The Curious Traveler's Guide to the Four Corners

 

Dinosaur National Monument: from Jensen UT, take Hwy. 149 N to the monument, 40 2617N, 109 1825 W (coordinates for Quarry Visitor Center), 5000 feet elevation at the visitor center, 435-781-7700, www.nps.gov/dino/index.htm, facebook page updated regularly, park is open 24 hours daily but visitor centers and quarry have limited hours (see below), $10 private vehicle, $5 individual, $20 annual pass,

Map Link: http://www.nps.gov/dino/planyourvisit/upload/DINO-Website-Park-Map-HQ.pdf

Description:

This is an incredible National Monument because of its isolation, beauty, geology and history. But, it's not for those who expect luxury and lots of services. It's rugged, largely undeveloped but incredibly awe inspiring. It spans 210,000 acres, contains 2 rivers and sits at the edge of one of the largest mountain ranges in the United States.  If you get a chance to go, try to schedule two to three days so that you can appreciate the diversity the park has to offer.

Getting Oriented:

·         Dinosaur is a pretty isolated park. It's always a good idea in this area to bring water and to have the tank filled with gas. Gravel or dirt roads are usually impassable when wet. If weather is iffy, call for road conditions, 435-781-7700

·         From Vernal, the monument is directly east on  3500 South and from Jensen directly North on Hwy. 14. Both roads converge on Hwy. 149 which takes visitors to the Quarry Visitor Center. Other access routes in Utah are on dirt or gravel roads. From the Quarry Visitor Center, visitors must check in the rangers and then continue, on the shuttle in the main season, to the Quarry Exhibit Wall. See map, http://aMAP.to/fhncwsp

·         Once in the park, hwy. 146 splits about 10 miles in with the north fork going to Split Mountain and the South fork going to Green River and several miles further on a dirt road to Josie Morris Cabin and petroglyphs. You can access the north side of the park from two separate routes. From Hwy. 146, take 3500 South for 4.8 miles to a paved turn off. This will take you to Rainbow Park and Island Park.  From the paved turn off at 3500 South, you can also get to Jones Hole. Travel 4.1m on the paved road and at a fork that goes east to Rainbow park on a dirt road or north on a paved road, follow the paved road to a water tank and then head west on Jones Hole Rd.

·         The monument bridges the border of Colorado and Utah. Much of the dinosaur interpretation can be found on the Utah side of the border where the Dinosaur Quarry and Visitor Center reside.

·         comments: a shuttle runs from the visitor center to the Quarry Exhibit between May and Sept.  See info below.

·         reviews

Media connection: The Intermountain Natural History Association has a large selection of reading materials about the area. You can always order these before you go to brush up on your information and it's a great way to get kids involved. Check out their web shopping at http://www.inhaweb.com/index.html

Practicalities: Some Facts about the monument: Dinosaur National Monument was declared by Woodrow Wilson as a National Monument in 1915, it is one of the older monuments in the system

·         grocery

·         No grocery in the park

·         laundry

·         No laundry in the park

·         restrooms

·          available at the Quarry Visitor Center, Island Park overlook, Harper Corner, Canyon Overlook, campgrounds

·         permits

·         Permit office, 970-374-2468

·         Permit applications for high use season (Green River from May 13-Sept 30; Yampa River May 14-July 13) are accepted after Nov. 1 through Feb. 1. Low use areas, low water and one-day trip applications are accepted beginning March 1.

·         Permits are required for all river trips within the park. Multiday trip permits ($15 application fee, $185 permit fee) and single-day permits ($15 for application fee, $20 for permit fee) are issued through a lottery process.

click here for the boating lottery application

·         boat permits are required to launch above Gates of Lodore or Deerlodge and to raft the Green River below the Split Mountain boat ramp

·         Free back country permits, available at the visitor center, are required for stays outside of developed campgrounds.

·         weather

·         Summers are hot, often in the 100's. Expect afternoon showers that can make for difficult driving and hiking conditions. Evenings, however, are cool. Dinosaur Quarry is one of the hotter areas while Harper's Corners is cooler.

