Hiking through Utah’s prehistoric past

Dinosaur National Monument, Cub Creek Petroglyphs Overview. Photo: Kirsten Kohlwey

Exploring ancient art and history at Dinosaur National Monument

By: Kirsten Kohlwey, Neighbors of Park City

Descending into Vernal—past modern hotels and box stores—transports visitors into a historic western town dotted with dinosaur sculptures of all colors and sizes. It makes a great hub for exploring the eastern part of Uintah County. Leaving Park City early in the morning, we arrived at Dinosaur National Monument’s Quarry Visitor Center when they opened. Prepared with breakfast food, we ate at the picnic tables next to the Quarry Exhibit Hall. Water is available inside. The ranger at the wall of bones pointed out individual ribs, explaining what the locations of bones indicate about when and how the dinosaurs died. Museums from around the world acquired dinosaur fossils from this quarry.

Pleasantly cool air brushed our faces as we hiked the Fossil Discovery Trail, which starts just below the quarry parking lot. The mostly sandy trail has been developed with solid rock steps to improve access. Three spurs lead to fossils from the Stump, Morrison, and Cedar Mountain Formations. The stream bed, still muddy from recent precipitation, highlighted deer footprints. We turned around after reaching a site of Fremont rock art. By this time, the sun was warming up the entire canyon and washing out the yellow, orange, and brown colors that distinguish the formations. With the now uphill hike, we were glad we brought water. Dinosaur National Monument is full of hidden treasures.

The Desert Voices Trail near the Green River engages both adults and kids in conversation with two sets of signs: brown for kids and gray for adults. Birds nesting nearby in an alcove above the Green River squawked loudly as they protected their territory. Moving on down Cub Creek Road, mule deer grazed on the plateau above a still-operating private historic ranch as we headed to the Josie Morris Cabin. 

Stunning petroglyphs and pictographs line the walls of the canyon and are well worth the hike up. A giant lizard on the wall above the last parking lot before the cabin is large enough to be seen from the road below. The road ends at the Josie Morris Cabin, which has no electricity or plumbing but does have a fireplace. Josie built this cabin in 1924 and lived there until 1963. You can hike down two box canyons from here, but we decided to head back to Vernal for lunch and to check into our hotel, the Dinosaur Inn and Suites. 

The new part of Vernal features a wide array of fast food, but we were looking for a local restaurant. It turns out there were only two of those open on a Sunday afternoon around 2 p.m., Swain Brothers and Plaza Mexicana. Swain Brothers is in the old part of town, with rather plain décor but a steady stream of customers, proving the locals like this place. They serve sizzling hot vegetarian fajitas along with their large variety of meat dishes. This was the first time I heard my food crackling for several minutes before it cooled off enough to eat it. While they listed quite an array of beers, they were out of most of them. Nevertheless, the fajitas, served with a plentiful selection of salad, salsa, sour cream, and avocado, were well-spiced, and the portions were huge. The slice of chocolate cake a waitress delivered to an adjacent table looked big enough to serve six.

Our next adventure took us to Ouray National Wildlife Refuge, about 40 minutes south of Vernal. Unfortunately, the loop road was closed since it was damaged when the Green River ran high a few months ago. It is still possible to drive to the lookout tower and the fishing platform. Standing on the lookout tower, we saw small ponds to the east and south. Chattering and squawking were loud enough to carry about half a mile, so we pointed the telescope installed on the lookout tower in the direction of the noise and saw hundreds of sandhill cranes. We were there for the sandhill crane migration! In the other direction, there was another gathering of sandhill cranes, along with Canada geese and ducks. The marshlands were drier than we expected, but along the beaches of the Green River on the way to the fishing platform, we saw more birds and a brief glimpse of an elk with her yearling. A fisherman advised, “The beavers will come out in about an hour.”

The Dinosaur Inn and Suites turned out to be a clean motel. It offers free coffee, tea, water, and juices all day long—hot breakfast included—along with an array of cereals, yogurt, and fruit. The motel is located in the heart of downtown, just a five-minute walk from the Uintah County Heritage Museum and nine minutes from the Utah Field House.

I loved the Heritage Museum. It has boats used by early river runners, Native American artifacts, a historic AT&T telephone exhibit, household and workshop items from times gone by, and a rather unique collection of dolls and photos honoring the First Ladies of the United States of America. 

We finished our trip with a visit to the Utah Field House of Natural History State Park Museum and a stop at the Vernal Brewery across the street. The Field House has an extensive collection of fossils, minerals, and life-sized replicas of dinosaurs, both inside and outside, along with interactive activities. 

The Vernal area has a lot more to offer. River-running, fishing, swimming, caving, and hiking are all within easy reach. You may want to visit Vernal for Dinah “SAUR” Days when the town celebrates with a hot-air balloon festival. This year, it will be held August 23 – 25.