Dinosaur National Monument
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Utah is my favorite state for hiking and exploring. As I have two sons, ages 6 and 10, I’ve had my eye on Dinosaur National Monument for several years. What kept me from visiting previously was its location. It’s in northeast Utah. It’s 3 hours from Salt Lake City, 3 hours from Moab, UT, and 4.5 hours from Denver. There’s not much else around, and I didn’t want to drive all the way out there with nothing else to do. Having been there now, this was a terrible misconception that I had. This is a beautiful area within our country, the park was not busy, and there lots of things to do in the area! You can easily fill a few days here, which makes the drive time very worth it.
We ended up at Dinosaur National Monument during a road trip from MN to Yosemite National Park – and for this, the monument was on our way. I would recommend just driving to Dinosaur National Monument (without going all the way to California – that was a crazy idea…)
River Rafting on the Green River
If you are up for a true family adventure, consider taking the day to Whitewater Raft down the Green River. We chose to go rafting with Adrift Dinosaur: Adrift Dinosaur
We went down 9 miles of the Green River in about 4 hours. We were there in early June with high fast moving water. The trips can last as long as 6 hours with lower water. We started at 9am with a bus ride upriver and first went on a short hike to nearby petroglyphs before getting into the water.
Petroglyphs near the Green River at Dinosaur National Monument (found on the Adrift Dinosaur River Rafting Tour)
The minimum requirements for children rafting are that they are at least 6 years old and weigh at least 50 lbs. My youngest son just met these requirements. We had a blast on the river, but the safety talk beforehand did scare me, and I questioned just how smart of idea it was to bring someone who just finished kindergarten whitewater rafting… My 10 year old was nervous but fine. He understood how to follow directions and had he fallen in, I know that he would have listened to directions and been capable of following them. My youngest though? I think I’d recommend 8 as a better age. We let him paddle through the first two rapids, and then moved him into the middle of the boat where he could put the paddle down and just enjoy. I didn’t worry as much then. For him to fall in, we would all have been in the water with him.
My youngest, tucked in the back with our amazing river guide, Ashley!
I love hiking canyons, but this was very different - being at the bottom of the canyon for the duration of the trip. It was so incredibly beautiful! Unfortunately, we weren’t able to bring a camera other than the GoPro and that was having some difficulties. I don’t have pictures to show you, so you’ll just have to go and experience it for yourself :)
Other Things to Know:
1) Prepare to get wet - We went in early June and the water was still pretty cold. If you have long sleeve swim shirts or a 3/4 length wet suit, bring them.
2) Wear water shoes with a strap. There is a spot where you will get out to have lunch and you can explore the canyon on a little by foot.
3) Ask for Ashley when you book the trip - She was an awesome River Guide!
Dinosaur National Monument Quarry
You can’t go all the way to Vernal, UT, without going to the visitor center and Dinosaur Quarry. You will need to park at the main visitor center. There is a shuttle that goes back and forth between the visitor center and the Dinosaur Quarry every 15 minutes. Before you get on the shuttle, there is a short movie to watch at the visitor center which is more of an overview of the park than information about the dinosaurs.
Fossils in the Quarry at Dinosaur National Monument
The quarry is a mountain that has been partially excavated to the point of seeing the dinosaur fossils and then has left them in the mountain so you can see how the dinosaur fossils lay within the land. The impact of this as an adult is incredible. I’ve always believed dinosaurs were real, but they seem really really real looking at them in this mountain when compared to looking at an assembled skeleton.
There is a building around the mountain to protect the fossils. When you first walk in, it’s overwhelming. You will have a hundred questions, and the answers are all within this quarry museum, but it takes awhile to find where everything is. I would have laid out the information in a different order. This is how I would recommend walking around the quarry:
To learn about why the dinosaur fossils are here in this hill and why there are so many dinosaurs, there is a video kiosk in the middle of the first floor. It walks through a timeline of there being a river in this area. As dinosaurs died, their bodies were washed downstream, ending up in this particular location.
The information explaining how the site was discovered and excavated and which dinosaurs have been found so far is up on the second floor. There are pictures of fossilized skeletons that came from this site and where they are currently on display around North America. Once I understood the basics a little more, I was then able to enjoy looking at the different fossils in the hill.
