Dinosaur National Monument
Phone: Headquarters (970)374-3000
Visitor Information (970)374-3000
In his book, The Immense Journey, Loren Eisley wrote, "Once in a lifetime, perhaps, one escapes the actual confines of the flesh. Once in a lifetime, if one is lucky, one so merges with sunlight and air and running water that whole eons, the eons that mountains and deserts know, might pass in a single afternoon without discomfort."
This is Echo Park, named by John Wesley Powell in 1869 during his first scientific expedition into the Colorado Plateau. It is here that the Yampa River, the last natural flowing river in the Colorado River System, joins the Green River. This is home and critical habitat for the endangered peregrine falcon, bald eagle, Colorado pikeminnow, and razorback sucker. Indian rock art in Echo Park testifies to the allure these canyons and rivers had for prehistoric people. In 1825, William H. Ashley and his fur trappers were the first Europeans to enter Echo Park. In 1883, Patrick Lynch, a hermit, was the first to homestead in this canyon.
Directions
Plane - Flying in to Grand Junction, CO or Salt Lake City, UT would probably be the least expensive way to fly to Dinosaur. It is roughly a 3 hour drive from Salt Lake to the park in a rental vehicle, just over 2 hours from Grand Junction. Vernal, UT does have an airport and a few flights shuttle between it at Salt Lake every day.
Car - The popular Fossil Bone Quarry area of the park is only a 30 minute drive east from Vernal, Utah. Take Rt. 40 (Main Street) east out of Vernal until a well marked turn left/north from Jensen, UT onto Rt. 149. 7 miles later you reach the park.
Public Transportation - There are no transportation services to the park such as a taxi or bus. You must have your own transportation. For private river runners vehicle and passenger shuttle service is available from Wilkins Bus lines (435) 789-2476 and River Runners Transport (435) 781-1120.
More info at http://www.nps.gov/dino
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