- Home
- Places To Go
- Parks & Outdoors
- Dinosaur National Monument

Dinosaur National Monument
- Weather: Mostly Sunny, 64F
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
- Explore 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
Read the Stories
-
10 Places to Honor Women's History on Your Trip to Utah
Written By Lindy Blanchette
Notable places you can visit where women have shaped history
-
Chasing John Wesley Powell: Six Places to Explore Utah's Green and Colorado Rivers
Written By Heather May
5 minute read
One hundred and fifty years ago a one-armed Civil War veteran set off with nine mountain men on a scientific expedition to map one of the last blank spaces left on the U.S. map: The Green and Colorado rivers. Much of the river remains wild today. Follow Powell's journey here.
-
Dinosaurland Top 5
Written By Visit Utah
3 minute read
Vernal, Utah, is an adventure base camp to the best of eastern Utah. Uintah County around Vernal — called Dinosaurland — is home to diverse outdoor recreation and natural history at three state parks, Dinosaur National Monument and countless trailheads to the Ashley National Forest.
-
Dog-Friendly Utah: The Road to Mighty
Written By Visit Utah
7 minute read
Want to bring your furry friend on your next vacation? Utah is home to several great dog-friendly national parks and other fun destinations. Check it out and plan your trip!
-
Following the Dinosaur Tracks of Red Fleet
Written By Andrew Dash Gillman
Explore Red Fleet State Park's cleverly built trail that crosses sandy washes, ribs of exposed stone and a dinosaur trackway.
-
The Real Story Behind the Dinosaur Quarry
2 minute read
What universal energy do you share with your terrestrial predecessors? At Dinosaur National Monument, you can touch 149-million-year-old fossils and feel for yourself.
-
The Ultimate Guide to Dinosaur Discovery While on a Trip to Utah
Written By Whitney Childers
8 minute read
Add a little dinosaur discovery to your Utah itinerary. Explore state-of-the-art museums and monuments for unforgettable prehistoric adventures.
-
Touring the Dinosaur Diamond Prehistoric Highway
Written By Whitney Childers
6 minute read
Discover dinosaurs in Utah. The Dinosaur Diamond Prehistoric Highway is one of the best places to see dinosaurs in Utah.
-
Tracing the Outlaw Trail
Written By Lindy Blanchette
10 minute read
Cowboys and dinosaurs don’t always come to mind in tandem. At Dinosaur National Monument in northeastern Utah, however, they do share one thing: an incredible landscape as a backdrop. This landscape, as well as some wild history, make Dinosaur a must-visit part of the state.
-
Two Trips, Two Worlds, Two Years Apart: Returning to Raft in Dinosaur National Monument
Written By Nushin Huq
5 minute read
Nushin and her family of four returned to Utah's Dinosaurland for the "best four days ever!" of guided rafting on the Green River. Explore their journey today!