Hiking Trails

Self Guiding Nature Trails

Desert Voices Nature Trail: This trail is close to the Dinosaur Quarry and is a particularly good trail to visit after viewing the bones and exhibits at the quarry. The trail begins in the Split Mountain area across from or west of the boat ramp. Signs along the trail explain what you can experience as you walk through this arid environment. A special feature of the trail is a series of signs produced specifically for children by children. The trail is about 1 1/2 miles long round trip and is moderately difficult. The best times to walk the trail is in the morning or evening when it is not so hot. The interpretive signs will introduce you to the threats confronting arid environments in the West. We think you will find this trail provokes thought and self evaluation of your lifestyle.

Connector Trail: This trail is ½ mile in length and runs between the Desert Voices Nature Trail and the Sound of Silence Trail. The trail is easy and allows you to have an extended hiking opportunity by combining a walk on both trails.

Sound of Silence Trail: The Sounds of Silence trail is also close to the Dinosaur Quarry and is about 2½ miles long round trip. The purpose of the route is to help you learn to find your way and properly hike in the desert. An added benefit is that you will experience silence like you have probably never experienced it before.

Geology Trail: This trail is located adjacent to the Quarry Visitor Center. It is ¾ of a mile in length and is an easy to moderate walk with several short, steep sections. The trail begins at the Quarry and ends within sight of the Lower Visitor Center where visitors in the summer park their vehicles to take the tram to the Quarry. This summer a trail crew will be improving the trail and a draft self-guided trail guide will be tested. Inquire at the Quarry to obtain a copy of the draft trail guide.

River Trail: This is a one-mile in length trail that connects the Green River and Split Mountain campgrounds. This is a great early morning or late evening moderate walk along the Green River. Visitors sometimes see beaver swimming in the river and it is common to see a variety of birds. For those looking for a longer hike you can take the River Trail to reach Split Mountain Campground and from there walk up the abandoned campground road to the Desert Voices Nature Trailhead. You can walk the Desert Voices trail and cut over to the Sound of Silence Trail a total walking distance of approximately 4 to 5 miles.

Cold Desert Trail: This trail is located at Monument Headquarters Visitor Center along US 40, 2 miles east of Dinosaur, Colorado. It is a 1/2 mile in length and is an easy walk. Many people find the desert shrub community that stretches out for miles beyond US Highway 40, to be a monotonous and lifeless landscape. That is not the case and this trail tries to prove it. The trail will introduce you to the variety of plants and animals that make the desert shrub community their home. This is a great trail for the family and a good way to prepare yourself for the drive up the Journey Through Time self guiding auto tour along the Harpers Corner Road which begins at Headquarters.

Plug Hat Trail: This is another short trail along the Harpers Corner Road. It is 1/4 mile in length and an easy walk. Like the Cold Desert Trail, this is an introduction to the flora and fauna of the pinion pine and juniper forest community. An added bonus is the spectacular views of the surrounding landscape from the trail. There are also additional signs and scenic views across the road at the Plug Hat picnic area. The Plug Hat picnic area has a short trail that is accessible to those confined to a wheel chair and the pit toilet is fully accessible.

Harpers Corner Trail: At the end of Harpers Corner Road is this 2 mile long round trip trail that is moderately difficult. If I had to pick a "must hike trail", this would be it! The trail will take you to the end of a point from which you will have an eagle's view of dramatic geologic features and a breathtaking view of the canyons of the Green and Yampa rivers. The best times to walk this trail are in the early morning or evening when the light is especially dramatic for artful photographs.

Gates of Lodore Trail: At the end of the campground at Gates of Lodore is a 1 1/2 mile round trip trail that is an easy walk. The trail offers spectacular views of the river gorge and introduces some of the plants and geology of the area. One question will boggle your mind, "Why and how did this river cut through this mountain rather than flow around it?" After walking the trail chat with the ranger at Lodore and get recommendations about other sites to visit in Browns Park. There is a lot to see in the north end of the park.

Hiking Trails

The trails listed in this section are marked and maintained hiking trails that allow you to explore the beauty, solitude, flora, and fauna that is Dinosaur National Monument.

