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The 10 Best Things to Do in Dinosaur, United States
Dinosaur in United States, from Nouth America region, is best know for Ancient Ruins. Discover best things to do in Dinosaur with beautiful photos and great reviews from traveller around the world here!
1. Dinosaur National Monument
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 197 reviews
Located in a region of spectacular canyons and mountains, this site has produced a large number of complete dinosaur skeletons since 1909.
Reviewed By cwt2015
What a treat to visit a National Park Visitor Center that cares enough about the quality of service it provides the visitor by staffing the Visitor Center desk with a uniformed professional National Park Ranger.
We were disappointed the day before at Rocky Mountain National Park Fall River Visitor Center where they did not care enough about the quality of their service to the visitor to bother staffing the Visitor Center with uniformed professional National Park Rangers.
Ranger Tiffany welcomed us, gave us outstanding guidance as to how we could best enjoy our visit, and answered every question we had about the resource.
The following day we drove to the bottom of Echo Canyon to walk the land that was saved. That experience was probably the second most rewarding National Park experience we had this year in the many National Park units that we have visited.
2. Dinosaur Quarry
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 69 reviews
Part of Dinosaur National Monument, the Quarry contains one of the highest concentrations of fossilized dinosaur bones from the Jurassic period.
Reviewed By Margot E - Gladstone, Australia
This place is incredible. You must take the time and visit. All ages would love. The bones are preserved in the quarry wall as they were found. Thousands of them! I hope it is kept in this state for future generations to see. There is a tour you can take up to the quarry from the visitors centre at the National Monument Headquarters. You ride in a carriage train up to the quarry site and back. Easy to walk around and all under cover. Allow a few hours but can easily see it in a couple of hours.
3. Harpers Corner Trail
Overall Ratings
5 based on 31 reviews
This one-mile, self-guided nature trail ends at an observation point located 2,500 feet above the Green and Yampa river canyons, giving visitors one of the most spectacular views in the West.
Reviewed By Eric W - Manhattan, KS
This is a fairly easy hike, It's a 3 mile round trip, but minimal elevation change and well-maintained. Elevation is roughly 6000 or so feet, so not super high. You hike out 1.5 miles to the point overlooking the Green River and Yampa Canyons, above Steamboat Rock and the confluence of the two rivers. Views are magnificent, and the two canyons are distinctly different from each other, with the Green having sloping walls and a V-shaped canyon, and the Yampa being carved straight down through the sandstone with vertical walls hundreds of feet high. If you are physically capable, it's a great hike. Good for kids as well, but keep them close as there are areas that just a short distance (within a few moments of wandering for little ones) there is loose ground that could result in a very serious fall into the canyon. On the trails, it is great for anyone that can make the trip. I've hiked this many times since I was 4, up through taking my teenage son recently. Review is a compilation of several trips, so date is not exact.
4. Tour of the Tilted Rocks
Overall Ratings
5 based on 13 reviews
Reviewed By Mike M - Salt Lake City, Utah
This is a driving tour with signposts along the route to indicate where you are. For a dollar we bought the booklet that provides descriptions of what to see at each point of interest. At At stop 13 we walked up to petroglyphs that are only 50 feet or so from where we stopped the car. We easily got within ten feet of them. At stop 14 the petroglyphs are a couple hundred yards in, but still an easy walk. The drive on this tour is 95% paved road. Only the last 5% is unpaved, but it was no problem because the road was mostly dry. That last little bit could be a problem if really wet. That last stop is the Josie Bassett Morris cabin. She was a woman who lived in this remote area for many years, finally leaving in 1964 because of a fall that broke her hip. It was interesting to wander this area and imagine what her life was like without plumbing and electricity not all that long ago. Overall, the area is very scenic and we had it to ourselves in the middle of April.
5. Harpers Corner Scenic Drive
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 24 reviews
This 62-mile round trip scenic drive takes visitors along Colorado's canyon rims for panoramic views of the gorges carved by the Green and Yampa Rivers.
Reviewed By LFunn
This is a fairly long drive, considering you have to turn round and come back at the end but it is well worth it. There are multiple pull outs with stunning views of the area, each one keeps getting better and better... In the end to save time we had to skip a few but all of them had amazing views.
