Updates to Rapid City tourist attraction will be ‘dino-mite’

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) - Rapid City’s Dinosaur Park is an iconic tourist attraction that showcases five concrete dinosaurs.

Built in 1936, the dinosaurs have been around for 86 years, which is why the area needs an update. As part of that update, the park will become ADA accessible, allowing people of all abilities to enjoy it.

Construction started September of 2022, and will be mostly finished by the end of this year.

“The major reason for doing this whole project is accessibility. Those stairs were not safe, and not accessible. There’s plenty of people who have mobility issues, or even just strollers that they couldn’t take up there, or they had to carry the strollers up the stairs. And that just excludes a lot of people,” said Melissa Petersen, landscape designer.

The crews are working on getting the stairs open first and the ramp will come after.

As of right now there is partial access to the park, and limited parking.

For updates on the park, click here.

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