Jones Hole Trail and Ely Creek Trail: This may be the prettiest hiking trail in the park. From the Dinosaur Quarry, drive 1 hour along the Brush Creek Road and Diamond Mountain Road to the Jones Hole National Fish Hatchery. The hatchery has parking, restrooms, and an information kiosk for your convenience. The Jones Hole Trail is 8 miles long, round trip, and will take you from the hatchery down to the Green River. It is a moderately difficult walk if you go the distance; an easy walk if you go a short distance. Half way down the trail is Ely Creek, 4 miles round trip, a good compromise destination.

The Jones Hole Trail follows the clear, spring-fed waters of Jones Hole Creek. In the summer when it is warm, you can wade in the creek, but do so with care. The rocks are covered with algae and are slick and sharp. Brown and rainbow trout make their home in the creek, feeding on the abundant supply of aquatic insects that graze upon the algae clinging to the rocks. I've seen muscat in the creek, attracted to the abundant aquatic vegetation and mink hunting for trout. After the sun sets Yuma myotis and silver-haired bats snatch aquatic insects that have hatched and are flitting about looking for mates. Keep an eye out for mammal tracks left the night before in the mud by striped skunk, raccoon, ringtail, and mountain lion. The life in Jones Hole is an intricate web of interdependence between plants and animals.

If you fish the creek you will need a Utah fishing license. State fishing regulations require the use of flies and artificial lures only; bait is not allowed. Special catch limits apply and you are responsible for knowing the regulations.

As you begin your hike, the trail enters the riparian woods. Riparian is a name applied to the community of plants and animals that make their home in the creek's flood plain. It is a community characterized by high soil moisture (due to its proximity to the creek), higher humidity under the tree canopy, and occasional disturbance by flash floods. Boxelder trees form an enclosed and cool canopy over the trail in the riparian zone. Music from the creek and from the many birds in the canopy will serenade you as you walk. Riparian communities are one of the rarer, but most productive wildlife habitats in this arid landscape.

In a number of places the trail rises out of the flood plain onto the open and warmer benches in the canyon bottom. The canyon benches are above the creek and therefore, have drier soils. This more arid environment supports bunch grasses, mountain mahogany and squawbush shrubs, and juniper trees; good habitat for mule deer and bighorn sheep. If you keep your eyes open you may see them.

The open benches will give you the opportunity to notice the rocks that form the canyon walls. Take a close look at the rocks on one side of the canyon, then look at the other side. Do the rocks look different? They should, you see, the Island Park Fault runs along the base of the canyon wall on your left (east wall). The left wall was pushed up more than 1,000 feet in relationship to the right wall (west wall), long, long, ago. The rock forming the canyon's left wall is the Madison Limestone, a Mississippian Age rock (330-360 million years old), that is a sea deposit containing coral and brachiopod (clam) fossils. The right wall of the canyon is composed of two formations. The lower rock is the Morgan Formation, a Pennsylvanian Age rock (320 million years old) and the upper cream-colored rock is the Weber Sandstone, an upper Pennsylvanian Age rock (300 million years old). The Morgan Formation was deposited in an ocean and contains coral, brachiopod, crinoid, and bryzoan fossils. The Weber Sandstone was a sand dune deposit. The Island Park Fault fractured the rock along the fault zone weakening the rock which aided Jones Hole Creek in cutting this canyon. The variety of rock found in close proximity to one another here at Jones Hole and throughout Dinosaur National Monument, weather into different types of soil, to which plants are adapted. This increases the biological diversity of Jones Hole and the monument.

A little beyond the bridge is an archeological site, Deluge Shelter. Wayside signs explain some of what we know about the prehistoric Indians that have lived beside the creek for over 7,000 years. When you first see the Indian rock art, resist the urge to touch it. Touching rock art abrades its surface and leaves behind oils from your fingers which accelerate the erosion of these 1,000 year old works of art.

When you reach the junction with the Island Park Trail at Ely Creek, approximately 1.8 miles from the hatchery, you have several choices. You can continue hiking the remaining 2.2 miles to the Green River, or you can walk up the Island Park Trail about 1/4 mile to Ely Creek waterfall. This is a wonderful spot, shaded by Douglas fir and birch trees, with background music of cascading, splashing water. This is a great spot to cool off and take a break.

