Vernal Beta

Vernal GPS: 40.27 17 N, 109.32 8; Elevation: 5328 ft.

Vernals a great town to enter as it is decorated with life size dinosaurs throughout the town. There are at least eight of these behemoths. It's the largest town on the west side of the park and a good place to stock up on necessities.

website

·         www. visitdinosaurland.com

blog/facebook/social media site

Getting Oriented

·         Hwy. 191 runs north south through downtown Vernal, called Vernal Ave in town. Main St is Hwy. 40 which runs east west (joining with 191 on it's south/west leg).

Practicalities

·         Parks

·         Remember the Maine Park (Dry Fork Canyon), 4250 North 3500 West, 435-781-0982, restrooms, picnic sites, playground

·         Independence Park, 100 South, 600 West, restrooms, picnic tables, playground

·         Ashley Valley Community Park, 500 North 900 West, restrooms, pool, playground, skatepark

Largest park in Vernal with lots of indoor and outdoor options.

·         Restrooms

·         Uintah County Library, 155 East Main, 10-8, 10-6 Fri-Sat, closed Sun.

·         Grocery

·         Davis Food and Drug, 575 W. Main St, 435-789-2001

·         Smith's Grocery, 1080 Hwy. 40, 435-789-7135

·         Laundry

·         C & L Laundromat, 32 S 100 W, 435-789-8164

·         West End Laundromat and Cleaners, 933 Hwy. 40, 435-789-1990

Activities

·        Visitor Center

·         Northeastern Utah Visitor Center, 235 E Main St, 435-789-7894

·         Name, address, phone, email, website, hours, days, price, RR, picnic area,

·        Horseback Riding

·         Premier Horseback Riding, 800-872-0222, premierhorsebackriding.com

·         Name, address, phone, email, website, hours, days, price, RR, picnic area,

·        Rafting

·         See information under Flaming Gorge Recreation Area

·         River runners' Transport, 435-781-4919, 800-930-7238, www.riverrunnerstransport.com

Rental and shuttle service including equipment rental and fully supported river trips.

·         Name, address, phone, email, website, hours, days, price, RR, picnic area,

·        Biking

·         Altitude Cycle, 580 E Main St, 435-781-2595, www.altitudecycle.com, facebook page, 10-6pm

·         Northeastern Utah Mountain Biking (NUMB)

·         Red Fleet trail, Hwy. 191 11.3m North and turn east on paved road Donkey Flats Rd,  2.3m. $7 for day use, Trail is located on the Dinosaur Track Rd just past Red Fleet Reservoir. Intermediate and advanced trails.

·         McCoy Flat Area, 3m off Hwy. 40, west of Vernal, park at the old corrals,  9 trails varying from easy to difficult

·         Jazz-Chrome Molly Trail, N on Hwy. 191 10.7m to Red Fleet Dinosaur Trackway and go up the hill. At the top of the hill, turn left onto a dirt road and park. Intermediate trails. No services.

·         Dry Fork Flume Trail, 13m N of Vernal on Hwy. 44 to 1500 N and turn left to 3500 West and turn right becoming Dry Fork Rd, with easy to intermediate rides. See description of a variety of rides at http://www.utahmountainbiking.com/trails/

·         Taylor Mountain Ramble

Name, address, phone, email, website, hours, days, price, RR, picnic area,

·        Hiking

·         Battleships Trail, N on Hwy 191 for 13 miles looking for gap in the sandstone ridge. Just after the entrance to the Simplot mine, follow the paved road (Donkey Flats Rd) east for two miles to trailhead, restrooms

Trail is marked with cairns and white paint. Bikes also use the trail. 

·         Bassett Springs Loop, N on Hwy. 191 24m, 2.5m one way out to Grizzly Ridge with great views, biking and hiking

·         Range Study Loop, North along Hwy. 191 24m to a signed trailhead with parking, 10m loop,

biking and hiking trail with the first four miles very easy. After this, the trail gets more difficult.

·         Vernal Walking Tour, trail begins at the Field Museum, print out a brochure at http://www.visitdinosaurland.com/media/uploads/files/DayTrip7_94230_62023.pdf

·         Red Fleet Dinosaur Track way, in Red Fleet State Park, 8750 North Hwy, 191, 435-789-4432, $7 day use, 3m RT

Interpretive trail has 18 stops through the age of the dinosaur. Some of the tracks might be in the reservoir. Look at the water's edge.

