Tours & Trips

Guided and Independent Experiences in Dinosaurland

• Diamond Mountain Jones Hole & Fish Hatchery

  Show all

  This eighty-mile (80) mile round trip begins four miles east of Vernal, climbing 2,600 feet to Diamond Mountain Plateau. From there it travels east toward Jones Hole National Fish Hatchery, dropping dramatically into a narrow, rugged canyon with spectacular colorful cliffs. After visiting the hatchery, walk over to Jones Hole following Jones Creek down the canyon. This four-mile trail, packed with Fremont Indian pictographs, lush streamside vegetation, and spectacular rock walls rising hundreds of feet above the canyon wall, is part of Dinosaur National Monument. At the end of the trail, Jones Creek meets the Green River. There are picnic tables available at the river's edge for day use.

  The hatchery provides four different species of trout for stocking in local water. Brook, brown, cutthroat and rainbow trout are all raised at the facility. Visitors are invited to walk among the 50 outside raceways where the fish are kept before stocking and to visit the main hatchery building where there is a fish-rearing area, egg-incubation units and displays telling the story of how the fish are raised.

  For a map of this self guided tour, click here!

• Indian Petroglyphs Dry Fork Canyon

  This is one tour you will always remember! These Native American petroglyphs are world renown, found all along 200-foot-high “Navajo Formation” sandstone cliffs. The tour can take from 1 to 8 hours, depending haw far you want to go and how much you want to see. Trails take you up close and personal to view figures up to 9 feet tall. These figures represent the Fremont culture, which flourished in this area from about 1-1200 AD. The petroglyphs are on private land. Visitors are asked to obey all signs and respect the sites. The parking lot for the petroglyphs is located of a mile off the main canyon road and is accessible year round.

  For a map of this self guided tour, click here!

• Red Cloud Loop Scenic Backway

  Explore this seventy-four (74) mile loop through Ashley National Forest. Tour starts in Vernal, heading out past Steinaker and Red Fleet State Parks up to Windy Point Scenic Byway Overlook, providing a good panoramic view of the Ashley Valley below. Once in Ashley National Forest you'll follow the rim of Hole-in-the-Wall Canyon, a typical gorge running out of the Uinta Mountains. You'll continue up to the lookout point into Brownie Canyon, before you begin a descent that drops several thousand feet in just a few minutes. There's lots of good fishing, camping, and picnic areas throughout the tour. As you return to town, take a moment and stop at McConkie Ranch and view the Native American petroglyphs. A bit further down the road, Remember the Main Park provides picnic tables and a playground, plus a turnout for viewing “Remember the Main” on the face of the cliff.

  For a map of this self guided tour, click here!

• Red Fleet & Steinaker Lake State Parks

  Visit two beautiful lakes, with plenty of good fishing, boating, swimming, hiking, and picnicking areas. Plus - dinosaur tracks!

  The park name of Red Fleet was inspired by three large Navajo sandstone outcrops that jut up from the water like a fleet of ships. Local boaters refer the 650-acre reservoir as “Little Lake Powell.” Spectacular sandstone cliffs and secluded beaches await the visitors who love water-oriented activities. Facilities include 31 campsites, modern rest rooms, barbecue grills, covered picnic tables, a concrete boat launching ramp, and sewage disposal and fish-cleaning stations.

  Steinaker State Park is a desert oasis in the heart of Dinosaurland. Sandy beaches and water temperatures reaching 70 degrees in July make the park a favorite water recreation site. Look for the nature trail just south of the entrance to the park. The trail is one of 18 Flaming Gorge-Uintas National Scenic Byway sites interpreting the wildlife of the area.

  For a map of this self guided tour, click here!

• Dinosaur National Monument

  Dinosaur National Monument takes its name from a remarkable deposit of fossil bones in the southwestern corner of the area - a spectacular burial ground that is actually a "sandbar cemetery" on an ancient river course. Fossilized bones of crocodiles, turtles, and 10 species of dinosaurs have been brought to view by excavating river sediment in the 150-million-year-old Morrison Formation.

  Rivers also play a vital role in the present natural history of the monument. Not only do the Green and Yampa rivers provide pleasant streamside habitats, they are master tools of erosion in a rugged canyon wilderness. Here are faults, folds and other structures in the earth's crust which have been carved majestically and exposed to view.

