I didn’t know there was a Dinosaur National Monument until I drove through Dinosaur, Colorado on my way to Utah to do my check-in dive. My obsession with Dinosaurs kicked into full gear and I knew I needed to go. The following summer I finally made it to the land of Dinosaurs, and it did not disappoint! It’s not a huge park like Rocky Mountain National Park or Yellowstone, but it still has a lot to offer. Dinosaur National Monument has a bit of everything. It has camping, rafting, swimming, hiking, dinosaur fossils, petroglyphs, a museum, and more. We stayed in the on-site campground. It’s what is called dry-camping, which means no facilities at each camp site, such as water, sewer, or electricity. The bathrooms do have running water, but no shower facilities. If you have a camper you would need to fill your tanks and empty them at the dump station and run a generator or solar for power. We stayed in a tent, made use of their nearby water spikets, the public bathroom, and just lounged in the Green River at the end of every day. The campground had lots of trees, a good amount of space and privacy between each camp site, and friendly staff. We went in the middle of summer so it was extremely hot. Bring as much water as you can, I used a camel back and two water bottles on every hike. You’ll either want shorts, tank tops, and a ton of sunscreen, or very light and breathable long sleeves and pants to protect you from the sun without overheating you. Don’t forget a hat! We lived in baseball caps the entire time we were there. We also took water breaks under trees or behind large rock faces. There is a museum in the Park as well as fossil hikes and petroglyph hikes. It isn’t far from Dinosaur, Colorado and Vernal, Utah where there are grocery stores, more museums, restaurants and just civilization things. We elected to visit the museums before we did a lot of hiking. Since we knew we wouldn’t have access to a shower for about a week, we didn’t want our lovely odors to disturb the other visitors. However, towards the end we went to the King Tut & Dinosaur Café (yes, this is a real place and it was pretty good too!) in Vernal, Utah. The poor waitress stood quite far away from our table, we felt bad for her poor nose. We ended every day with a dip in the Green River, which runs right beside the campground. It was the perfect temperature and the perfect place to watch the sun set. Then we would then walk back to camp, hang our clothes to dry, and start up a campfire to cook dinner on. If you’re looking for a fun summer camping spot to explore, I would highly recommend Dinosaur National Monument. With paleontology, archaeology, natural science and history museums, hiking, biking, rafting, fishing, swimming, horseback riding, stargazing, and more, this is the perfect place to go. Since it isn’t one of the huge national parks it isn’t as crowded with tourists. There were times when we were out hiking that we didn’t see or hear any sounds of humanity or civilization for the entire hike, save for a plane that may fly overhead. I’ve been dying to go back ever since I left. Here is a link to their site so you can plan your visit! https://www.nps.gov/dino/index.htm Much Love, Jess
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AuthorJessica Marie Cunningham - Intentional lifestyle blogger, aspiring author, and podcast host. All things Slow Living, Books, Writing, Art, creativity, Christianity, and personal stories. Archives
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