Best views are saved for the end, from the short well marked hike of Harpers Corner trail. There was plenty of parking and the road and the trail were quiet in June.
May be best to buy food/snacks before heading out on the road as the views will suck you into spending longer on the drive than you intended.
6. Josie Morris Cabin
Overall Ratings
4 based on 36 reviews
Reviewed By Mike D - Monmouth, Oregon
There are brochures you can pick up about this site and you should. She was an incredible woman, living and ranching in the wild for decades, basically alone. Not a great amount left of her ranch, but it is worth the short drive to see and learn about her.
7. McKee Springs Petroglyphs
Overall Ratings
5 based on 16 reviews
Reviewed By VespagirL55 - Bushnell, Florida
Feel lucky to have seen these -- probably the finest petroglyphs I've visited. Yes, some idiots shot at them or carved their names into the panels over the years, but thankfully most of the petroglyphs are in prime condition. Could be due to the fact that you need to drive down a 10-mile road to get to them (?). There are more petroglyphs on Island Park Road than you'd think; keep your eyes open and binoculars handy if you really want to immerse yourself. Spending time observing (not touching!) the figures gave me the chills. What did they mean? We can conjecture, but will never know. Be sure to ask about current road conditions at the Monument Visitor Center; the road is reportedly impassable when wet.
8. Echo Park/Sand Canyon Trail
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 15 reviews
A scenic hiking trail that loops for approximately eight miles through Dinosaur National Monument.
Reviewed By Davis K - Phoenix, Arizona
On day two of a visit to Dinosaur National Monument we took the Ranger's advice and drove the Echo Park Road to Echo Park. The park map says “high-clearance vehicles only. Impassible when wet”. We have a Subaru Forester that was deemed to be high enough. It hadn't rained in several days so off we went. As you are driving the Harper's Corner Road on your way to the turn off, watch for deer. The pick up truck in front of us came close to an “encounter of the third kind” with a good sized buck. As promised, the Echo Park road is unpaved, steep and very narrow. For the most part it is wide enough for two vehicles to pass-by each other but there are plenty of places where one vehicle is going to need to pullover. As you travel down the road there are so many beautiful places demanding to have their pictures taken. There are canyons, petroglyphs, whisper cave and an old pioneer homestead to poke around. At road ends near the confluence of the Green and Yampa Rivers where you'll find a campground and picnic area. A short walk brings you riverside. In front of you is Steamboat Rock. This is a great place to sit and contemplate how fortunate we are to have a national parks system. At some point you need to leave and take the slow 13 mile drive back to Harper's Corner Road. If the Ranger says “Go”, you should.
9. Cub Creek Petroglyphs
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 13 reviews
Reviewed By hrmason123 - Rockledge, Florida
The Cub Creek auto-tour is a little hit or miss, but these petroglyphs make it worth it. If you've only see pictures, you need to see the real thing. Nothing is too far from the road, so this is a great outing if you have some less adventurous family members or children too young to hike. At the end of this road is the Josie Morris Cabin, a great place for a picnic and run-around with the kids.
10. Yampa Bench Road
Overall Ratings
5 based on 8 reviews
Reviewed By Eric W - Manhattan, KS
This is one of my favorite drives. Plan all day, especially if you intend to start and end in one of the neighboring towns, and pack some provisions. If you break down, there may not be another vehicle coming by in a day or two. That's part of what makes this special. Looking to the north across the Yampa valley, it feels as if you're the only one in the whole universe, and that the broken landscape goes on forever.You can stand at the edge of the Yampa canyon and look straight down between your toes to the river below. If you want, camp in the Echo Park Campground at the base of Steamboat Rock. There are only a few campsites, but it's rarely full, and even if others are there, it seems you have the universe to yourself. No city lights, no sounds but nature, stars like you'll never see in any populated area...absolutely gorgeous creation at its best, and still undefiled. Highly recommended. On your way in or out, take an hour or two to hike the Harper's Corners trail above, and get a different view of where you've been (or are going). The Green River and Yampa canyons intersect at that point, but are totally different and unique. I've done this several times, and can't wait to do it again (date on my trip is a compilation of several).
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