Location: Vernal
Top Things to do in Vernal
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What to do and see in Vernal, United States: The Best Places and Tips
Vernal, the county seat and largest city in Uintah County is in northeastern Utah, United States, about 175 miles (280 km) east of Salt Lake City and 20 miles (32 km) west of the Colorado border. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 9,089. The population has since grown to 10,844 as of the 2014 population estimate.
Restaurants in Vernal
1. Don Hatch River Expeditions
Overall Ratings
5 based on 142 reviews
Reviewed By Raffjack - Santa Monica, California
If you want spectacular river rafting, magnificent rugged canyons, beaver and moose sightings, hikes to petroglyphs and waterfalls, paddle boarding, kayaking, history and geology lessons, delicious food, perfect coffee, easy campsite setups and breakdowns and a sweet community of guides and clients, THIS is the trip for you.
The 4 day/3 night Gates of Lodore river rafting and camping trip, starting July 20, 2017, was absolutely flawless, making it a trip of a lifetime.
Our guides (Josh, Malcolm, Sarah, Tyler, Dave and Zach) were a well-oiled machine, synched tightly together as a team on safety, fun, hustle, operations and leadership. Together, they made this trip easy, adventurous and delightful. Their patience was unending especially with all of the kids - these guides kept it light, fun and yet, serious on safety. Each of these guides is top notch and together, they were a dream team.
We also lucked out because the entire client group was great - everyone was kind, helpful, great senses of humor, accommodating and self-sufficient. There was no whining or kvetching. Plus, there were a lot of kids on the trip and even they all got along with each other as well as with the adults. Even kidless adults pitched in around camp when needed to help keep the kids from going Lord of the Flies.
Parents FYI, we had our 7-year-old along and the trip was easy for him. He is a strong swimmer and a curious kid. No problem with safety and he was able to kayak and paddleboard in addition to riding in the rafts and paddling in the paddle boat. If your kid has listening(ish) skills, can swim well and is adventurous, take this trip. If your kid is soft, you might want to pass until they toughen up. This is a bug biting trip, our kids had to eat what was served when it was served (no kid food dramas allowed), had to wake up when told to get up and had to be able to roll with whatever was happening as it happened.
The food was delicious and plentiful, the coffee in the morning hit the spot and snacks were offered all day.
TIP: We rented the sleep kits and tents and each worked great. It was nice to not have to clean sleeping bags when we came home - I recommend taking the easy route and using the gear even though the rental is $$$. We fit 2 adults and a 7-year-old in one tent, no problem.
From the meeting the night before we started the trip to pulling out at the boat launch on the last day, it was a perfect trip.
2. Holiday River Expeditions - Utah River Rafting
Overall Ratings
5 based on 82 reviews
Holiday River Expeditions offers several Utah River Rafting vacations. The Green River rafting trip is a 5 or 6 day trip that features exciting whitewater rapids for all ages. This trip usually includes some hiking to explore ancient Indian ruins and petroglyphs. The San Juan River rafting trip is a 3-day adventure down the exquisite San Juan River where you’ll experience the phenomenon of "sand waves". The Yampa River is the last undammed river in the Colorado River system and this is a 4 or 5 day trip for the intermediate river rafting enthusiast. The Desolation Canyon river rafting vacation is rated "easy" and is available for children as young as five years old. This is a 5 or 6 day river rafting trip through Canyonlands National Park where the scenery is always breathtaking. Adventure seekers will enjoy an abundance of wildlife sightings such as elk, moose and black bear and some great trout fishing. Transportation to and from the river is included in the cost, as well as delicious campfire meals prepared fresh each day.
Reviewed By Sean H - Park City, Utah
Just returned from my second Westwater Canyon trip and what an amazing time. This company does it right and the trip was absolutely perfect. A big thanks to Colter, Rolf, Vern, Sandy and Josh for doing such an outstanding job taking care of everything. They love their work and in so doing make the entire experience simply fantastic. Holiday sets a bar that few others can meet and we are already thinking about another trip next year.
3. McConkie Ranch
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 152 reviews
Reviewed By ronbV8543YT - Seattle, United States
McConkie Ranch may not be real well known? We found out about it by visiting the Utah Field House in Vernal. It turned out to be a great 'suggested viewing'.
First, it's a ways out of town, it's a two lane road, and the ranch property is private. So it might cause some people to think twice? It shouldn't!
This is some of the best concentration of Freemont, Ancient Indian, rock drawings you're going to find! Amazing stuff! Now, the trails to these are NOT National Park quality. Still, just take your time, be careful, you do not have to worry about getting lost. Most of the panels are going to be right there, in your face - so - PLEASE DON'T TOUCH THEM!
If you take the short walk out to the site of The Three Kings, PLEASE close the gates as you go and be respectful of the property.