From the waterfall you can continue up the Island Park Trail another 1/3 mile to the fork in the trail. The left fork continues on for 7 1/2 miles, up and out of Jones Hole to the historic Ruple Ranch in Island Park. The right fork takes you another 2-3 miles up into the box canyons of the Labyrinths. The "trail" eventually peters out as you penetrate country far less traveled. In the Labyrinths you are on your own; keep tabs on the landscape as you go so you know how to get back.

As you continue down the Jones Hole Trail a short distance you will cross Ely Creek and come to the Ely Creek Campsite. This is the only designated backcountry campsite in the monument. A free backcountry permit is required to stay overnight at one of the two campsites. You must reserve one of these sites at the Dinosaur Quarry Visitor Center. No fires are permitted. Camping is not permitted elsewhere in Jones Hole Canyon or the Labyrinths.

When you leave Ely Creek and head toward the Green River you cross the Island Park Fault. The creek continues to cut ever deeper into the Madison Limestone beyond this point. Near the Green River you will walk past a rock outcrop that looks strikingly different from the Madison Limestone. This is the red sandstone of the older Lodore Formation, Cambrian Age rock (510-570 million years old). Trilobites crawled about the ancient Lodore sea floor amongst their neighbors, brachiopods and marine worms in the mud.

The trail ends in the Jones Hole Campground. This campground is for river running parties only. Respect the privacy of river runners in their campsites as you approach the river. Keep your eyes open for bighorn sheep. They often hang out in this area beside the river.

You've earned a rest. At the Green River you can loll about, soak your feet, lay in the shade of the boxelder trees, and watch the river glide by. When you are rested you can start back to your car, IF you can tear yourself away from this beautiful, tranquil scene. When you walk this trail you enjoy an extra special day.

The hikes in this section are trails and routes that are not signed, marked or maintained. However, they offer great hiking opportunities and if you use normal caution are safe and easy to follow.

Sand Canyon Hike: The Sand Canyon Hike is located in Echo Park. Echo Park is reached by driving 21 miles up the Harpers Corner Road from Monument Headquarters Visitor Center. Turn onto the Echo Park Road and drive 13 miles down the Echo Park, approximately 1 to 11/2 hours driving time.

The hike is 4.5 miles long and takes 2 – 4 hours to complete. It is a moderately strenuous, hot, dry, beautiful walk into solitude. Take at least 2 quarts of water per person, hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, snacks or lunch, and wear good hiking boots. This is a great morning hike!

There are three locations from which one can begin the Sand Canyon Hike. One is where the head of the canyon meets the Yampa Bench Road; this access point is not signed. The second is along the Echo Park Road near the Pool Creek petroglyphs; this access point is not signed. The third and the one I recommend for a first-time hiker to this canyon, is at the end of the Echo Park Road near the Ranger Cabin. There is a day-use parking lot for your convenience.

The “trail” is not maintained, nor is it marked, but in most places the route is obvious. Prior to 2000 a road continued further down along the river, but when the new campground was built in Echo Park this road was torn up to allow vegetation to reclaim the scar. From the parking area walk the short distance to the end of the old road and you will see a well-worn path heading northeast along and up the river. Follow the path to the cottonwood grove that sheltered the original Echo Park Campground.

The Green River is cutting into the bank here, dropping beautiful cottonwood trees into the water. As rivers are want to do they shift their course and gobble up land on one side, depositing the sand and gravel elsewhere to create new land. That is a natural process. In this case, however, the shift in the river channel is caused by the existence of Flaming Gorge Dam upstream from Echo Park. In the spring and early summer when the free-flowing Yampa River runs high its flow entering the Green River, whose flow is controlled by the dam, over-powers the Green. The current from the Yampa strikes Steamboat Rock and ricochets into the opposite bank causing it to erode. In the late summer and winter, releases from Flaming Gorge Dam overpower the Yampa and run straight into the bank continuing this unnaturally accelerated erosion process. Will erosion continue and at what point will it stop? I suppose it will continue until releases from Flaming Gorge Dam mimic the flows coming down the Yampa River. Where erosion will stop is not known. A new grove of cottonwoods will not be reestablished until the riverbank erosion subsides and a high spring flood scours the riverbank and floodplain free of vegetation and deposits new cottonwood seeds.