·         road quality, contact 435-781-7700

Kid Alert: Very few children (and many adults as well) can resist Dinosaurs, and this park gets you as close as possible to the process of how Dinosaurs are discovered, classified, prepared and presented. It's one of the few places in the world where you can actually see the dinosaur fossils exposed in rock before they are excavated. The monument's website has a multimedia presentation that introduces visitors to the monument. While the presentation has lots of interesting information, kids may find the site initially a bit boring (there is lots of text) but if they can view it with an adult, the adult can help them focus on the media part of the website It's a great introduction to the monument for all ages. http://www.cr.nps.gov/museum/exhibits/dino/overview.html

Media Connection for kids: Check out these books and activities if you've got a curious child or two

·         Dinosaur National Monument, David Petersen (geared toward late elementary school), http://www.amazon.com/Dinosaur-National-Monument-True-Books/dp/0516410741

·         National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book, Catherine D Hughes http://www.amazon.com/National-Geographic-Little-First-Dinosaurs/dp/1426308469/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1370290347&sr=8-2&keywords=Dinosaur%3A+paleontology 
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·         Neat-Oh! Zip Bin Dinosaur Play Set, this is a cool toy to bring in the car because the dinosaurs can be brought out to the actual sights, and reenact ancient dinosaur activity. 

http://www.amazon.com/Neat-Oh-ZipBin-Dinosaur-Medium-Play/dp/B000JXKWYC/ref=pd_sim_b_1

·         Shuttle: a shuttle starts running from Quarry Visitor Center in mid-May through the summer. You park at the visitor center and then take the shuttle, running throughout the day about every hour, to the Exhibit wall. If you arrive before 9am, when the shuttle starts, you can drive your own car to the wall.

·         pets

·         Pets are allowed in the park but are not allowed in buildings or on most trails. The trails that do allow pets only with leash include the Cold Desert Trail, Plug Hat Trail, Iron Springs Bench Overlook and Echo Park Overlook.

·         cell phones

·         cell phone use is spotty and often non-existent

Activities

·         Visitor Centers

·         Dinosaur Quarry Visitor Center, 7m North of Jensen on Hwy. 149, 435-781-7700, www.nps.gov/dino/, restrooms, water, picnic tables, interpretive programs, 9-5pm off season, 8-6pm May-Sept.

Be sure to stop at the visitor center but also take a look at the Quarry behind it. The rock layer is filled with over 1400 bones, all catalogued and keyed to a grid system. Each one of the bones has been identified. The original visitor center had to be replaced when rock  movement underneath the original visitor center mad e the structure unstable. Beside the visitor center is a life size (and that's one big size) Stegosaurus who covers three parking spaces.

Visitors take a shuttle bus, in season, to the nearby quarry.

Kid Alert: hunt down the brochure that shows the evolution of thought on the Stegosaurus. It's a great lesson in how science evolves and it's also cool to see how the puzzle pieces were put together, reassembled and put together again and again to come up with current view.  Unlike a real jigsaw puzzle that comes with a view of what the final picture should look like, dinosaur bones have to be pieced together from best guess work, trial and error and the accumulation of knowledge through continual digging and research.

Did you know? Why so many bones in one place? Did the paleontologists gather them here? No. In fact, paleontologists believe that there area was once a watering hole. An ancient river once flowed right through this desert environment. As the watering hole dried up 150 million years ago the dinosaurs, at least nine different kinds, died at the hole. As time passed, the bones were buried and eventually a river began to flow again over the area further burying the bones. Layer after layer of sand and gravel eventually turning into rock piled up over the bones.  65 million years ago, the earth's crust began folding here and the bones were pushed up back to the surface.

 I find this explanation a bit lacking, however. Are they saying hundreds of dinosaurs simply stood at a vanishing watering hole until they died? There must be more to the story than that. And, I found it, there is. The dinosaurs did not all die here, rather they were brought here on the currents of an epic flood which deposited the bones at the river bottom. The bones were scattered and chaotic when found suggesting both that they were moved by water and perhaps also by scavengers.

