paleoworld research foundation

I recently visited the Paleoworld dino dig in Jordan, MT. and must say it was a very interesting, educational family experience! I went with my 14 year old son and his 14 year old friend and his mom . We spent 3 full days with the Paleo group, and must say they are a great bunch!! Your hosts are Judy and Tim Lervick, who will treat you like family !! They do all of your cooking; breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and its very good , tasty food!!! They will cater to your picky eater kids!!! Our group found dino teeth, and some very large dino bones. We learned a lot from Jessica(Paleontologist) and Hannah(Geologist). They are very passionate about what they do!! It can be very hot out there, so you need to drink a lot and dress appropriately. For your teenagers , NO T.V.!!!! It's a good bonding experience!! It's a great way to escape the fast paced city life for a few days!! My group would certainly recommend this trip to those people looking to do an adventure trip that most others have never even heard of or thought about! It can be physically tiring, so keep that in mind.

This was the most amazing experience!!! We love dinosaurs and had been on a dig many years ago with the Tyrrell Museum in Alberta. However, they no longer offer day digs and we had been looking for a while for another dig experience. From the moment we inquired about booking this experience to our dig, Paleoworld was top notch and wonderful from beginning to end. It is a long drive from Billings to Jordan, then a drive through mainly dirt road to get to 'base camp.' The directions they provide you are perfect so you have no issues finding it. Base camp is the home of Tim and Judy who graciously open their guest facilities to dig participants. Judy cooks amazing meals and is so sweet. She made us feel like family. Our palentologists, Jessica and Hannah, were fabulous, and we had a blast with them. They were so knowledgeable and passionate about their work and went to great lengths to answer all our questions. We were there for 3 nights and were at the dig site for 2 full days. We were the only family there during those days (2 adults, 2 teens). We ate breakfast about 8:00am each morning and then drove for about 30 minutes on Paleoworld's suv through more dirt roads to the dig site. We got to keep small fossils we found at the adjacent micro site, but were also able to help dig at the main dig site. Our teens uncovered a few major triceratops bones and we all got to help continue to uncover their major triceratops find that Jessica and Hannah had been working on for some time and were prepping for jacketing. Judy packed picnic lunches for us, which were great.We got back about 5:00pm and ate dinner around 6:00pm.The kids got to work in the lab at night. The entire experience was fantastic!!!!Some advice to help prep for your experience: 1) you will get dirty so dress appropriately. This is a dig so you are sitting on the ground a lot. They had some pads you could use, but it is just a dusty location so you will get dirty. 2) it was hot so take containers you can put water in. Judy has a fridge you can use at base camp so we would chill our water and have it ready for the next day. They also send a cooler with water that you can use to refill your water during the day. Drink a lot because it is hot. 3) take ziploc bags for collecting micro fossils. They provide them for you but we collected a lot and I felt bad about using so many of their bags. 4) don't forget sunscreen and hats. Again, the sun is hot so don't forget these. They put up a tent over the main dig site which provided shade which was great, but we often did walks to collect micro fossils and were out in the sun. 5) set your alarm to get up about 1:00am to see the stars. OH MY!!!...there is NO light pollution so you see the most stars you will ever see in your life. The Milky Way is very visible and we saw several shooting stars. It was BEAUTIFUL! 6) enjoy being away from it all.... Base camp is a wonderful experience in addition to the dig. It was so refreshing to be away from the hustle and bustle of normal life and just enjoy being on a ranch in beautiful Big Sky country. The hay was being cut when we were there so we learned a lot about life on a ranch while we were there. The views are amazing and we just enjoyed the peace and relaxation. The kids loved the cattle, peacock and kittens, too.We HIGHLY recommend this dig experience and want to do it again. Our kids loved it!

