Top 10 Places To Visit in Dinosaur National Monument

Dinosaur National Monument is one of the most underrated destinations in the west, straddling the border of northwest Colorado and northeast Utah. While it's best known for its fossil beds and the iconic quarry exhibit hall, this place is also a hiker's paradise with jaw-dropping canyon views, winding rivers, and trails that range from short family-friendly strolls to multi-day backcountry rafting adventures. Whether you're here for the history, the scenery, or the adrenaline, there's something for everyone. In this video, we're going over the top 10 hikes and places to visit in and around Dinosaur National Monument, so you can plan your own epic trip here. Before we dive in, it's important to note that Dinosaur is huge, over 200,000 acres. You'll need your own vehicle to get around, as trailheads can be somewhat geographically close, but you have to drive around the entire canyon to access them, so this means long driving days. And if you want to explore even deeper into the park, having a high-clearance vehicle or a vehicle with four-wheel drive is definitely recommended to access some of the more remote areas. With the big drive days, you're going to have to plan your days accordingly with driving times, road conditions, and download offline maps for hiking when you'll be out of cell service. We stayed at a hotel in Vernal, Utah for four nights, and unless you're camping in or near the park, then this is the best base camp for Dinosaur National Monument. First up on the list is the Gates of Lodur, a remote and stunning section of the park in the north that feels like stepping into another world. The hike here is short, about one-mile round trip with 100 feet of elevation gain, and it starts right from the Gates of Lodur campground. The views open up quickly to reveal the green river slicing through the massive red cliffs. I felt like we were transported to Zion National Park, and I couldn't believe that we didn't see anyone else on the trail. The towering canyon walls really do feel like gates into a hidden fantasy realm. This is also where multi-day rafting trips into Lodur Canyon begin, so if you come in the morning, you might catch the excitement of groups loading their boats. When Bree and I visited, we hung out at the overlook for a while just watching the light change on the cliffs. It's one of those places that's peaceful but definitely makes you feel tiny. Next up is Harper's Corner, which just might be the best overlook in the entire park. It almost feels like a Colorado version of the famous Horseshoe Bend in Arizona. To get here, you'll drive the 31-mile Harper's Corner Road from the Canyon Visitor Center on the Colorado side of the park. There are plenty of roadside overlooks along the drive, so make sure to budget extra time for these scenic stops. The hike itself is only 2.3 miles round trip with about 300 feet of elevation gain, but the payoff is massive. From the end of the trail, you're standing on a narrow ridge with the Green River to your left and the Yampa River to your right, both carving deep canyons thousands of feet below, and each direction has its own stunning and unique view. On a clear day, you can see into Utah and even Wyoming. We came here in the late afternoon, and the lighting was unreal. It was perfect for photos, and as I mentioned earlier about driving times, it's worth noting that this trailhead is about 90 minutes from Bernal, so it might be a late drive back. Next up is the Jones Hole Trail, easily one of the most beautiful hikes in the monument. It's about 8 miles round trip with only 600 feet of elevation gain, so it's not difficult, but it is a longer day. Give or take half a mile for the mileage here because it depends on whether or not you take the detour to the waterfall. The trail starts at the Jones Hole Fish Hatchery and follows a crystal-clear creek the entire way down to the Green River. Along the way, you'll pass shady cottonwoods, narrow canyon walls, and petroglyphs. And about halfway, you'll see the short detour to Ellie Creek Falls, which is a perfect spot to cool down in the summer. We did this stop on our way back from the hike, and when we were at the river, we saw rafters who were on a multi-day pack rafting trip, which was super cool to see. If you've got a vehicle with four-wheel drive or high clearance and a little bit of nerve, our next destination, Echo Park, is an adventure you won't forget. The dirt road turns right off of Harper's Corner Road and drops steeply into a lush valley surrounded by massive cliffs. Along the drive, there's a few stops where you can find petroglyphs and Whispering Cave, which has a cool acoustic echo if you talk inside. The drive-in was just as memorable as the destination, twisting turns, narrow canyons, cliffs towering overhead, and white-knuckling as we drove through deep sand. At the end of the drive, you'll find Steamboat Rock, which stands around 800 feet above the water. It is a sandstone monolith sitting at the confluence of the Green and Yampa Rivers. There's a small campground here that's one of the most scenic in the park. I really wish we had more time here. It's one of the coolest places in Colorado, and up until the day before we came here, I had never seen or heard of this place. If you want a place that really feels wild, this is it. Our next stop is outside of the monument, but it's too good not to include, and it's super close. The Ashley Gorge Via Ferrata is where you're clipped into steel cables and make your way up ladders and rock faces high above the river and canyon at Ashley Gorge. We actually got permission to do this route with Dino Outfitters a few weeks before it officially opened, so we had a more rugged experience. But since then, they have finalized the approach trail, where you'll hike about a mile with a few hundred feet to get to the start of the Via Ferrata. If you want to do this guided, reach out to Dino Outfitters, or if you have the equipment and