Dinosaur Quarry, visitor center open

DINOSAUR I “Fall and winter are quiet seasons at Dinosaur National Monument but there are services available for those who would like to visit,” announced Superintendent Mary Risser. “The new Quarry Visitor Center and Quarry Exhibit Hall located six miles north of Jensen, Utah, will be open daily, with the exception of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day.”
Quarry Visitor Center – The new visitor center features exhibits, a theater and bookstore and will be open from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. each day. The visitor center also serves as the departure point for shuttles to the Quarry Exhibit Hall with its wall of dinosaur fossils. During the off-season, park staff will provide access to the quarry through car caravans; visitors must stop at the visitor center before they can travel up to the quarry. Call 435-781-7700 for times of the quarry tours.
Quarry Exhibit Hall – In addition to the fossil wall, the facility features exhibits about dinosaurs and other life from the Jurassic. From Oct. 4 through Sunday, Oct. 9, free shuttles will transport visitors to the quarry beginning at 9:15 a.m. The last trip to the quarry for the day will depart the visitor center at 4:15 p.m. Beginning Oct. 10, park staff will coordinate frequent car caravans to the quarry.
Visitors must first stop at the visitor center before traveling to the quarry.
Canyon Visitor Center – The Canyon Visitor Center located near Dinosaur, Colo., closes for the season on Sunday, Oct. 3. Please visit the nearby Colorado Welcome Center located at the junction of U.S. Highway 40 and Colorado Hwy. 64 for area information.
The Harpers Corner Road — The Harpers Corner Road will remain open until the first significant snowfall. Dirt roads leading off the Harpers Corner Drive are not maintained and may be closed by snow at any time. Portions of the Harpers Corner Drive will be open to cross country skiing and snowshoeing beginning Jan. 1 if snow conditions permit.
Campgrounds — The arrival of freezing nights will end water service at monument campgrounds. Water will be turned off at Echo Park Campground beginning Oct. 1. Water at the Split Mountain Group Campground and the Green River Campground will be turned off for the winter on Oct. 11. Water at the Lodore Campground will be turned off the end of October. Split Mountain Campground, about three miles from the visitor center, remains open and free of charge during the winter, but no drinking water is available. Campers should bring drinking water and be prepared for cold temperatures.
The Cub Creek Road, a six mile scenic drive beginning east of the Split Mountain Campground, is open all winter. Visitors in this area can explore the Josie Morris homestead and walk into several box canyons located nearby. Although the unpaved road is maintained, visitors should be prepared for winter conditions and changing winter weather.
“Now that the quarry is available to the public again, we will resume ­collecting entrance fees on Nov. 1,” stated Risser. “We wanted to give our neighbors plenty of time to see the new facilities and the dinosaur
bones without having to pay the entrance fee. Fees are as follows: $10 per vehicle for seven days; $5 per person for someone on a motorcycle or bicycle; and $20 for the annual park pass.”
Fall is a wonderful time to visit Dinosaur National Monument. Days are cooler with crisp nights. Solitude is readily available on many trails.
Wildlife, like deer, elk and bighorn sheep, are also more active and likely to be seen. Please be alert for animals crossing the roads particularly at dawn and dusk. Remember that Dinosaur’s weather is unpredictable and can change rapidly.
Visitors should always be prepared for a range of conditions. For more information on Dinosaur National Monument, call us at 435-781-7700. You can also visit us on the web at www.nps.gov/dino, find us on Facebook or follow DinosaurNPS on Twitter.