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Recommendations for Planning Your
Time in the Park
by
David Whitman,
Chief Naturalist
I have noticed that a lot of people assume that the main
experience at Dinosaur National Monument is to see the dinosaur
bones at the Dinosaur Quarry. That makes sense given the park's
name. Nothing, however, could be farther from the truth. Even
though this is a national monument, it contains 210,000 acres of
some of the most rugged and beautiful mountain and canyon country
in the West. You really should plan to spend more than a few
hours at Dinosaur National Monument. I guarantee you won't regret
changing your plans to include an extra day or two. The following
are my suggestions for things to do while at the monument.
If you have 1 hour, visit the Dinosaur Quarry 7 miles
north of Jensen, Utah. Dinosaur bones (1500 of them in fact) are
on display as well as replicas of dinosaurs. Exhibits help you
to appreciate the world the dinosaurs lived in 150 million years
ago. There is a wonderful bookstore specializing in dinosaurs
and the natural history of the monument. This is the only place
in the monument to see dinosaur bones.
If you have 3 hours, visit the Quarry and then drive the
self-guiding auto tour, Tour of the Tilted Rocks, which begins
near the Quarry. This will give you an introduction to the rest
of the park, its beauty, geology, wildlife, and petroglyphs
(prehistoric Indian rock art). You just may decide to stay
longer after taking this drive. This is only an introduction to
the wonders of the park; there is still much more to see and do.
If you can add an additinoal 1½ hours to your visit, walk
the self-guiding Desert Voices nature trail along the Tour of
the Tilted Rocks auto tour.
If you have 1 day, do the above and then drive to
Monument Headquarters Visitor Center 2 miles east of Dinosaur,
Colorado (a 30-minute drive from the Dinosaur Quarry). View the
10-minute orientation program in the auditorium and look over
the exhibits. There is also a short nature trail through the
desert shrub community that starts at the visitor center. From
the Headquarters Visitor Center, take the self-guiding auto
tour, Journey Through Time on the Harpers Corner Road. This auto
tour is 62 miles long round trip and takes 2 to 4 hours to
drive. It will introduce you to the beautiful and diverse
Dinosaur ecosystem. There are several short nature trails along
the tour and spectacular overlooks of mountains and canyons. At
the end of the road is the Harpers Corner Trail, a 1-mile long
one-way, self guided nature trail. The overlook at the end of
the trail is 2,300 feet above the river and is one of the most
spectacular views in the West. Harpers Corner Road is closed in
the winter from approximately mid-December to the beginning of
April.
If you have 2, 3, or 4, days you can do the above and add one
or more of the following side trips:
Take a one-day or multi-day river trip with one of the
park's river concessionaires. This is one of the best ways to
see the wild and beautiful character of the park while you have
great fun riding the waves.
Take the Diamond Mountain Road to Jones Hole National
Fish Hatchery, 48 miles north of the Dinosaur Quarry. Tour the
trout hatchery and then walk the 4-mile long trail (one way) to
Green River. You will enjoy this easy walk along a crystal clear
creek. The trail is shaded in many places by box elder trees
growing beside the creek. About 1½ miles down this
beautiful canyon are the 1,000-year-old petroglyphs (prehistoric
rock art) at Deluge Shelter. A little further down the trail is
Ely Creek. A side trip up the Island Park Trail that joins the
Jones Hole Trail at Ely Creek, will follow Ely Creek a short
distance to a waterfall. Birches and Douglas fir trees shade
this beautiful scene. You can hike further up the Island Park
Trail and explore the Labyrinths, a small maze of sandstone
canyons and alcoves. This is a great day!
Drive down the Echo Park Road, 25 miles north of Monument
Headquarters. This is a great side trip off the Journey Through
Time auto tour on the Harpers Corner Road. The road is unpaved,
but is suitable for most passenger cars. It is impassable when
wet, so if thundershowers appear likely, you might choose to do
an alternate trip. The drive to Echo Park and the campground is
through two beautiful sandstone canyons. You will reach, and can
explore, the historic Chew Ranch, prehistoric petroglyphs,
Whispering Cave, and finally the "center of the universe,"
Echo Park. To understand why I call Echo Park the "center
of the universe" you need to see and experience it
yourself. From Echo Park or the Chew Ranch there are several
hiking possibilities. This trip is another great day! Echo Park
Road is not maintained in the winter.
Along the Yampa River at the extreme eastern end of the
monument is Deerlodge Park, 53 miles east of Monument
Headquarters. The Deerlodge Campground is beside the river in a
beautiful grove of large cottonwood trees. In the spring and
early summer, the boat ramp and campground is a busy place. This
is the main launch point for river trips on the Yampa River.
However, after mid-July, Deerlodge Park is a quiet, out of the
way retreat. The stretch of river through Deerlodge is good
fishing for catfish and northern pike. There are hiking
opportunities to visit historic cabins or explore Disappointment
Draw or East Cactus Flats. Most of all, this is a place to kick
back and relax.
For those who like driving backcountry roads and have the
vehicle to do so (not recommended for passenger cars), you
should drive the Yampa Bench Road. This is a 71-mile drive from
the Harpers Corner Road to US-40 through wild, rugged, beautiful
country. The drive will take you to spectacular overlooks above
the twisting canyon of the Yampa River. Side canyons will beckon
hikers. The drive alone takes about 4 hours, but if you add
hikes or backpack trips, you can add days and wonderful memories
to this adventure. Yampa Bench Road is not maintained in the
winter.
In the northern most part of the monument is the Gates of
Lodore and Browns Park, 106 miles north of Monument
Headquarters. The Gates of Lodore ranger station and campground
are in the southern portion of Browns Park, a place of rugged
beauty where western history was made and Indians and fur
trappers camped. As one author put it, "this is where the
West stayed young." You can use the Gates of Lodore
Campground as your base camp from which you can visit the sites
in Browns Park. Basic supplies can be obtained from the Browns
Park Store along state road 318, about 8 miles from Lodore.
Things to do include:
- Walk the Gates of Lodore Nature Trail,
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Visit the 1,000 year old Irish Canyon petroglyphs,
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Check out the Lodore school house, which is on the National
Register of Historic Places, and look for the names of outlaws
buried in the Lodore cemetery,
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Drive the Browns Park National Wildlife Refuge self-guided auto
tour and drive over the swinging bridge that crosses the Green
River,
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Visit the historic and restored John Jarvie Ranch operated by
the Bureau of Land Management,
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Fish the Green River for big brown and rainbow trout,
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Hang out and watch the river glide by. For a more strenuous
activity, you can listen for the call of the canyon wren. If you
are really ambitious, you can count the number of times a
dragonfly dips its tail in the river to lay its eggs.
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