Dinosaur National Monument Park

Website: https://www.nps.gov/dino

Dinosaur National Monument is a U.S. national monument spanning the Colorado-Utah border that protects extensive fossil beds, river canyons and cultural sites, created to preserve the notable dinosaur-bearing outcrops and surrounding landscape.

The site is best known for the Quarry Exhibit - a rock face with dinosaur bones left largely in situ and displayed behind glass - plus miles of canyons carved by the Green and Yampa rivers, petroglyphs, and backcountry hiking and rafting opportunities. Trails and scenic overlooks such as Harpers Corner provide canyon vistas and access to short and long hikes.

Paleontologist Earl Douglass discovered the major bone-bearing quarry in 1909 while working for the Carnegie Museum, and the area was protected as a national monument in 1915. Since then it has been managed to balance fossil preservation, research and public access, with ongoing paleontological study and conservation of archaeological sites.

The monument straddles the border between northwest Colorado and northeast Utah, with the Quarry Visitor Center near Jensen, Utah, and road access from the town of Dinosaur, Colorado and the regional service center of Vernal, Utah.

• Size and scope: Protects more than 200,000 acres of canyonlands and fossil-bearing beds spanning northeast Utah and northwest Colorado.
• Quarry viewing: The quarry contains fossil-bearing rock with dinosaurs exposed in place, viewable through the exhibit wall at the visitor center.

What to See#

• Dinosaur Quarry: The Dinosaur Quarry displays a preserved rock wall with dinosaur bones visible in situ behind viewing windows at the Quarry Visitor Center.
• Quarry Visitor Center: Quarry Visitor Center serves as the main interpretive hub with displays, short trails and access to the quarry viewing area.
• Harpers Corner: Harpers Corner and other overlooks provide panoramic views of the surrounding canyon country and are trailheads for hikes into the monument.

• Plan to visit the Quarry Visitor Center (Jensen, Utah side) early in the day to see the fossil wall with fewer people; that exhibit is the Monument's primary draw and can get crowded by mid-morning.
• Check the National Park Service site for seasonal road and facility closures-some overlooks and backcountry drives are remote or gated seasonally, and services (gas/phone) are limited between units.