·         Canyon Visitor Center, 4545 E Hwy. 40, Dinosaur CO, bookstore, restroom

While the Quarry Visitor Center focuses on the dinosaur part of the monument, Canyon Visitor center does not feature fossils but instead provides an orientation to the mountains and canyons in the monument.

Media Alert

·         Curious adults might enjoy these books

·         Dinosaur: The Story Behind the Scenery, Hagood and West

·         Dinosaur: Four Seasons on the Green and Yampa Rivers, Hal Crimmel http://www.amazon.com/Dinosaur-National-Monument-True-Books/dp/0516410741

·         Biking

·          Holiday River Expeditions, 800-624-6323, www.bikeraft.com, multi day bike trips at Yampa Ranch.

·         Biking is allowed on all roads in the monument but not on trails.

The park road is 12m and is a great road for cycling as long as you stay aware of the car traffic.

Tips: roads do not have shoulders and the park has no bike parking.

·         Hiking

·         The monument is open to off-trail hiking or cross country travel but it is highly recommended that only experienced hikers with good maps attempt off-trail hiking

·         short, 1 mile or less

·         Plug Hat Trail, starts off Harpers Corner Rd 5m North of the Canyon Visitor Center at the Plug Hat Picnic Area, .75m loop, elevation change from 6974 to 7001ft. Vault toilet. Wheelchair accessible.

Interpretive trail over level terrain of juniper and pinon on the top of a butte with fantastic views.  Very level trail make it easy for children.

·         Box Canyon Trail, trail starts at Cub Creek Rd at Josie's Cabin, .5m RT

A shady box canyon trail that is a welcome relief in the summer sun.

·         Hog Canyon Trail, starts at Josie's Cabin, 10m from the Quarry Visitor Center, 3m RT

Level walk in a box canyon with some trees and shade.

·         Cold Desert Trail, starts at Canyon Area Visitor Center, .5m

Short, level walk through desert shrub

Learn More About it: Dinosaur has some great hiking, largely a result of how the monument was formed  about 70 million years ago. During the Laramide Orogeny the mountain ranges on the Colorado Plateau were formed, including the Uinta Mountains, just southeast of Dinosaur. These mountains, a sub range of the Rockies, is the highest range in the contiguous United States that runs east/west. Because of the Orogeny, a massive uplifting and squeezing in this area, 23 rock layers are exposed at the monument with bottom layers showing the remains of 1.2 billion years ago.

·         Medium, 5 mile or less

·         Harper's Corner Trail, trail starts at the End of Harper's Corner Rd, 31m north of the Canyon Visitor Center, 3m RT

Little elevation change with a few ups and downs leading to a fantastic overlook of the green River. At the end of the trail, there is a nice collection of fossils buried in the rock. These aren't dinosaur fossils but fossils from sea creatures.

·         Gates of Lodore Trail, starts at Gates of Lodore Campground at the North end of the monument, 137m from the Quarry Visitor Center, 1.5m RT

Level walk along the green River with a view of Lodore Canyon at  the end.

·         Sound of Silence Trail, trail starts 2m East of the  Quarry Visitor Center, 3m loop, 300 ft elevation change

Numbered posts interpret the sites of the trail  which starts in a wash and then narrows into a labyrinth of small canyons.  Trail climbs out of the wash to wind among the banks and also through slickrock at times. Trail focuses on geological diversity but wildlife is often spotted as well. Keep an eye out for cairns when the trail is less clearly obvious. Connects to Desert Voices for an extra 1.5m.

Tips: this hike is coolest in the morning

·         Desert Voices Trail, starts 3.5m East of the Quarry Visitor Center at the Solit Mountain Boat Ramp, 1.5m loop

Good hike for geology features. Trail connects to the Sound of Silence Trail

Tips: no shade on this trail

·         Fossil Discovery Trail, starts at the Quarry Visitor Center o the Quarry Exhibit Hall, 2.4m RT

Some steep hiking as you follow the trail through rocky and uneven layers of the fossil discovery area. It is possible you'll see actual fossils here.

