Dinosaur Ridge is an outdoor museum along a trail along Alameda Parkway that goes up and over a spectacular mountain of a type called a hogback. Locally the mountain is named Dinosaur Ridge because of abundant dinosaur fossils along the trail. One site has Late Jurassic dinosaur bones from about 150 million years ago exposed in a cliff of sandstone; another has over 300 footprints made by Early Cretaceous dinosaurs about 100 million years ago. Another 15 or so interpretive sites include beautiful scenic overlooks of the Denver Basin and Red Rocks Park. At the visitor center at the base of the ridge on the east side are a gift shop and an exhibit hall, Trek Through Time. The exhibits include 5 large murals depicting local environments set in either the Jurassic or Cretaceous periods, plant and animal fossils from the area, touchable replica fossils and selected rock specimens, and hands-on interactive exhibits including those that illustrate how tracks are made. The Friends of Dinosaur Ridge are currently raisng funds to build a structure over the world-famous tracksite in order to preserve the tracks for future genrations. With staff and volunteers the Friends provide guided tours, talks and special events for tens of thousands of visitors annually. As a result, for many children the Friends provide a rare outdoor experience.

The organization incorporated in 1989 in order to preserve Dinosaur Ridge and educate the public about the natural resources there. In 1994 the group acquired the use of the visitor center. In 2005 the Friends opened Triceratops Trail, four miles to the north in Golden, Colorado and in 2008 the group opened the exhibit, Trek Through Time, at the visitor center.