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Dinosaur National Monument
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Northeastern Utah’s dinosaur legacy comes to life at Dinosaur National Monument, where geological and climatic forces have tilted, warped, and eroded the earth’s crust to reveal a treasure trove of fossils.
Located on the Utah border with Colorado, there is something for everyone in Dinosaur National Monument. Take your pick of touring the dinosaur quarry (kids love seeing the cool bones and fossils), going on driving tours around the park, hiking the nature trails, backpacking, white-water river running, photography, bird-watching, fishing, general sightseeing and biking.
Dinosaur Adventures at a Glance
Dinosaur National Monument features two distinct districts with separate visitor centers. The gateway to the park's prehistory is in the Dinosaur Quarry near Jensen, Utah. Here you will uncover the world-famous fossil exhibits that give the park its name. The Canyon district extends along the Green and Yampa rivers and provides extensive outdoor recreation opportunity.
Top activities include:
- Observe Dinosaur Bones at the Quarry Exhibit Hall
- Read the “Stories in the Rocks”: Visit Petroglyphs and Pictographs
- Enjoy the Monument’s Many Day Hikes
- Drive the Scenic Back Roads
- Run Whitewater River Rapids
Stargazing
Dinosaur National Monument boasts some of the most magnificent Dark Skies in the state as a designated International Dark Sky Park, perfect for stargazing and connecting with the monument's primordial foundation. Look for Dark Sky programs at the Split Mountain Campground.
"You walk into this building and there’s a wall of in-place dinosaur bones…I was truly in awe."
- Tyler and Andy Fontes
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