Gates of Lodore Trail Stop 5

The Lodore Formation is some of the oldest rocks in the monument.

NPS Photo/Conrad Provan

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Scenic View/Photo Spot

Across the river you can see some of the oldest rocks in Dinosaur National Monument, far more ancient than the dinosaur fossils. Perhaps as much as a billion years ago, this area lay near sea level and was being slowly buried by pebbles, sand, and mud washed down from mountains. Partly due to the weight of these sediments, the land gradually sank and the sediments piled up, reaching a thickness of over 24,000 feet. Tremendous pressure and cementing action of dissolved minerals solidified the sediments into the conglomerates, sandstones and shales that today we call the Uinta Mountain Group.