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

 

 

Dinah the Pink Dinosaur

Dinah, a 40 foot fiberglass dinosaur, was built in 1958 for the Dine-A-Ville Motel. She now stands on the east end of Vernal, Utah welcoming everyone to the town. She's such an iconic figure for the area that we expected a parking lot or a pull off to get a closer look, but nope, if fact the nearby businesses have No Trespassing signs in their lots. The only way to see Dinah is by driving by or  parking in the businesses on the other side US 40 and crossing the four lane highway without the benefit of a crosswalk and traffic light. Dinah 40.4559, -109.5115

Utah Field House of Natural History State Park

 The museum is a good first stop before going to Dinosaur National Monument. It's not a large museum but it gives an overall view of  geologic time as found in the layers of rock in an 80 mile radius around Vernal, Utah. Exhibits explain the tedious task of chipping away rock to reveal dinosaur bones and the care that must be taken to move them to labs or museums. Dinosaur bones are mounted in front of a large mural to show how they looked when alive. Other exhibits travel past the time of dinosaurs to mammals, fish, and humans. 

 

A small garden features full size dinosaur sculptures. 

The museum is accessible. Long ramps provide access to each floor. I recommend taking the elevator to the top floor, coming down the ramps, and going back in time to save having to make the long pushes up.

The parking lot has long RV spaces along the edges. Museum  40.45472, -109.51988

 

Uintah County Western Heritage Museum

The museum tells the stories of the people who settled in the northeast corner of Utah which is so isolated that many homes didn't have phone service until the 1960s! Exhibits cover local businesses, military service, Native Americans, and life on the frontier. The collection of  Native American artifacts is large but the pieces must have been randomly collected because most do not have identifying tags. There are also collections of guns and a complete set of First Lady dolls with elaborate handmade gowns.

Our favorite exhibit was a temporary display from Jump to the Moon, a nonprofit that encourages people with special needs or disabilities to express themselves through art.

 

The museum is accessible with an elevator to the second floor.  

We parked in the library lot on E 250 Street and followed the paths through the park to the museum entrance. Museum  40.45599, -109.52553

 

Pelican Lake Campground

 Pelican Lake is out in the middle of nowhere and a bit difficult to get to. It seems to be lightly used by campers but more by people fishing. The ten sites in the main loop are up on a hill overlooking the lake. Three more sites are on the lake shore; one is a regular site and two are group sites. The host site has the nicest view which we were tempted to take it since we were the only people in the campground but we settled for site six. Amenities include tables with shade shelters, fire rings, vault toilets, a boat ramp, and a fishing jetty. No water. 

The only accessible site is site 10. It has a concrete walkway to the toilet, a table with an extended top, and a raised tent platform. The site is surfaced with large loose gravel like all of the other sites which makes it difficult to roll. Some of the other sites have paths to the toilet with very deep gravel. 

The only access to the campground is on the west side of the lake. Follow the signs from US 40. Go south on Route 88, west on Ouray-Randlett Road, south on 14500E, southeast on Pelican Park Road. This is oil country and the dirt Pelican Park Road had just been graded so it was smooth but this may not always be the case. Be prepared for a couple of miles of bumpy road caused by the oil truck traffic. Campground  40.18193, -109.69257