Dinosaur National Monument extends hours of operation for summer season

DINOSAUR I Current hours of operation at the Quarry Visitor Center and Quarry Exhibit Hall are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. On weekdays, visitors drive their own cars directly up to the Quarry Exhibit Hall until May 21. On Saturdays and Sundays, a free shuttle runs to the quarry every 15 minutes. The Canyon Visitor Center in Colorado is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.

Extended hours begin May 22. From Memorial Day Weekend through Labor Day Weekend, the Quarry Visitor Center will be open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. The Quarry Exhibit Hall will be open 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily. Visitors may drive their own cars to the Quarry from 8 to 9:15 a.m. each morning before the shuttle begins at 9:30 a.m. The last shuttle of the day departs the Visitor Center at 5 p.m. and the final shuttle of the day returns from the quarry at 5:30 p.m. The Canyon Visitor Center in Colorado will be open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily beginning May 22.
Water systems are now on and fees charged at monument campgrounds except for Echo Park, which is expected to open by Friday. Information on camping in the monument is available on the website at www.nps.gov/dino/planyourvisit/campgrounds.htm.
In addition to the regular ranger-led schedule Memorial Day weekend, a variety of special Dinosaur Centennial programs this May highlight Wild Life and Dinosaur’s living ecosystems.
Commemorate Endangered Species Day by joining guest speaker Tildon Jones from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for a discussion of native and endangered fish in the Upper Colorado River Basin. The talk begins at 10 a.m. in the Quarry Visitor Center auditorium, followed by a short dedication of a new Colorado Pikeminnow bench near the Split Mountain Boat Ramp. The bench illustrates the historic 6 foot length of this endangered fish, still found in the rivers at Dinosaur.
Sharpen your birding skills by joining a ranger-led bird walk. Saturday bird walks begin at 8 a.m. at the Split Mountain Boat Ramp on May 16, 23 and 30. Sunday bird walks begin at 8 a.m. at the Green River Campground Circle on May 24 and 31. Each program lasts approximately two hours, bring binoculars and field guides if you have them.
Dinosaur Centennial community partner events include Documentary Night at the Uintah County Library in Vernal, Utah, featuring the DisneyNature film “Bears” at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 26.
For more information, call 435-781-7700, visit www.nps.gov/dino or look for DinosaurNPS on social media to learn more about the Dinosaur Centennial celebrations.