We did the dino dig for the day in June 2012. It was well worth the 200 plus miles drive from Billings into the middle of nowhere, then further along a dirt track road. We arrived in our RV the evening before the dig and were immediately made to feel welcome by hosts Judy & Tim and also the staff and other guests. The RV site is actually at base camp, so when you wake up in the morning you are instantly there. You are also able to have meals and/or accommodation at base camp if you wish. We were given the opportunity to work in the prep lab the night we arrived and before and after the dig the next day. The dig sites are another 30 mins or so drive from base camp, in a Paleoworld 4 wheel drive, out into the depths of Hell Creek. The dig sites are actually on the same ranch that Barnum Brown found the T-Rex Holotype back in 1902 and you clearly see that site on the way. We were the only adult couple on our dig without children and were accompanied by 4 more adults with 5 children between them. The staff, Jessica, Hannah and Al were all very knowledgeable, accommodating and patient and really made the experience relaxed and enjoyable. Nothing was too much trouble. It was evident how passionate they all were about the job and how important it was to them that we all enjoyed the day. We were shown various micro sites from which we were allowed to keep anything we found, as well as being allowed to work in the main sites uncovering bones etc. under the guidance of the staff. On the way back from the dig we were also shown the KT boundary, which marks the asteroid impact and the end of dinosaurs. We highly recommend this experience to anyone with an interest in dinosaurs, whatever your age....young or old! Don't think about it, do it!! We can't believe that no one has reviewed Paleoworld since 2006! If you want more details and photos, see their Facebook page.

Montana: PaleoWorld Research Foundation "Absolutely magnificent!"Date:June 5, 2005Reviewer: Alen Cole, Yardley, PAGo dig for Dinosaurs! If you don’t do it for your kids, do it for yourself. If you have kids, drag them along for the adventure. The adventure is looking for 65 million year old fossils of Triceratops, Stegosaurs, Crocodiles, and even the infamous Tyrannosaurus Rex in the motherlode of fossils, Montana. You get a real paleontologist as your guide and dig supervisor. He will fill you with the history of northeastern Montana in the Mesozoic era, as well as anecdotes of previous digs. Did you know that this entire area was a fresh water swamp much like the Everglades is today, except much larger? Did I mention that you’ll also work? Maybe you’ll be lucky like me and find a Triceratops in a hillside. You’ll work hard to uncover it and find the extent of your find, but you will be the first person to see this beast for 65 million years. Maybe you’ll hunt the buttes and arroyos for new sign of a fossil. Maybe you’ll help dig and then plaster a find as part of the permanent team. Whatever happens, you’ll be an active part of finding the history of our planet, not watching someone else do it on TV.I went to the area around Jordan, Montana last June, after signing up with Paleoworld. I looked on the web to hunt for dinosaurs. I was looking for a new adventure, and Paleoworld seemed to offer a hands-on experience. I’m not a “watcher” so I signed up.I flew into Billings, rented a car and drove north for 75 miles, then Northeast for 30, and Northeast again for 70 more miles, until I got to Jordan. When you drive in Montana you can see a car coming toward you from 5 miles away, just over the rise. Traffic is not a problem. Everyone associated with the program made me feel comfortable right away. I never felt among strangers, just people I hadn’t met yet. I knew that I would not be an observer to the dig so I brought the right clothing, jeans, boots, gloves, and a hat. They’re not kidding when they call Montana “Big Sky” country. It is big. You can imagine the herds of Buffalo moving across the prairie, and see the antelope play.Your visit doesn’t have to be all work though. Save a day or two. The Lewis and Clark trail is less than two hours away, and the Missouri is dammed in Montana creating a large reservoir filled with trophy fish. I missed it last year, but there is also an annual recreation of the battle of the Little Big Horn at the end of June. Additionally, you’ll spend your time in the new West, where the land seems to go on forever and cowboys who pass you on the dirt highway always wave because they’re neighborly. I saw deer, owls, ducks, in addition to the visits of the antelopes, and the most precious animal in Montana, the steer, almost every day. Now get out there and find your own history! Be a part of it. Take pictures, keep a journal. You’ll be a more interesting person for it, and you’ll have fun.