As you walk through Echo Park let the power and beauty of this place infiltrate your consciousness. Some people refer to Echo Park as the “Center of the Universe”. Hopefully you will begin to perceive the same thing yourself. The center of the universe is a small point (in relation the universe) from which unimaginable possibilities and beauty originate. Echo Park can be such a point for you.

From Echo Park the trail drops onto a beautiful riparian meadow. Luxuriant grass waves to you. To your left is an average appearing gravel bar, but average it isn’t. In May, when the Yampa River is increasing its spring runoff, the endangered razorback sucker (one of 4 endangered native fish) spawn on this gravel bar. Each year spawning is critical. It is the only effort these native fish can mount to fight the habitat destruction caused by dams built on the Green, White, and Colorado rivers. Each year they do their best to heed the call of instinct to create another generation of offspring, to survive, to maintain their place in this universe. There are only 2 spawning beds known for this fish species and here you can see one of them. It is the Yampa River’s free and natural seasonal flows that maintain this gravel bar for the fish to spawn. It is the Green River’s regulated releases from Flaming Gorge Dam that prevents the annual maintenance of gravel bars where these fish once spawned.

The trail now climbs onto the talus slop below the sheer cliffs of the 286 million-year-old Weber Formation, a deposit of desert sand dunes turned to sandstone. Cliffs are about the only chunk of real estate that remains inaccessible to us. They are the one place where our feet never tread, where lichen, moss, trees, and grass have a stronghold against human impacts.

There are a number of trails that you may encounter along the talus slope. It’s best to take the highest route; it is the most reliable. There is a point along the trail where a copse of Douglas fir trees stand cool and majestic. You might at this point think: “This is a desert, so why are these trees here?” Look around and notice the rock wall behind the trees and how they are situated in relation to the sun. Most of the day it is shaded here. You can also see that the trees are situated below a small pour over; a place in the cliff where snow melt and rain water splash down upon the trees.

You have left Echo Park now and are ascending Yampa Canyon, a sinuous beauty carved by the winding course of the Yampa River over the last 4-5 million years. You will come to a nice grove of boxelder trees just before you reach the mouth of Sand Canyon.

The mouth of Sand Canyon appears abruptly. Descend the talus slope and evaluate your next step. If it is spring, the Yampa River waters will back up into the mouth of Sand Canyon blocking your way. At such times the water here is 3 feet deep. Wade to the other side and work your way along the left side of the canyon through a tangle of tamarisk and boxelder trees. Once you are past the pool of water at the mouth of the canyon your next obstacle is to negotiate a steep and slick pour over. Hikers who lack confidence may balk at this, but it’s doable; just take your time. The last obstacle to entering the canyon is negotiating around a pool of water. Work your way along and up the rock on the right side of the pool.

Once you are up and into the narrow canyon, look back to notice that you have crossed the top portion of a 300 million-year-old marine deposit called the Morgan Formation where it makes contact with the base of the Weber Formation sandstone.

Walking is easy in the lower portion of the canyon. The dry bed of the canyon wash is mostly sand and gravel, easy walking. Stay in the wash bottom. You will be saving the vegetation on the banks from your crushing footfalls by doing so.

A reminder may be necessary here that prehistoric archeological sites - alcoves, structures, petroglyphs (rock art) - are protected in Sand Canyon. You can look and photograph, but don’t touch or use chalk to outline figures to enhance photography. Touching and chalking accelerate the deterioration of rock art and prehistoric sites. Treat these sites as you would if you were entering a church. They were sacred sites to prehistoric people – they should be sacred to us also.

If you hike the canyon in early morning, Sand Canyon is cool. The sun does not reach the canyon floor until late morning. Riparian plants appreciate the shade and cooler temperatures. Boxelder trees are abundant, as are skunkbush, serviceberry, and twinberry. Although water isn’t usually visible in the wash, it’s not too far below the surface of the sand for these water-loving plants to find a drink.