  Most of the Monument land lies northeast of the quarry. It is an area of wild rivers, rich in the history of exploration and outlawry. Check out the petroglyphs. Picnic at Josie Morris's Homestead. And don't miss the trail to Harper's Corner. The view of the convergence of the Yampa and the Green at Steamboat Rock is a must.

  For a map of this self guided tour, click here!

• Outlaw Country

  This tour takes you through Diamond Mountain Plateau, Crouse Canyon, and Brown's Park Scenic Backway, including Brown's Park National Wildlife Refuge.

  As you enter Brown's Park, you're stepping back in time to the days of outlaws and cattle rustlers and a taste of the Old West. Brown's Park is a region and never was an actual town. The term ‘park' refers to the open appearance of the area. Its remote location and close proximity to the state boundaries of Wyoming and Colorado gave it lots of appeal for those fleeing the law. Some of the best known outlaws included Butch Cassidy and the Wild Bunch, Matt Warner, Kid Curry, Harry Tracy and others.

  Stop at the John Jarvie Homestead. First settled in 1880, the 35-acre homestead once boasted a post office, trading post and river ferry. It was a regular stopping place for travelers and a secret meeting place for outlaws. The Jarvie site has been historically reconstructed to include John Jarvie's original dugout home, blacksmith shop and store, as well as a cemetery and museum.

  For a map of this self guided tour, click here!

• Vernal Walking Tour

  Either walk or drive this tour and enjoy the history and culture of Vernal. Thirteen sites/stops along the tour fill up a day or a few hours of your time. See the bank that was built brick by brick by parcel post!

  For a map of this self guided tour, click here!

• Sheep Creek Canyon and Spirit Lake

  Dramatic scenery isn't the only reason to keep your camera ready on this tour. Expect to catch a glimpse or two of Utah's Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep as you wind through Sheep Creek's awe-inspiring rock spires. Beginning 15 miles west of US Hwy 191/Utah Hwy 44 intersection, Sheep Creek Loop runs for thirteen miles alongside the visually dramatic Uinta Fault. It returns to Utah Hwy 44, five miles south of Manila. Spirit Lake road is a 17-mile spur off Sheep Creek Loop, winding through forests and meadows to Spirit Lake. Returning from Spirit Lake requires backtracking to Sheep Creek Loop. The round trip covers 48 miles of paved and gravel road. Allow 2 hours travel time. The backway is closed in the winter.

  For a map of this self guided tour, click here!

• Indian Canyon

  Stretching southwest of US Highway 191 from Duchesne, this route follows Indian Creek through desert terrain before climbing to the summit of Indian Creek Pass at 9,1000 feet. On the way, you pass unique displays of rock formations and vegetation, from pinyon and juniper to aspen and Douglas fir. At this summit, the traveler is rewarded with magnificent views of forested slopes and deep, rugged canyons. Descending the south flank, you pass open vistas and the beginning of the Roan and Book Cliff formations. The byway is 47 miles long and ends in the historic mining town of Helper. Driving time is approximately one hour.

  For a map of this self guided tour, click here!

• North Fork of the Duchesne River

  Traveling northwest from the town of Duchesne, the route follows the Duchesne River through picturesque farmland and rural communities, with historic landmarks along the way dating back to the late 1800s. The river meanders trough farmland in the lower elevations, but has a more defined channel as the route nears the Uinta Mountains. Majestic vistas of the High Uinta Wilderness come into view as the route approaches its northern terminus. Be sure to stop and enjoy the picnic and campground areas managed by the Ashley National Forest, all of which are located next to the Duchesne River.

  For a map of this self guided tour, click here!

• Rock Creek Canyon and Upper Stillwater Dam

  Scenery at its best…along with diversity in landscapes and exceptional outdoor recreation facilities, all within one hour of Duchesne. Traveling north from the town of Duchesne, the route follows a sagebrush and grass-covered plateau past Falcon's Ledge Resort to a junction leading to the community of Mountain Home and the Moon Lake recreation area. Upon reaching Mountain Home, a left turn takes the traveler through rolling slopes of the Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation, before dropping into the Rock Creek River drainage and ending at the Upper Stillwater Dam and Reservoir.

  Take time to visit Ashley National Forest Visitor Center at the administrative site just below the dam. Information about the Forest and Rock Creek Canyon can be obtained at this location.

  Visitors will also find the Rock Creek Ranch in the vicinity of the dam. This is a privately owned resort open to the public and operated under special use permit with Ashley National Forest, providing horseback riding, guided fishing and hunting services, and rental cabins.

  For a map of this self guided tour, click here!