• Camarasaurus skull still embedded in the quarry face

    Dinosaur

    National Monument CO,UT

There are park alerts in effect.
show Alerts »
  • 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 »

Dinosaur National Monument Announces Winter Road Closure

Subscribe RSS Icon | What is RSS
Date: December 15, 2007
Contact: Carla Beasley, (435) 781-7700

Superintendent Mary Risser announced that Dinosaur National Monument’s Harpers Corner Road, which begins two miles east of Dinosaur, Colorado, on US 40 and runs 31 miles north into the monument, will close to the public on January 1, 2008. The first five miles of the road up to Plug Hat Butte will remain open and plowed throughout the winter to allow public access to the Plug Hat parking area for snowmobile and cross-country ski enthusiasts. The road closure entails locking two gates on the Harpers Corner Road above and below Moffett County Road 16 and the gate at Plug Hat Butte Picnic Area.

Cross-country skiing and snowmobile use are allowed on the closed portion of the road beyond Plug Hat Butte. Snowmobiles are not allowed off the road surface and may not go past the Echo Park Road turn-off 21 miles north of Highway 40.

The Split Mountain campground on the Utah side of the Monument will remain open for the entire winter. The campgrounds at Rainbow Park, Deerlodge, and Echo Park remain open, but snowfall may prevent access to those campgrounds as the winter season progresses. Campgrounds have vault toilets but no running water. No fees are charged at these campgrounds during the winter season.

-NPS-

Did You Know?

Photo of paleontologist Earl Douglass.

Paleontologist Earl Douglass first came to Utah looking for mammal fossils. He returned in 1909 and discovered an immense deposit of dinosaur bones, now protected at Dinosaur National Monument. Although made famous by dinosaurs, Douglass died preferring his beloved mammal fossils over dinosaurs.