·         Name, address, phone, email, website, hours, days, price, RR, picnic area,

·        Scenic Drives and Byways

·         Red Cloud/Dry Fork Scenic Backway, go North on 500 West which becomes 500 North/Hwy. 121. Turn right at 3500 West which becomes dry fork Canyon Rd. Turn right at Dry Fork Canyon Rd/Dry Fork Settlement/Red Cloud Loop, turn left at Red Cloud Loop, 75 mile loop with a mixture of dirt, gravel and paved, picnic areas along the route

Route heads up through a mixture of meadows, aspens and pine forests. There is rock art at McConkie Ranch. You can do a shorter version and just do the Red Cloud Loop for 48 miles. Services are available at the Dry Fork Picnic area and the Remember the Main County park, both near the turn off at 121.  At the Dry Fork and Brownie Canyon turn off, if you continue a bit on Dry Fork, you'll come to a short nature trail. Just after the turn off on Brownie Canyon is the Dry Fork Overlook, which is worth a stop. At Oaks Park Reservoir is a picnic area and at Iron Springs.

·         Jones Hole Scenic Backway, 40m paved route from Vernal, starts 4m east of Vernal on Hwy. 149, 80m climbs 2600 feet

Climb over Diamond mountain, up through desert sagebrush and aspen grove, and down to Jones Hole creek, reaching some of the more remote regions of Dinosaur national park. The Jones Hole National Fish Hatchery lies along the Jones Hole Creek.

    

·        Natural Attractions

·         Jones Hole National Fish Hatchery, 24495 East Jones Hole Hatchery Rd (take E 500 N St (Brush Creek Rd) to Diamond Mountain Rd to Jones Hole Rd), 40m NE of Vernal, 435-789-4481, www.fws.gov/joneshole/, picnic area, restrooms

Raises mainly rainbow trout. Visitors can tour the facility and do some fishing. There is also a nature trail. Road to the hatchery is paved.

·         Red Fleet State Park, 8750 North Hwy. 191, 13m North of Vernal on Hwy. 191 435-789-4432, www.stateparks.utah.gov/parks/red-fleet,  boating, fishing, hiking, 6-10pm summer, 8am-5pm winter, $7 day use, $13 camping

Handsome Cabin boy trail, advanced technical skills required.

·         Steinaker State Park, 4335 North Hwy. 19, 435-789-4432, fish, boating, waterskiing, camping, 6-10pm, 805 in winter, $7 day use, $13 camping, restrooms

Located at a reservoir just north of Vernal, Steinaker is a water paradise. A nature trail with interpretive signs  is located just south of the park entrance.

Name, address, phone, email, website, hours, days, price, RR, picnic area,Name, address, phone, email, website, hours, days, price, RR, picnic area,

Cultural and Historical Attractions

·        Museums

·         John Jarvie Ranch Historic Site, Hwy 191 N 55m, then turn off on a gravel road for 22m follow signs, Browns Park Rd, 435-781-4400, 10-4pm May-Oct, free

The ranch was once used as a stopping point for those pioneers and traders coming through the area. Today, the site has a museum and dug out from John Jarvie. Jarvie built the ranch in 1880. Download the brochure at http://www.blm.gov/pgdata/etc/medialib/blm/ut/vernal_fo/recreation.Par.35790.File.dat/Jarvie%20for%20web.pdf

·         Daughters of the Utah Pioneer Museum, 186 South 500 West, 435-789-0352, June-August 10-4pm Weds-Sat.

Focus is on early settlement of the area with a mixture of Settler and native American artifacts in this small museum

·         Utah Field House of Natural History State Park Museum, 496 E Main St, 435-789-3799, 9-5pm, closed Sun, $6, $3 children

Inside and outside exhibits. The outside exhibit is the Dinosaur Garden a kind of zoo for full size replicas. A short film features archaeological digs. Many hands-on exhibits include a simulated dig site and a fossil lab.  There is also a children's lab with books and puzzles and other hand on activities Other exhibits take visitors deep into Jurassic time as well as geologic history..

·         Western Heritage Museum, 328 E 200 S, 435-789-7399, www.westernheritagemuseum-uc-ut.org, 9-5 Mon-Fri, 10-2 Sat, closed Sun and holidays with later hours in summer, free

Focus is on the history of early settlers including pioneers, Native Americans and outlaws. There is also an exhibit on the First Ladies of the White house dolls.

·         

·        Art

·         Dry Fork Petroglyphs, W of Vernal on 500 North St to 3500 West St, right and go north and the road turns into Dry Fork Canyon Rd to the McConkie Ranch, 435-789-6932, fee

Located on private property but accessible to visitors. These petroglyphs were carved into 200ft Navajo formation cliffs by the Fremont Native Americans dating from 1-1200ACE.