Dinosaur National Monument

Dinosaur National Monument has a treasure for everyone who loves the big animals that lived in Utah so long ago. Visitors can see dinosaur remains embedded in rocks.

Quarry Exhibit Hall  

A wall containing about 1,500 dinosaur bones, located in Quarry Exhibit Hall, fascinates all visitors. Fossils of several different dinosaurs are embedded in the wall.

See the bones of an Allosaurus, who stood about as tall as a giraffe on powerful hind legs. See fossils of a Stegosaurus. These animals grew about the size of an elephant with a double row of bony plates down its back.

Gaze at the stars

Stay at the monument until evening when the stars come out. Because it’s one of the darkest places in the United States, tourists can clearly see stars of the Milky Way.

A night sky program is held near the Split Mountain Campground to view the stars.

Guided Tours

Discover more about the monument through ranger-led activities. See fossils on a Fossil Discovery Trail Hike. Learn dinosaur facts at Quarry Exhibit Hall. Attend an evening talk at Green River Campground to hear about geology and wildlife.

Rainbow Park and Island Park

Views of the western landscape can be found at Rainbow Park and Island Park. Keep your eyes open for elk and mule deer.

 

-Sandra Merville Hart

Sources:

“Dinosaur,” National Park Service, 2016/01/29 http://www.nps.gov/dino/index.htm.

Jensen, Paul. National Parks: A Guide to the National Parks and Monuments of the United States, Golden Press, 1964.

Tilden, Freeman. The National Parks, Alfred A. Knopf, 1986.