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Ely Creek Backcountry Campsites Closed
The Ely Creek backcountry campsites located along the Jones Hole Trail have been closed until further notice due to bear activity in the area. More »
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Numerous Campsites Closed in the Green River Campground
A recent tree assessment of the Green River Campground identified potential safety issues with numerous cottonwood trees, requiring us to close many of the campsites. Please plan ahead so that you are not disappointed if the campground is full. More »
March 2011 Construction Update
Installing tiles on one of the bathroom walls at the visitor center. March 28, 2011 Quarry Visitor Center – The drywall in the visitor center is complete. Work continues on the tongue-and-groove ceiling. Installation of this ceiling should be completed by April 1. The bathrooms have been primed and painted. Tiles are now being installed on the bathroom walls. The roofer is working on the downspouts and gutters. Installation of the photovoltaic panels on the roof of the visitor center will begin this week. 
A ceiling beam and windows are covered with plastic in preparation for painting the walls in the exhibit area of the visitor center. Also visible is a section of the new, still unfinished tongue-and-groove ceiling.
View of the Quarry Exhibit Hall in late March 2011. Quarry Exhibit Hall – The contractor has moved heaters into the building and will tarp the building so that painting can begin. They are using an epoxy primer that isn’t as temperature-sensitive as other primers. Work will begin on the north curtain wall this week. Once the north wall is finished, the contractors will proceed to the east, west, and south walls, in that order. Installation of the curtain walls is expected to take between 30 and 45 days. 
Framing materials for the new east curtain wall at the Quarry Exhibit Hall.
Sketch of one of the exhibits that will be in the new visitor center. The exhibit includes a model of Steamboat Rock and the confluence of the Green and Yampa rivers. Exhibits – Park staff received work-in-progress photos of several of the exhibit structures currently under construction. Among these was a photo of the Steamboat Rock model. This scale model, part of an exhibit on the rivers of Dinosaur NM, will be located in the Quarry Visitor Center. Although the exhibits in the Quarry Exhibit Hall will focus on paleontology, those in the visitor center will introduce visitors to the many and diverse features of the monument, ranging from pictographs and petroglyphs to homesteading history, and from geology to rivers and ecosystems. 
Two views of the Steamboat Rock model currently under construction at the exhibit fabricator's facility.
Recently completed drywall in the exhibit area of the Quarry Visitor Center. In a few months, exhibits about paleontology, pictographs and pictographs will occupy this area of the visitor center. March 16, 2011 Be sure to check out the new Exhibits section of the Construction Update. The restrooms have been primed and first cost of paint applied. Tile work in the restrooms is scheduled to begin next week. The installation of a tongue and groove ceiling began last week and is ongoing. The wood used in this ceiling was part of the original quarry building. During last summer's demolition work, the wood was salvaged and set aside for use in the new visitor center. This recycled wood is one of many sustainable features in the visitor center and exhibit hall. 
Working on the new tongue-and-groove ceiling at the visitor center. Although the ceiling is new, the wood is more than 50 years old. The wood used in this ceiling was salvaged from the original quarry building, built in 1957-1958.
Recently completed structural steel work along the roofline of the exhibit hall (and a view of the landscape through the steel beams). Quarry Exhibit Hall – Installation of structural steel on the north wall is complete except for revisions and reinforcements. Painters will soon prime the north wall and interior painting is scheduled to begin soon. Lead-based paint abatement continued in spots. 
Structural steel installation at the Quarry Exhibit Hall.
Paper proof of an exhibit that highlights different areas of the monument and the features found in each area. Proofs for lots of other exhibits are visible in the background. Exhibits - This week marks a milestone of sorts for the new exhibits that will be installed in the visitor center and exhibit hall: Park staff received a hefty package from our exhibit fabricator containing full-size proofs of all the exhibit panels. With just over 100 panels needing a final once-over, we’ve pulled out our proverbial fine-toothed comb and are enjoying a preview of things to come. 
Located outside the Quarry Exhibit Hall, these panels will guide you on a journey through time, back to the late Jurassic.
Drywall installation has been underway for the last couple of weeks. Here a shot of some newly installed drywall in the bookstore. March 3, 2011 Quarry Visitor Center - Electrical work continued this week and was focused on the Intermountain Natural History Association bookstore and the sloped ceiling that covers the exhibit area. Drywall installation was ongoing and is expected to be completed at the end of next week. With much of the drywall already installed, interior painting is expected to begin sometime next week. 
The Quarry Visitor Center in late February 2011.
Steel wind columns are being installed at the exhibit hall. They are the white columns running from the foundation to the roof. The structural steel of the mezzanine is also visible. Quarry Exhibit Hall - Welding of the structural steel frameworks for the mezzanine and interior and exterior ramps has been completed. Installation of the wind columns on the east and west walls has begun and is expected to be completed by the end of this week. The wind columns are I-beams attached to the steel frame of the quarry and to the foundation. They provide additional strength and rigidity for the structure. 
The tops of the wind columns.
Read about the history of the Quarry Exhibit Hall or click on the links below for earlier Construction Updates:
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Did You Know?
Dinosaur National Monument is as famous for its dramatic canyon scenery as it is for its dinosaur fossils.