Tip: no shade on this trail

·         River Trail, starts at North end of Green River campground, 4m RT

Follows the Green River with views of Split Mountain

Tips: Trail has some steep drop offs

·         Long, over 5 miles

·         Island Park Trail, trail starts at Ruple Ranch, 30m from Quarry Visitor Center, 16m RT

Some great scenery

Tip: no shade

·         Hole Trail, from Dinosaur National Monument Quarry, drive 1 hr along the Brush Creek Rd and Diamond Mountain Rd to the Jones Hole National Fish hatchery, 8m RT, restrooms, information kiosk

From the fishery, the trail goes 1.8m to the junction with the Island park Trail which you can follow .25m to the Ely Creek Waterfall. Back on the main trail, the route goes to the Green River.

Media Connection

·         Geology interest you?  Than print out this brochure (or download it) before you go. You can't get this at the visitor center. The brochure has some great pictures. http://www.nps.gov/dino/planyourvisit/upload/SOS-and-FDT-geology-online.pdf

Creature feature: In this hot summer and cold winter climate, what wildlife calls it home? Coyotes and mountain lions roam the rugged landscape while prairie dog towns can be seen in many places. The prairie dogs are the most common mammal that summer visitors will see. But other creatures lurk beyond most visitor's sight. Marmots, mule deer and elk are found throughout the monument. Falcons are commonly seen looking for dinner as they fly over the land. Big horn sheep and even bears are also Dinosaur Monument residents.

·         Fishing

·         General information:  A state fishing license is required to fish on the monument property, but fishing is allowed pretty much anywhere, subject to the state rules.

·         Rafting

·         Adrift Adventures, 9500 East 6000 South, 435-789-3600, 800-824-0150, www.whitewater.net/utah-river-rafting, day trips

·         Don Hatch River Expeditions, Vernal Ut, 435-789-4316, www.hatchriver.com, day trips

·         Scenic Drives and Byways

·         Tour of the Tilted Rocks, starts at Quarry Visitor Center, 10m with the last two miles unpaved, brochure available at visitor center or at the beginning of the route

·         Harpers Corner Rd., starts at the Canyon Area Visitor Center in Colorado, 31m one way, one mile trail at the end of the drive, picnic areas, hiking trails, no services

Incredible views as you climb up Plug Hat Butte that overlook both the Green and Yampa river canyons. The road also accesses two unimproved roads for 4-wheel drive vehicles. Picnic tables are at the Plug Hat Butte, Canyon Overlook and Echo Park Overlook. In the winter, cross country skiers use the closed part of the Harpers Corner Rd.

·         Boating

·         Available launch date information can be obtained from 866-825-2995

·         Click here for a link to the park boating brochure

Media Connection: some reference sources on boating can be found at the Intermountain National History Association: Dinosaur River Guide by Evans and Belknap (Westwater, 2006),  Dinosaurs Restless Rivers and Craggy Canyon Walls, Hansen (DNA, 1997)

·         Museums

·         Quarry Exhibit Hall, 9-5pm with last trip going at 4pm off season, 8-5:30 May-Sept.

During the off-season, rangers lead car pools to the quarry throughout the day. In the season, visitors take a shuttle from 9:3-5pm. If you arrive prior to 9:30, you may drive your own vehicle.

1500 dinosaur bones are exhibited i n the new, spacious space. You can touch some of the bones.

Did you know? Douglass Quarry, an exposed cliff at the visitor center, is named after Earl Douglass a paleontologist working in the area around 1909.  Douglass worked for the Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh., so what brought him out to this isolated spot on the off-chance he might find some dinosaur skeletons? Well, Douglass knew that certain types of rocks often indicated the  presence of fossils. When he found out those rocks were prolific in the northeast corner of Utah, he decided to investigate, and he found the motherload.  For the next 15 years, many complete skeletons of various different type of dinosaurs were unearthed and are now on exhibit at museums around the world including at the Denver Museum of Natural History and The Smithsonian. All told, Douglass shipped over 700,000 tons of material to Pittsburgh during the 15 year excavation 

·         historical attractions

·         Petroglyphs and pictographs, 3m from the Quarry Visitor Center

These panels of the Fremont people.

