If you visit Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve in Alaska, you could be literally walking in the footsteps of dinosaurs. Palaeontologists already knew that dinosaurs had lived in the area, but now they have found proof that tyrannosaurus rex once roamed there.
On Monday, rangers from nearby Katmai National Park (who also look after Aniakchak) shared a photo on Twitter showing a full-sized dinosaur footprint discovered on site. It would take an expert to recognize the marks in a piece of stone, but scientists are confident that it was left by a T-rex.
RAWR! This is the full-size track of a Tyrannosaurus Rex discovered in Aniakchak (which Katmai also administers). While we already knew dinosaurs roamed this land, this is the first evidence of T-Rex we have found. If you had seen this, would you have recognized it as a track? pic.twitter.com/a9p2jsoxFsNovember 28, 2022
Aniakchak is one of the least visited National Parks in the US due to its remote location, so if you decide to make the journey you can expect to see miles of unspoilt wilderness with no lines and no waiting.
Like Katmai, Aniakchak is also an excellent place to spot brown bears, which come to the area to forage, and to prepare for hibernation by laying on extra fat during the annual salmon migration. The National Park Service has mandated the use of bearproof canisters for food, with some available for visitors to borrow free of charge.
Rafting the Aniakchak River is another highlight. Only a few parties head out onto the water each year, mostly in July. Tackling the water is a real challenge, but a rewarding one that lets you take in some spectacular scenery.