As you walk along, enjoying the canyon’s many visual delights, you will not be alone. The riparian vegetation provides cover and food for many birds: canyon wrens, yellow warblers, rufous-sided towees, Says phoebe’s and others will serenade you.

Once when I hiked the canyon, I stopped to dump an annoying rock out of my boot and my shoulder brushed against a boxelder limb. Instantly there was a flutter and I saw a beautifully woven cup nest from which it flew. The bird had held tight in its nest until I bumped the limb. In protest, or anxiety, the blue-gray gnatcatcher called repeatedly. I imagined it was ordering me to move on and so I did.

You may find potholes in the bed of the wash where water from the last rain is trapped in a depression carved out of the sandstone by flowing water. For birds, bighorn sheep, deer, and other wildlife, potholes provide a quick drink. Take a few moments to peer into the murky water and observe the creatures swimming, wriggling, crawling, and writhing in it. A pothole is an ecosystem and for these creatures it’s their whole universe. Such a tenuous and serendipitous existence – one totally dependent upon rare thunder showers. When rain finally comes during the warm days of spring and summer, filling these parched depressions, life explodes from eggs waiting patiently in the dust. The rapid life cycle proceeds from egg to larvae to adult, and back to egg again all before the pothole dries up. Life in this universe is phenomenal!

After hiking for 20 or 30 minutes the canyon begins to open up. The sun and its drying heat hit the canyon bottom earlier in the day and stays longer here. The soft, green and comforting boxelder trees begin to give way to pinyon trees, junipers, and later, big sagebrush. The pinyon and juniper in this stretch of the canyon are some of the most stately and strong trunked I can remember anywhere. It’s still wet and cool here – I think they appreciate their situation very well.

When the canyon opens up to the extent that you can see ahead of you the red beds of the Moenkopi Formation and the Blue Mountain Plateau, you can decide which of two options you want to follow. The first option is to continue hiking up the canyon until the wash strikes the Yampa Bench Road. You can then either have a vehicle waiting for you or you can hoof it back the 5.2 miles to Echo Park along the road.

The second and shorter hiking option is to begin looking for a place along the canyon’s right (west) slope to scramble up. If you choose this option, you will scramble out of the canyon and come out on top of a sagebrush-covered bench. A whole new landscape lies before you. You may notice that the rocks change as well. This is the bottom portion of the 250 million-year old Park City Formation, another marine deposit. It’s a 20-minute walk across this bench to the west. Walk to the point in the distance where the red beds of the Moenkopi pinch down and lay on top of the yellow Park City Formation. This leg of the walk takes you to the Echo Park Road.

As you pick your way through the sagebrush you might begin to feel that the hike has suddenly turned desolate. After being in the comforting riparian community of Sand Canyon, this landscape can seem forbidding. Sagebrush and cheat grass – a legacy of grazing on an arid landscape – dominate the scene. Even though the surroundings may feel desolate, you are not alone. Meadow larks and sage sparrows will serenade you.

Eventually you will hear running water and find yourself among juniper trees. You will be able to peer over the edge of a cliff into Pool Creek Canyon with the Echo Park Road below. There is a well-defined path along the edge of the canyon rim. Turn to the left (south) and walk along this path. The path will shortly turn to the right and drop down into the canyon. Follow this path to the road. When you reach the road you will be about 600 feet (south) from the Pool Creek Petroglyphs. Turn right to walk 1 mile north down the road to Echo Park. If you turn left and walk south 1¼ mile along the road it will take you to the Harry Chew and Rial Chew historic homesteads.

As you walk back to Echo Park you are again in a canyon with boxelder trees, shade, a sweetly singing creek, and the chatter and calls of birds. The only thing to disturb the spell is the passing of vehicles on the road and then you are back into the creek’s song. It’s a wonderful hike, a great way to spend the morning and discover why Echo Park is the center of the universe!

Pat's Draw Hike: The Pats Draw Hike is located in Echo Park. Echo Park is reached by driving 21 miles up the Harpers Corner Road from Monument Headquarters Visitor Center. Turn onto the Echo Park Road and drive 13 miles down the Echo Park, approximately 1 to 11/2 hours driving time.

