Dinosaur Tracks in Leander

River Update 5/29/16:  According to a visitor below, the tracks are hard to get to due to slippery rocks and under water right now. But because the water is clear, the tracks are visible.


If you’ve been to the tracks recently, please leave a comment below and let us know if the tracks are underwater with all the rain!  Thx!

Also, big thank you to Wes for leaving the GPS coordinates in the comments below.

About a half mile west from the 183 bridge that crosses the South Fork of the San Gabriel River is a truly amazing sight!  Approximately 12 (maybe 11) dinosaur footprints are embedded in the rock of the river bed.  

If you haven’t taken the time to hike down there, they are really worth seeing!

There is something amazing about looking down and seeing a trail of dinosaur footprints that are over 100 million years old!  

At this site there are no fences, no signs, nothing but a trail of prints on a dry riverbed.  

You can walk alongside them and get a feel for the large size of the dino that walked there before you. 

Based on the shape of the three toed prints, scientists believe they may have belonged to a carnivore called the Acrocanthosaurus. There are also supposed to be some Brontosaur tracks closer to the bridge.  These prints are supposed to look like big circles… but I have never been able to find them.  

Regardless, it is a nice hike on the river bed. Although there isn’t a whole lot of water in the river these days, there is still enough for frogs and fish and all sorts of creatures to enjoy.

Tips and Thoughts

* Although there are no fences or signs prohibiting access, please do not step into the dino tracks or they will deteriorate over time, and our next generation will not be able to enjoy them!

* To find these prints, go to Google maps and search for where the South San Gabriel River crosses 183 a little north of Leander. You can also use the approximate address: 601 S Gabriel Dr, Leander, TX 78641.  This will take you to the parking spot (not the dino tracks!)

*To access the prints, you can park right off of 183.  There appears to be two parking areas on the south side of the bridge: you can either park in a small grassy lot in front of a fenced off electrical maintenance area on the south east corner.  There is a path down to the river between 183 and the electrical maintenance area. Or it looks like you can park in the median just south of the river, between the north and south bound road in 183.  Access to the river seems very easy here as well.

* Once you are on the river bed, head west.  The tracks are about (and this is a rough estimate) a half mile west of 183.  When looking back, if you can still see the 183 bridge, you have not gone far enough.  The tracks are on the left hand side of the riverbank.  

* This is a river bed… if it ever rains in Texas again, the river could potentially fill and the tracks would be unavailable.  I’m not convinced we will ever be out a drought, but it could happen.  So keep this in mind!  Note added 1/15/2015: I took my father over the Christmas break.  There was water in the river, but the tracks were on a higher ledge and they were dry. It would have to be a lot of recent rain, I think, to cover these tracks.

* This is not a park, nor a formal location.  This is just a random spot in the river.  So don’t look for any signs, expect any restrooms or depend on any water fountains.  But the river is state land, so access is permitted along the river bed.

If you visit and have some additional information to provide, please feel free to leave a comment!