Dinosaur Valley State Park

Three nights camping in Glen Rose for a belated ninth birthday. The river was the best of it and possibly the worst of it, and the dinosaur tracks were the least of it.

The dinosaur tracks were a disappointment.

That is worth saying first, because the tracks are the reason the park has its name and the reason most people drive out. Aini had been looking forward to them for days — it was her belated ninth birthday trip, and real tracks you can put your hand on is a good promise to a nine-year-old. The tracks were not what made the trip good.

What was actually good

Floating in the river. A lazy afternoon in the shaded water with the kids, and that was the best of it — not an activity, just being in the river while the day went by.

The camping was genuinely cheap. Entry was free on the Texas State Parks Pass, and a night cost about twenty-six dollars.

It is 110 miles each way. We drive electric, so that is a full charge before leaving and a Supercharger at Cleburne or Granbury on the way home. It was 101°F the day we drove down.

The part to think about before you go

We caught a virus, and the most likely source is the river. The water is probably standing still too long. Nobody was seriously ill, but the whole family came down with something afterward, and it is the sort of thing worth knowing before you decide how long the kids stay in.

What we would do differently

Go when it is cooler. It was too hot to hike, so a whole side of the park went unused. In better weather that might be the best part.

Bring your own food if your fridge is working. Ours was not, so we ate out for three days, and there are not a lot of great options in Glen Rose.

The town

The best time, honestly, was wandering the small town. Shoo Fly Soda Shop was part of that. See the separate notes on Grumps Burgers and Storiebook Cafe — both were good, and Storiebook especially so with kids.