Monument ready for visitor season

With the arrival of spring, Dinosaur National Monument is preparing to offer expanded services for visitors.
On the Utah side of the monument, the Quarry Visitor Center is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The new visitor center features exhibits, a theater and bookstore and also serves as the departure point for car caravans to the Quarry Exhibit Hall with its wall of dinosaur fossils.
Caravans leave from the visitor center at scheduled times throughout the day. Visitors must first stop at the visitor center before driving to the quarry. In addition to the fossil wall, the Quarry Exhibit Hall features exhibits about dinosaurs and other life from the Jurassic. For more information on the visitor center or exhibit hall, please visit the park website or call 435-781-7700.
The Split Mountain Group and Green River campgrounds will begin providing water and restrooms starting Friday, April 13. With the return of water and restroom services, camping fees will again be charged. For the Green River Campground, the fee is $12 per night, per site. Reservations are not
accepted at this time. The Split Mountain Campground has four group sites. Each site can accommodate up to 20 people and six vehicles. The fee for Split Mountain is $25 per site, per night. Reservations are accepted for the sites at Split Mountain Group Campground. A non-refundable reservation fee of $10 is charged. Call 435-781-7759 for information on making a Split Mountain Reservation. Split Mountain and Green River Campgrounds are located approximately three miles east of the Quarry Visitor Center on the Cub Creek road. More information on the campgrounds can be found at http://www.nps.gov/dino/planyourvisit/campgrounds.htm
The Cub Creek Road is a 6-mile scenic drive beginning east of the Split Mountain Campground. Visitors in this area can see numerous petroglyph sites, explore the Josie Morris homestead, or walk into several box canyons located nearby.
On the Colorado side of the monument, the Harpers Corner Road opened on Friday, March 30 for the season. The Harpers Corner Road is a scenic 32-mile one way drive that leaves U.S. Highway 40 two miles east of Dinosaur, Colo. The Canyon Visitor Center which is located at the start of the Harpers Corner Road will open on May 6.
While there are no dinosaur fossils in the Colorado portion of the monument, overlooks along the road provide sweeping views of the Uintah Basin and also over the canyons of the Green and Yampa Rivers. Several trails provide a closer look at the monument’s scenery and its plant and animal life. Dirt roads leading off the Harpers Corner Drive are not maintained and may be impassable when wet. Visitors venturing into this portion of the monument should check the forecast prior to their visit and be prepared for rapidly changing conditions.
The Gates of Lodore Campground, located 106 miles north of the Canyon Visitor Center on the Green River at the head of Lodore Canyon, will begin providing water and restrooms starting April 13. Once the water is turned on, camping fees of $8 per night, per site will be charged. On May 24, water will be turned on at the Echo Park Campground, located 38 miles north of the Canyon Visitor Center near where the Yampa River meets the Green River, and at the Deerlodge Park Campground located 53 miles east of the Canyon Visitor Center on the Yampa River at the head of Yampa Canyon. Camping fees for both campgrounds are $8 per night, per site.
Entrance fees for Dinosaur National Monument are as follows: $10 per vehicle, valid for up to seven days; $5 per person for someone on a motorcycle or bicycle. Frequent visitors to the monument may want to purchase a Dinosaur Annual Pass for $20, which is great value for those who come often or bring family and friends when visiting the area. For more information, visit the fees and reservation section of the park website (www.nps.gov/dino/planyourvisit/feesandreservations.htm) which also includes rates for commercial and non-commercial groups and how school groups can request an academic fee waiver.
Remember that Dinosaur’s weather is unpredictable and can change rapidly. Visitors should always be prepared for a range of conditions. Wildlife, like deer, elk and bighorn sheep, may be seen along the rivers. Please be alert for animals crossing the roads, particularly at dawn and dusk. For more information on Dinosaur National Monument, call 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.