·         Cub Creek Area, from the Quarry Visitor Center, Cub Creek Rd extends for 10 miles

Josie Bassett Morris Cabin, end of Cub Creek Rd,

Ms. Morris settled into a cabin here in 1914, living by herself for 50 years. She farmed the land, supporting herself. Find a link to a brochure, here http://www.nps.gov/dino/planyourvisit/loader.cfm?csModule=security/getfile&PageID=372006

·         natural attractions

Off The Beaten Path

·         Echo Park, 38m from Canyon Visitor Center with 13m of unpaved driving, impassable when wet. High clearance vehicles recommended. Call 970-374-3000 for road conditions. Picnic area, vault toilets, drinking water seasonally, camping

No established hiking routes though cross country hiking is allowed. River rafting and boating are popular. Whispering cave is one mile from the campground along Echo Park Rd. It's a cool, shady place to rest. Pool Creek Petroglyphs are 1.5m along Echo Park rd.

·         Gates of Lodore, from Maybell Colorado, head west on Hwy. 40 for .4m to CO 318 west for 46.2m. Turn left onto Moffat County Rd 34N for 1.7m and then continue right on the same road for 4.5m to the ranger station and campground, picnic areas, river rafting, hiking

Isolated, primitive and beautiful, Lodore is for those seeking removal from civilization. The area overlooks the Green River and the Uinta Mountains for incredible panoramas. See information about hiking and rafting under the corresponding heading aboveRainbow Park and Island Park, 30m from Quarry Visitor Center from Ut 146, turn West on 3500 South 4.8m to a turn off north. Follow this paved road to a dirt road that goes 4.1m to Rainbow and Island park (inaccessible when wet), camping, picnic area, hiking

View petroglyphs of the Fremont People at McKee Springs. Ruple Ranch is a homestead in the park. River rafting departs from Rainbow park. The hiking in this area is primitive, most of it simply cross country. But, Island Park Trail is accessible from the Ruple Ranch.

·         Jones Hole Creek Area, one hour north from the Quarry Visitor Center, fish hatchery, hiking, fishing, camping

North of the Quarry Visitor Center,  the area is secluded from most of the monument. At deluge shelter, pictographs and petroglyphs are visible

Learn More About It:

Just who was Josie Bassett besides a clearly adventurous woman? As a child, Josie grew up in nearby Browns Park where her family homesteaded.  Growing up in this wild, untamed area, Josie was intimately familiar with both its dangers and its rewards. Josie was not a loner but she was very independent. After five marriages and four divorces, Josie was more than just a pioneer in her willingness to settle in such an isolated area but she also was a pioneer in breaking expectations for women. In addition to her many scandalous divorces, Josie brewed wine during prohibition and took to wearing pants.   Josie decided to homestead in Cub Creek in 1913.  After a long and productive life, she died of complications from a broken hip in 1964.

Media Links

·         For More about this pioneering family, check out The Bassett Women by Grace Mcclure (published by Shallow Press)

·         4-wheel and off roading

·         Echo Park Rd, 25 miles on Harpers Corner Dr from hwy. 40, 13m unpaved rd with hairpin curves and steep climbs. Impassable when wet.

·         Yampa Bench Rd, from Echo Park Rd, 27m high clearance vehicle rd

·         Interpretive programs

·         The park offers guided hikes when staffing allows. It's best to check at the visitor center for information.

·         Camping

·         Echo Park Campground, 38m north of the Canyon Visitor Center with high clearance vehicle only, 22 sites, $8, open all year, one group site, running water in the summer, vault toilets, no showers

·         Gates of Lodore Campground, 106m north of the Canyon Visitor Center, 17 sites, $8, open all year, running water in summer, vault toilets, no showers

·         Rainbow Park Campground, 28m from the Quarry Visitor Center on dirt road, 3 sites, no fee, no reservations, no water, pit toilets, tent only

Campground is located on the Green River near a boat ramp. Sites are shady.

·         Green River Campground, four miles east of Quarry Visitor Center on the Cub Creek Rd, 80 sites, $12, reservations at recreation.gov for some sites, open mid-April-Oct. 1, picnic tables, drinking water, flush toilets, no showers

The campground offers nice respite for travelers with cool river breezes and shady trees to help keep temperatures down.