The hike is an easy to moderate hike of ½ to 2 miles in length or more, depending upon the route you decide to take. It’s a hot sucker on a summer afternoon, so a morning hike is probably best. Take plenty of water and wear good hiking boots. A topographic map will also help you decide which route you want to follow and the easiest way to return to Echo Park. This is a hike into the history of flash floods.

From the entrance to the Echo Park Campground, walk up the road about 900 feet to the mouth of Pat’s Draw. This is the first side canyon you come to on your right. Before you enter the canyon note how the road beyond the concrete pad cuts through an embankment. Walk up the road and check it out. What is the embankment composed of?

About 1,000 years ago a large, powerful, and scary debris flow (flash flood) roared down Pat’s Draw and pushed mud, sand, gravel, rocks and boulders into Pool Creek. Debris from Pat’s Draw was piled into the creek and across the canyon forming a dam that backed up the creek forming a small lake. The road cuts through the remains of this “dam”. When the rising water reached the top of the debris dam it began to flow over the top. The water cut into the dam and the pressure of the backed up water forced a breach causing the impounded water to rush through. The force of the water was such that it quickly eroded the bottom the canyon floor about 30 feet deeper to the level we see today.

The prehistoric Fremont people who heard and saw all of this one summer, witnessed one of the most powerful phenomenon that occur in the desert. Were any of their people killed in the flash flood? Were their small plots of corn, beans, and squash ruined? Did it cause starvation that winter? We don’t know. What we do know is that this event blocked the trail they walked in this canyon and left a petroglyph panel stranded 35 feet above the new creek bed.

In the summer of 1999 there was a much smaller flash flood that rumbled down Pat’s Draw. As you walk up the wash note the loose rocks in the wash, some sections of the wash bottom were cut 3 feet deeper; juniper trees were stripped of limbs and bark. While on this hike, be a detective and see if you can find the main source of this recent flash flood.

The narrow portions of the wash provide enough protection from the sun that boxelder trees and other water loving plants can survive because of the wetter, cooler micro-climate produced by the canyon shade and moisture that seeps from the sandstone or percolates through the sand in the wash bottom. This narrow place with its alcoves, curves, and trees creates a place of solitude and rest for the hiker.

You will pass three pour overs that enter along the right side of the wash. You can take a side trip up either of these pour overs, which are fed by washes flowing off the Harpers Corner escarpment to the northwest. The first pour over is a narrow, slick rock, slot canyon. If you can’t climb it directly you can by-pass it by climbing up on the right of the slot. The next is a series of pour overs; these are easier to climb up than the first narrow slot canyon. If you walk up either of these two pour overs you will find that two washes above them run parallel to each other and drain the same area. You can continue north for another mile and approach the Mitten Park Fault zone where many rock formations are thrust up as a result of dragging against the up thrust block of rock forming Harpers Corner.

Pat’s Draw cuts through the Weber Sandstone, a deposit of desert sand dunes laid down 286 million years ago. As you walk over the smooth sandstone exposed on the wash bottom you will easily observe the cross bedding that is indicative of ancient dunes.

Near the end of the draw you will be confronted by a narrow vertical crack or slot in the wall. Rather than trying to negotiate the slot, look along the right bank of the wash for a cairn (pile of rocks). This marks a path that leads up to the grass and shrub covered bench above the wash.

The path will bring you back to the wash above the pour over. You can continue to follow the wash, which drains a valley between the upturned red Moenkopi Formation to your left and the bent, upthrust, eroded rock of Weber and Morgan formations forming the X thousand foot high Harpers Corner escarpment to your right. The valley (Trail Draw) trends to the southwest for about three miles and is awash with a beautiful pinion pine and juniper forest. Trekking up Trail Draw is another hiking possibility, which would be about a 7-mile round trip hike.

On the other hand you can bear south to the top of the ridge before you. Walk down the swale that descends the ridge to the Echo Park Road. Turn left on the road to return to Echo Park. This circular hike is about 2-miles round trip.

Island Park Trail: Text to be developed.

Ruple Point Trail: Text to be developed .

Ball Canyon Trail: Text to be developed.

Written by David Whitman, Chief of Interpretation.

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Last Updated: April 2000