Dinosaur National Monument - Utah

The monument covers 210,844 acres, stretching from eastern Utah into western Colorado. The major attractions- the Quarry Exhibit Hall and Harpers Corner Road scenic drive - are both easily accessed from US 40. Roads also go to launch points for river trips on the Yampa and Green Rivers and a couple of dirt roads run west to east through the monument but 90% is managed as a wilderness. 

The section in Utah contains a visitor center, the dinosaur quarry discovered in 1909, a scenic drive with trails and petroglyphs, Josie Bassett Morris's homestead, and two campgrounds.  

 The visitor center has a short video and exhibits about the monument. The parking lot is large enough for any vehicle. During the summer season a shuttle bus that goes to the Quarry Exhibit. The shuttle is not accessible so visitors may drive their own vehicle to the quarry. The quarry parking lot is small and there may not always be an available space. 

The Quarry Exhibit has two levels and features a huge slab of the Morrison Formation with over 1,500 fossilized dinosaur bones. A long ADA ramp accesses the balcony level but there's also access on the ground level. The entire slab can be seen from the ground level and most of the exhibits are on the ground level.

Pick up a road guide for the Cub Creek Scenic Drive at the visitor center or at the start of the drive. The drive has 15 stops with scenic views, petroglyphs, and trails. Most of the stops have interpretive signs that can be viewed without leaving your vehicle. The pull offs are large enough for short RVs. None of the trails are accessible but most of the scenic views and some of the petroglyphs can be seen from your vehicle. The two short dirt spur roads are not suitable for RVs.

The last two miles are well maintained dirt road, suitable for short RVs. The road dead ends at a small parking lot at the homestead site of Josie Bassett Morris. Josie was very independent and lived alone for fifty years raising cattle, pigs, chickens, geese, and growing fruits and vegetables. The site has her log house, outbuildings, and two trails. We were hoping that some portion of the site would be accessible but the trails are too rough and the house has a fence around it with a narrow zigzag opening. 

We camped at Green River Campground in site 67 in C Loop. C Loop appears to be an original loop with small parking pads so very few people were camping in it. It's the only loop that is always first come first serve. Site 41 is the only accessible site and is well laid out with a large parking pad and pavement under the table which extends to a high fire ring and a low grill. A paved path goes to the vault toilet. Monument   40.43828, -109.30809