Dinosaur Trek

For me, Dinosaur National Monument is only a hop skip and a jump away so I decided to make a 3-day weekend out of the trip.  So, after work on Thursday we packed up the car and headed to Utah.
When visiting Dinosaur I really recommend staying at the Jensen Inn.  It is a bed and breakfast located minutes from the parks entrance.  The folks there are lovely, the breakfast is extraordinary and the views are amazing.

There are two sides to the Monument, the Colorado side and the Utah side.  If you are looking for fossils the Utah side is for you, however if hiking and biking are more your style you will want to plan to also visit the Colorado side.

Day 1: Tour Dinosaur National Monument and the Dry Fork Petroglyphs at the McConkie Ranch

After breakfast at the Bed and Breakfast, head down the road to the Visitors Center at Dinosaur National Monument (The fees are included in the annual National Parks Pass or $10 per car).
After touring the visitors center catch the shuttle up to the Quarry Hall.  The Quarry Hall is the "big wall of fossils".  They offer a booklet for around $1 that will help you identify exactly what fossils you are looking at, we bought it and found it to be really helpful.
Once finished at the Quarry Hall, skip the shuttle ride and hike back to the Visitors Center by way of the Fossil Discovery Trail.  They offer Ranger Programs daily on this trail but we hit the trail on our own, using one of the brochures you can pick up at the Quarry Hall.  The hike is relatively easy and will put you back out at the Visitors Center where you can continue on with your day.
Back at the visitors center, we packed into the car to continue into the monument.  Following the driving Tour of the Tilted Rocks, we headed to see the Cub Creek Petroglyphs and the cabin of Josie Bassett Morris.

Can you find the petroglyph in this photo?

We loved seeing the cabin and took a few short hikes from the cabin to see the areas where Josie Bassett Morris would pin-up her cattle using the landscape.  I highly recommend visiting this area, the drive is short and the views are worth the trip.

A view from the Josie Bassett Morris Cabin

After touring the cabin we headed out of the Monument toward Vernal, UT.  Vernal is the closets city to the park and offers lots of amenities for visitors. AT this point Vernal was just a pass through for us as we headed toward McConkie Ranch to see the Dry Fork Petroglyphs.  The ranch is about 10miles North of Vernal and fairly easy to find, they have a sign marking the turn in off, but if you miss it because you are taking in the beautiful country-side it is fairly easy to find a place to turn around.  These petroglyphs are on private property and open to anyone who will respect the area.  In the parking lot there is a small building where visitors have left notes and a place for donations.  The shorter of the two trails goes out from just behind this building.  Some parts of the trail are moderately strenuous, simply because the soil is loose and you are traveling uphill.  This trail offers some amazing views and of course the awe-inspiring petroglyphs.
Since it was an extremely hot afternoon, we had to skip the longer trail, but will return to take it in.
From the ranch, we headed back to Vernal to visit the Utah Field House of Natural History State Park Museum. Originally, we decided to go here for a break from the heat but found it to be much more than just that.  The Museum has activities for kids as well as plenty of fossils and exhibits that are on a high level too.  The Museum house are 9-5 almost daily (check the website) and the price is affordable at $6 for adults and $3 for children over 5.
After the Museum it was time for dinner, so we went across the street to check out Vernal Brewing Company.  When in Vernal, this is a must!  We loved everything about this place, from the food, to the beer, to the decor!
With our hunger satisfied, we went back to the B&B to rest up and prepare for Day 2.

Day 2: Flaming Gorge

With the Monument under our belt we wanted to explore something different so we hit the road and headed for the Flaming Gorge.  Its just under an hours drive from Vernal.  We drove to our first stop, the Flaming Gorge Dam Visitors Center.  Her you can view the Green River, the dam and even take a dam tour.  We chose to take a tour of the dam and found it to be totally worth our time.  The tour is free, but you will want to pack some quarters to feed the fish!

 The Green River from an overlook in the Ashley National Forest

After the damn tour we headed back up the Green River stopping along the way whenever we saw a spot with a good view.  We spent most of the day exploring this area before heading back for an early dinner in Vernal.
We spent our last evening at the B&B sitting on the porch, looking at the stars.  It was a lovely and relaxing way to wrap up our mini-vacation.

Day 3: The Slow Road Home

Time to head back home, but not without a short stop on the Colorado side of the Monument!
We had to drive right past the Colorado entrance to the monument to get home, so we took a short stop to quickly check things out before hitting the road for home.  Since we were short on time there was no hiking or biking for us just a short drive.

We had a really amazing time on this short trip, but there is so much to do in this area I am sure we will return.
From hiking, to whitewater rafting, to simply taking in the view, this area has it all!


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