DINO I The annual tradition of the lottery for high-season boating permits on the Green and Yampa rivers in Dinosaur National Monument was recently held. This year saw a record number of lottery applications for the 300 available launches.
A total of 7,447 lottery applications were submitted for the 2016 high-use season through the Recreation.gov website and by mail to the monument. The 2016 numbers were an increase of 724 applications over the 2015 lottery. Applications were received from 49 states, the District of Columbia, three Canadian Provinces, and four foreign countries. Applications were received for each day of the high-use season. A total of 300 launches were awarded. The number of launches is set by the Monument River Management Plan and is limited to protect the natural resources and wilderness character that visitors experience in the monument’s beautiful river canyons.
“From the growing volume of interest, these wild experiences and river systems continue to show that they are incredibly valuable to local communities, people across the U. S., and many other countries,” stated Monument Superintendent Mark Foust. For those who don’t have the equipment or the skills necessary to navigate the rivers, several authorized concessionaires provide single day and multi-day trips on the Green and Yampa rivers in the monument. Information on concession provided river trips is available on the monument’s website.
Successful applicants will need to login to Recreation.gov and confirm acceptance of their launch date and pay associated fees before Feb. 28.
Beginning March 1, at 8 a.m. MST, unclaimed high-use permits, low-use permits or single day permits will be available through Recreation.gov. You may also call the Recreation.gov call center at 1-877-444-7666 to reserve trip permits.
For more information on Dinosaur National Monument, call 435-781-7700. You can also visit us on the web at www.nps.gov/dino.