On the first floor, close to the entrance, there are a few dinosaur fossils left in the wall along the bottom that you and your kids can actually touch – real dinosaur fossils! That was the coolest part of the quarry.
Actual dinosaur fossils you are encouraged to touch at Dinosaur National Monument
Up on the second floor, there is a camera and video kiosk that you can use to zoom in and see the fossils up close. There are several backbones intact along the wall, and there is a skull in the middle along the top that is pretty impressive.
Dinosaur skull at Dinosaur National Monument
For some reason, I have this image that dinosaurs are for little boys, and these are things you outgrow. This couldn’t be further from the truth as you stare at the fossils left in the wall and easily imagine how terrifying it would have been to see them roaming around.
Fossil Discovery Trail
Fossil Discovery Trail
You can take the shuttle back to your car, or you can hike back along the Fossil Discovery Trail (about 1 mile and relatively flat). There are fossils along the way, but they will seem underwhelming in comparison to what you just experienced. The mountains are pretty incredible, though, and I’d recommend the mile hike back. Make sure you bring water with you as there isn’t any shade.
Fossil Discovery Trail
Drive Out to Josie’s Cabin
Once you are back at your car, drive back out of the visitor center parking lot and take the road near the river to the left. Just as you get onto the road, look to your right and there will be an interpretive driving map you can pick up. The maps are free but the request is for a $1 donation.
Stop #13 - A short hike to several petroglyphs
My favorite stops were 13, 14, and 15. The numbers correspond with the map and are labeled along the drive. 13 are 14 are hikes to petroglyphs. 13 is just a short 2 minute walk, if that. 14 takes a bit more effort. It’s a 5-10 minute walk but the trail rises pretty significantly. When you look up from the parking lot, the petroglyphs are along the rock wall, so you can gauge if you want to hike up that far. There are several petroglyphs along the wall as you walk past. The best ones are the lizards. It’s fun to imagine what the artists were thinking, feeling, worried about, etc. when they carved out these petroglyphs. I bet they did not imagine that 1000 years afterwards, people would hike up to see their art.
Stop #14 - Lizard Petroglyphs
Stop 15 is Josie’s cabin. Josie Morris was interesting to read about, and hear stories about from the locals. she had been married five times and divorces four of her husbands. She moved to this area and built this cabin by herself where she lived alone for fifty years, making brandy and wine during the Prohibition.
As you explore her property, follow the trail to see the chicken coop, sheds, etc. There’s a lot of land to explore. I had to drag my boys out of the car at this last stop, but after running down the path, exploring the area and pretending that we lived here, neither boy wanted to leave.
Exploring behind Josie’s cabin
Harpers Corner
Unfortunately we didn’t have enough time to explore everywhere I wanted to at Dinosaur National Monument – when isn’t that the case? We’ll just have to go back. One of the places we would like to see is the Colorado-portion of this park, which includes the Harpers Corner Trail. This is a 1.5-mile each way (not a loop) moderately ranked hike with views of the Yampa River canyon.
Echo Park
Echo Park is the spot where the Yampa River flows into the Green River. There are no formal trails here, but there are options to walk along the riverbanks and watch the river rafters.
Moonshine Arch
The other hike I really wanted to do but ran out of time was Moonshine Arch. This is a 0.75 mile (one way) hike to a large (40ft tall) arch. The trailhead is north of Vernal on Hwy 191. Turn left onto an unmarked dirt road 6.6 miles from Main St. In a half mile there is a a stop sign. Turn left. The trail is ~ 0.5 miles ahead marked with a green gate.
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The trails at Sylvan Lake provide some of the best views in all of South Dakota’s Black Hills. Hike the easy and flat 1.1 Lake Shore Loop around Sylvan Lake, and add in the 3.1 mile Sunday Gulch Loop for a fun but challenging hike past a creek with several small waterfalls and then up into the mountains of the Black Hills. Other trail options also include Little Devil’s Tower, my favorite viewpoint within the Black Hills, and Black Elk Peak (formerly known as Harney Peak) which is the highest point in elevation east of the Rocky Mountains. The trail to Black Elk Peak gains 1350ft, making it a tough trail. Little Devil’s Tower is shorter with less elevation, but involves a significant rock scramble at the end. There is also a spur trail to Cathedral Spires, a unique set of towering rocks.