knowledge to self-guide, you can do this on your own, as it is a public Via Ferrata. There's a beginner's route, or there's a longer route you can do comprised of four different sections. The entire route, if you do all four sections, is actually the longest Via Ferrata in the country. It's definitely more intense than others we've done, like Telluride, Ouray, and Nelson Rocks. It's not for the faint of heart. The views from the top are absolutely insane, and there is a sky ladder and a suspension bridge, which make this a very thrilling day out. And really quick, I'm going to share what types of videos you can expect from the channel. Bree and I met almost 11 years ago, and we actually just got married on June 6th. We met in Amsterdam and have been traveling ever since. We are big hikers, we love the outdoors, and all things travel. We have hundreds of travel guides, top 10s, and hiking vlogs on the channel. We have top 10s for Colorado's Wet Mountain Valley, Breckenridge, Glenwood Springs, Pagosa Springs, Rocky Mountain National Park, and so much more. So make sure to subscribe and check out the other videos that we've had from all over the world. Rafting and Dinosaur National Monument is legendary and offers some of the best single-day and multi-day rafting trips in the country. The Green River through Lodore Canyon and the Yampa River from Deer Lodge Park to Echo Park are both multi-day wilderness trips with big rapids, incredible campsites, and side hikes to places most visitors to Dinosaur never see due to difficult access. If you don't have the time or gear for a full expedition, you can still get a taste of the rivers by booking a half-day or full-day trip, which is what we did. The water levels were a little low at the time of year we came, so what should have been class 3 rapids ended up being a calm day of class 2 rapids, but it was still so much fun and the views were out of this world. You're just surrounded by towering jagged desert peaks. If you're here for the dinosaurs, this next trail is a must. The Fossil Discovery Trail is 1.8 miles round trip with 200 feet of elevation gain, connecting the exhibit hall to the visitor center. Along the way, you'll see actual dinosaur bones still embedded in the rock, plus interpretive signs explaining what you're looking at. It's an easy trail, great for families, but even if you're a seasoned hiker, it's pretty surreal to be standing next to fossils that are over 150 million years old. There are beautiful rock formations and staircases built into the landscapes. We took our time here reading every sign and spotting fossils we would have totally missed if we weren't looking closely. At number 8, we have the Quarry Exhibit Hall, the crown jewel of the park's fossil sites. The previous Fossil Discovery Trail I just talked about actually takes you to this, so both numbers 7 and 8 on this list will very likely be visited in one outing. Once you're inside, you'll find a 150 foot long wall with over 1500 dinosaur bones still in place from a variety of different species like Allosaurus and Dipthodocus. You can even touch some of them which is wild, but make sure to read the signs as you're only allowed to touch certain ones. The building is climate controlled, so it's a great option if you're visiting on a Fossil Discovery Trail hike. You can take a shuttle from the Visitor Center to get here since parking can be limited, but if you're coming to Dinosaur, this is one place you cannot miss. Next up is Moonshine Arch, just 15 minutes outside of Vernal and outside of the park, but this is a short and fun hike, just 1.4 miles round trip with 252 feet of elevation gain. The trail is sandy and weaves through desert shrubs before revealing a massive sandstone arch tucked into the hillside. You can walk right underneath it and there's an area you can climb into where you're immersed in a cave just overlooking the arch. Since this is outside of the monument, it's usually overlooked and less crowded. I actually had the entire trail and arch to myself. It's a quick stop that's easy to fit in on your way to or from the monument. To wrap up the list, we've got Red Fleet State Park, just 20 minutes north of Vernal. So again, this is another one outside of the National Monument, but it's very close and very much feels like it belongs on the same list. The main hiking attraction here is the Dinosaur Track Site Trail, a three mile round trip hike with about 450 feet of elevation gain that leads you to a sandstone slab covered in 200 million year old dinosaur tracks. In summer, you can also kayak, paddleboard, or swim in the reservoir. We came here in the late afternoon, which we thought would be great, but it got pretty stormy and windy on the day we were here, so we ended up not being able to take our paddleboards out. Just something to mention in case you want to get on the water. Before we wrap up this video, I'm going to include one additional bonus destination, and that is Vermilion Falls. This is in northwest Colorado, just a few minutes away from the gates of Lodorme. So if you're heading there for that hike, you may as well stop here, and you don't even have to hike. You can park right under the waterfall. You will need four-wheel driver clearance for the last quarter mile to access the waterfall. Otherwise, you could just park and opt for a short walk here. We didn't see anyone else here, and it definitely feels like a remote hidden gem in the desert parts of Colorado. But that's going to wrap up our list of the top 10 hikes and places to visit in Dinosaur National Monument and the surrounding areas of Vernal, Utah. From remote canyon overlooks to hands-on fossil experiences, this park has so much character. Brie and I can't recommend it enough. It's one of those places that makes you feel like you're stepping back in time, both geologically and historically. If you're planning your first trip, I hope this guide helps you make the most out of it. 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