THANK YOU to The McConkie's for allowing people to view these spectacular treasures! If you are interested in this kind of stuff, you should absolutely go and take in the treasures for yourself!
4. Utah Field House of Natural History State Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 306 reviews
Exhibits explain the geologic history of the region.
Reviewed By Kelly L
It’s got some really cool features like digging for your bones. Or the rocks that glow. But the guys went thru it fairly quickly. I liked the mammoth and in the warmer weather I love to sit outside and enjoy the outside exhibits. One year my littlest was mesmerized by the fish under the bridge.
5. Sheep Creek Geological Loop
Overall Ratings
5 based on 98 reviews
Reviewed By lessard - New Mexico
This is a great drive with lots to see - canyons, creeks, etc. We saw lots of mountain goats and wild turkeys. If you're pressed for time, you can do the entire loop in less than an hour. It's paved.
6. Dinosaur River Expeditions
Overall Ratings
5 based on 112 reviews
Dinosaur River Expeditions has been a leader in white water rafting trips since 1979. We are proud to be the only locally owned and operated outfitter in Vernal, Utah. We offer RIVER RAFTING adventures on premier COLORADO RIVERS and UTAH RIVERS.The trips we offer are on the GREEN RIVER through the Gates of Lodore Canyon and the YAMPA RIVER. The one day river rafting trip is in the Flaming Gorge Recreation Area. Our WHITE WATER RIVER RAFTING trips are all inclusive, we provide the necessary safety gear, guides, transportation do all of the cooking and give you an all around excellent trip. If you are looking for an incredible raft trip in Dinosaur National Monument we are your outfitter.
Reviewed By NMcoug - Albuquerque, New Mexico
I can't speak highly enough of DRE. Guides were outstanding, river and scenery we're magnificent, food was plentiful and great. First hike could have been excluded but other 2 hikes were terrific. I felt the attention to clients and knowledge of the guides was very high quality and safety was a top priority. I sure hope to take another trip soon with DRE and would encourage anyone to speak with them before deciding on a couch.pany for your rafting adventure.
7. Fantasy Canyon
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 69 reviews
Reviewed By Cami W - North Ogden, Utah
This is about an hour outside of Vernal. This is literally in the middle of nowhere. The drive was a little eerie. You'll see a lot of oil being drilled and wild horses. The formations were very cool though. There is no shade so it was extremely hot though. If you have the time it's worth the drive.
8. Pink Brontosaurus
Overall Ratings
4 based on 59 reviews
A roadside legend for 23 years, these two dinosaur models have an interesting history.
Reviewed By mrbeefjerkey - Vernal, Utah
Ummm... it's a pink dinosaur on the east end of town. Did I mention it's pink? Not much to say on this one. Cool if your traveling cross country taking pics of statues...
9. Red Fleet State Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 52 reviews
Huge sandstone rock formations contain actual dinosaur prints.
Reviewed By HardtoDissatisfy - Utah
We stopped there to do a bit of kayaking. It was a worthwhile diversion on our trip.
One side of the loading dock was blocked off, so boaters had to queue up to load and unload. It wasn't a problem for us as our kayak is quick and easy to deal with.
We paddled around and stayed on the west side of the lake, behind the "wake free" buoys. That didn't matter a lot to the idiots who sped in and out of the area, creating wakes.
The red canyons on the west end are spectacular. They don't have the petroglyphs we are used to seeing around the Moab area, but they are still an adventure to behold.
We paddled around for an hour or more before we resumed our trip, but that was adequate time to scan the cliffs. We stopped and climbed one incline to look at the dinosaur footprints, Diplodocus to be precise. There had to be a couple of dozen there. Several were in a row, but others were alone. Sizes ranged around a foot long for the three toed dinosaurs. Kind of cool to walk in footsteps that were about 150 million years old.
If you like that kind of thing, this is a good place to find it. If you don't have a way to cross the reservoir to reach the footprints, they can be accessed by car by going around to the north of the lake then following the road to the trailhead then walking in.
10. Moonshine Arch
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 10 reviews
Reviewed By canbelto - Los Alamos, New Mexico, United States
At roughly 85 feet width, Moonshine Arch is a significant natural arch/bridge, but relatively little known outside the immediate Vernal area. It's not difficult to reach the trailhead, although standard passenger sedans may find the last mile or two somewhat rough and attention must be paid to the turnoff from US 191. (Once you've turned onto the gravel/dirt road, signs are sufficient to aim you in the right direction.) The 1.5-mile trail is a straightforward hike, if a bit steep in places, and can be biked for most of its length, although soft sand makes the going slow in spots. Your reward for laboring through the sand is a beautiful natural feature that you're likely to have entirely to yourself. Recommended for the hiker passing through Vernal; it's a short enough hike that it doesn't require an extended stay in town.
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