Monumental Moments

Dinosaur National Monument Photo Gallery

advertisement

Bones of 11 different dinosaurs have been found in this swatch of land straddling the northern borders of Utah and Colorado, with some 1,500 bones on display at the monument's Quarry Visitor Center. And while this paleontological bounty provides the main impetus for most of the 300,000 annual visitors, don't leave Dinosaur National Monument until you've seen more of its 210,278 acres of spectacularly rugged mountains, canyons, and cliffs.

A network of roads includes two stellar scenic drives—the 11-mile Tour of the Tilted Rocks and the 62-mile-long Journey Through Time. If you've got solid paddling skills and the luck of the permit lottery awards you a private river-running permit, you can ply the waters of the Green and Yampa rivers, the elemental forces that gave shape to this monument. If not, you can still run them with one of 11 park-sanctioned concessionaires offering single and multi-day rafting trips. Biking is permitted on the paved Echo Park and Island Park roads. If you're in great shape, do plenty of advance planning, and bring lots of water, then throw on the panniers and light out along the 51-mile unpaved Yampa Beach Road.

Dinosaur's trail system includes short two-milers along with more challenging routes of eight miles and longer that put you into the heart of the backcountry—and the solitude you crave. Follow the up-and-down journey of the many canyons, passing rivers, waterfalls, historic homesteads, sand dunes, and cliffs on a geologic scavenger hunt that spans the legacies of Jurassic-era dinosaurs, prehistoric man, and Old Father Time.

Dinosaur's six tent and RV campgrounds are seldom full. Horsebackers can overnight at a backcountry backpacker's campground or at riverside camps during the low-water season (be sure to arrange the necessary permits ahead of time). Budget some time to get the most out of this monument because, like Utah and Colorado's other spectacular national parks, there are a multitude of attractions and activities begging your full attention.