to be found in the region.
The center is also home to a broad variety of fossils of the plant, invertebrate, and reptile variety, and also houses various other artifacts discovered in the region.
The museum is very much research and education-oriented and offers public programs that feature practical work and onsite digs, as well as site tours and training courses.
5. Old Trail Museum, Choteau
