There’s lots to do in Dinosaur! From touching actual dinosaur bones that are bigger than you are, to hiking, river rafting, petroglyphs, sight-seeing by car, there’s something for everyone! It’s also very kid friendly – Dinosaur is one of the few parks that allows you to hike anywhere you want and climb on just about anything, no need to stay on the trails. There are historic sites where you can see how people have lived in Dinosaur over the years, from the ancient Fremont people to the recent ranchers in the last 50 years. Check out our list of favorites below, or we’re happy to recommend some things you’re interested in, or try something new!
Dinosaur is split into 2 main sections – the Quarry, and the Canyon. Split Mountain campground is in the Quarry, but we’re only about 30 minutes from the Canyon entrance. The drive through the Canyon and down Harpers Corner Road is 31 miles one way, and features many pull offs to get out and look around. Bring your binoculars!
A high quality PDF of Dinosaur National Monument can be found here.
The Quarry
Quarry Exhibit Hall
Look at over 1,500 dinosaur bones, with exhibits where you can touch real bones that larger than you! ~4 miles from campground
Scenic Drive
A 10 mile drive down Cub Creek Rd (main road in the Quarry) that ends at Josie Morris Cabin
Josie Morris Cabin
Josie Morris built a cabin in Dinosaur when she decided to homestead there. She lived in it, without electricity or running water, for 50 years raising livestock and fruit. You can walk through her cabin and ranch and see how she lived her life. Neat for kids!
Petroglyphs
Petroglyphs can be found in many areas of Dinosaur, with Swelter Shelter right off the main drive between the Visitor’s Center and the campground
Fishing
Fishing with a rod and reel are allowed here. Please see link for restrictions.
Cycling
Bicycles are allowed on any road, but not trails. However, much of the land just outside of Dinosaur is BLM and have lots of areas setup for mountain biking.
Quarry Hiking Trails
Desert Voices
Moderate 1.5 mile loop that starts at the campground and can connect to Sound of Silence. No shade other than the beginning, bring plenty of water. We only recommend this trail if you really want to do Sound of Silence and want to leave from the campground. Sound of Silence is better and the trailhead is only a short drive from the campground.
Sound of Silence
Moderate in length at 3 miles, but has some potentially tricky parts rock hopping and scrambling. Our favorite trail. No shade, bring plenty of water. We do recommend doing this trail counterclockwise (starting to the right) though all the guides point you to the left. We just think it’s prettier that direction, and some of the tricker parts are going up which makes them a bit easier to navigate. There’s only one potentially confusing part going this direction – just after you pass the trail markers for the connector to Desert Voices trail, it goes up some slick rock that can be hard to navigate. You will immediately pass through some cairns (stacked rocks) and continue relatively straight to get to the top of the ridge. From there the trail will become obvious again. Here’s a quick illustration of the area. It’s basically impossible to get lost on this trail as it’s a very well used trail, the most popular of the long trails at the Quarry.
Box Canyon
Box Canyon is a short 1/2 mile round trip trail leaving from Josie Morris Cabin. It dead ends at the back of the canyon and gives you opportunities to climb on some huge rocks. Box and Hog Canyon is significantly cooler than the campground due to the narrow shape of the canyons and abundant shade. These are great in the heat of the day!
Hog Canyon
Hog Canyon is a quick 1.5 mile round trip leaving from Josie Morris Cabin. Box and Hog Canyon can be done back to back, seeing Josie Morris Cabin in the middle. This is a great afternoon activity, or trip for kids.
The Canyon
The Canyon has no dinosaur bones. It mainly consists of a road with pull offs with incredible views of the canyon side of Dinosaur, with a couple of longer, strenuous hikes and a short overlook. A perfect afternoon activity!
Steamboat Rock
Steamboat Rock is synonymous with Dinosaur National Monument, just Googling the Monument will bring back pictures of it. However, it is at the bottom of Echo Park, and to get there you must traverse a 13 mile, 4 wheel drive only, high clearance road that is completely impassible after rain or snow. Not for the faint of heart! But if you have some experience overlanding and have a capable vehicle, the views and scenery are incredible.
Canyon Hiking Trails
Plug Hat Trail
A short, easy 1/2 mile paved roundtrip hike with nice panoramas in the direction of the Quarry
Harpers Corner 👍🏻
A 3 mile moderate hike from the end of the road to a fantastic overlook of the Yampa River and carved canyons below
Ruple Point
This 9.5 mile strenuous trail crosses the tallest point in Dinosaur, Ruple Point, then on to the edge of Split Mountain Canyon. This hard hike rewards with incredible views, truly a gem if you can make it. It’s worth checking out the website and looking at the panorama towards the bottom of the page even if you have no interest in the trail.