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Dinosaur National Monument
Dinosaur National Monument's Utah section is reached via SR 149, which joins US 40 at Jensen. One of the world's largest concentrations of fossilized dinosaur bones is found in the park, which encompasses about 325 square miles in Utah and Colorado. Fossilized bones of allosaurs and other prehistoric creatures have been revealed in a single sandstone cliff.
Several of the region's exhumed skeletons are exhibited in the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh. Visitors can view more than 1,600 fossilized bones and related exhibits about the quarry face in the visitor center near Jensen.
Among the exceptional features of the monument are deep, narrow gorges with strangely carved and delicately tinted sheer sandstone cliffs along the Green and Yampa rivers. The Canyon of Lodore, cut by the Green River, ranges from 1,000 to 3,300 feet deep.
From the Headquarters Visitor Center in Dinosaur, Colo., a 31-mile paved road leads north into the heart of the canyon country. There are no fossil bones in this section, but scenic overlooks and a 2-mile-long trail at Harpers Corner provide spectacular views of the Green and Yampa rivers and their confluence at Steamboat Rock 2,500 feet below. Several easy, established hiking trails, including Cold Desert, Plug Hat, Desert Voices and Gates of Lodore, begin at campgrounds within the park.
One- to 5-day river trips through the monument can be arranged by contacting private companies mid-May to mid-September. Camping, hiking and fishing are available within the monument.
Admission is $10 per private vehicle or $5 each for individuals on motorcycles, bicycles or foot. The above fees permit entrance to the park for 7 calendar days from the date of purchase. DSMCVI.
For further information contact the Superintendent, Dinosaur National Monument, 4545 E. US 40, Dinosaur, CO 81610; phone (970) 374-3000.
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