RAPID CITY, S.D. (KELO) — Dinosaur Park in Rapid City has been closed since Oct. 1 of 2022, but the planned renovations should be underway as the park prepares for its spring opening.
The park has a targeted reopening date of April 30. City officials at the time said that the project has been years in the making. According to the city, the project should be complete by December 2023.
The purpose of the project is to increase accessibility, bring safety features up to code and update amenities.
“The stairs that are here now are from the ’60s actually and no major work has been done to them since then. Every year, we have some stones that come out, we have to do some repaving here and there, repaint the dinosaurs and that sort of thing, but no major work has been done since the ’60s,” Melissa Petersen, Landscape Designer, told KELOLAND News back in September 2022.
Phase 1 of the project began in September 2022, which included demolition of the stairs. In October the gift shop closed for the season, and no public access was allowed to Dinosaur Hill.
On May 1 the gift shop will reopen to the public for the season. Limited parking spaces will be available, and trail access will be open.
By the end of May, the staircase to the top of the hill should be restored.