If you are looking to get away from it all... If you are…read morelooking to really go under the radar... If you are looking to explore a National Monument that barely gets attention, then I recommend you make the trip here....to Dinosaur, Colorado! Yes, here at Dinosaur, CO, I was transported away from my worries and stresses in life, and discovered a much more simple and quiet existence. Well...the real reason anyone comes to Dinosaur is because it's known as the "Gateway to Dinosaur National Monument"! And, for all you outdoor adventurers and enthusiasts, I believe Dinosaur NM is a place you need to check off your To-Do List. The Town of Dinosaur is located in the northwest corner of Colorado, right on the border with Utah. In fact, if you explore the National Monument, you will step foot in both Colorado and Utah within minutes of each other. Also, just to be a little more exact, this section of Dinosaur NM is host to the scenic Canyon Area, whereas the 2nd part to Dinosaur NM is situated 20 miles northwest of here in the town of Jensen, Utah. And, over in Jensen, Utah, it features the Fossil Bone Quarry area of Dinosaur, NM. Overall, I much more appreciated being in this part of Dinosaur NM, while Jensen was a touristy and populated town. Here in this Colorado part, it was so remote, primitive and off the beaten path, I was in awe of the seclusion. It's my ideal setting. Let me get to the details about this, Town of Dinosaur! First off....the surroundings. It's very desert-like and barren here. There's nothing but flat land, kind of a mix of discolored shrubbery and wilted grass. I think that's what gives this place its personality. It's not exactly the "old west" like you'd find maybe deep in the heart of Texas, but, you have to respect the environment and embrace the simplicity for the way of life. Now...it is just 2.5 miles distance between town and the entrance to Dinosaur NM. The town consists of a 4-corner intersection. That's it! In one direction you have Highway 40 traveling east and west. Or...there's Stegosaurus Freeway 64 taking you south down to Rangely, Colorado. What a great name, Stegosaurus! There's a Colorado Welcome Center here, along with a Post Office and 2 primary gas stations...a Loaf 'N Jug (where I grabbed my meals from) and a Conoco. Interestingly, and I guess because it's legal here in Colorado, there's a Rocky Mountain Cannabis Dispensary as well. I pulled up the app - Campendium - on my phone and found a terrific campsite for spending 2 evenings. It's called Long's Hideout RV Park and Services, located 7/10th's of a mile from the Intersection. You just show up and check-in with the owner. He's friendly and they have full AMP power hookups including restrooms and showers. They are open year round. It's only $28 per night or they offer a week stay at $165. Almost forgot...there is fine cell phone reception, so you can have access to the outside world, lol. Getting back to the heart of downtown Dinosaur, there could have been a restaurant to eat at, but I simply went into the Loaf N Jug Gas Station every day and purchased my meals. I don't need anything fancy, just the basic necessities, lol. In the mornings I bought a breakfast sandwich, hot chocolate and some snacks and drinks for my explorations inside Dinosaur NM. When I returned at the end of the day, they had slices of pizza and chicken tenders in the warmer. Or, they had pre-made cold-cut sandwiches and grocery items. You could purchase hamburgers and hotdogs for grilling. I just repeated my routine at Loaf 'N Jug for 2 consecutive days. Lastly, I'd like to mention the sunsets. They were memorable. With the sun going down around 6pm each evening, and without disruptions...the sky colorfully opened up and made for quality moments to appreciate being in the great outdoors. The Town of Dinosaur, Colorado brings you back to the olden days. There's nothing fancy whatsoever about it. Best of all, it helps you realize that getting off the grid (which is hard to do these days) can turn into a rewarding experience.

This town is.... Where to start?…read more there is no one here. I came through on a Saturday and its a ghost town except one restaurant. The street names are popular dino names like stegasaurus or brontosaurus. There isnt much here except couple motels' one puny gas station, mini market and couple diners. Purpose of this town is to cater to Dinosaur Ntl' Park. Dino park/monument has two sections and both are in Utah. The western section is accessed through Jensen. This is for kids. The eastern section is for adults. This is accessed through Colorado (via Dinosaur the town). However you drive through areas of private property and see all the majesty while in Utah. One way in one way out. There are dirt roads but do not recommend unless you have a all terrain vehicle (not 4wd car/truck). Lodging appears sketchy like Bates Motel type of ish. Plus these wood country areas lodging spots have limited workforce meaning the rooms are most likely nasty. Another con is limited resources... Where you going to eat? Nothing open at night so if you run out of water, food, etc at 11pm. You's screwed. If you medical care... Then start praying! Otherwise Jensen in Utah is a large town with plenty accomodations and museums and watering holes. To the east, Craig is a large town with plenty little towns in between. This town novelty is the name and access to Dino park. The town itself is plain and was not worth the time to snap pics of except for the ones i uploaded. I saw five locals. One actually spoke to me. The other four gave me death glares. Im sure the other 295 residents would be more polite. Travel safely.

For anyone that likes dinosaurs, fossils or rock formations, this is your place! There are so many…read moreamazing artifacts and glimpses into history throughout this area. Take some time to hike the trails, or at least drive the area to enjoy the beautiful scenery! On the Utah side, stop by the visitor's center and the wall of bones to learn some fascinating facts about the history of the area.

I absolutely love this national monument! The scenery is gorgeous! It has a road that you can…read morefollow to look at different formations in the land. I would have loved to take a tour, but it was closed because of the government shutdown. I will be back, so I can get the full experience!!

DINO is amazing and huge. It would be difficult to see everything in one trip. The history,…read moregeology, and paleontology each could be a trip. The campgrounds are well run and well maintained, especially considering how Congress has been trying to starve the NPS. The welcome center is great, but you have to visit the quarry!

You'll need the national park pass or plan to pay the $25 entrance fee to get into the park. I like…read moreto give that heads up since I wasn't expecting that hefty price. That said, I was very happy with the experience. The gift shop is modest in size, but does have some neat items in it. There's a shuttle that will drive you up to the wall of bones, if that's what you're here for (which I was). The shuttle driver was friendly and welcoming. Aside from this area, there's a handful of hikes you can do while you're here.

PACKED with information, this awesome little Museum is bigger than it seems when driving up to the…read morefront. Displays about all of the oil, gas, and coal mining that have went on in this isolated small Town are very interesting.... I really liked the old all iron jail. Walk from building to building and take in life from fiftyto eighty years ago!

From the owner: The Rangely Outdoor Museum preserves in historical buildings and exhibits the unique history of the…read moreRangely area. There are three distinct categories: Pre-history & Native People, Pioneer & Ranching, and Energy Development.

This is a large museum near the center of Vernal, UT. It is a logical place for it, less than 20…read moremiles from Dinosaur National Monument. Parking is on-site in a dedicated lot behind the museum. The entrance fee when we visited was $10 per person. The museum is probably best for families with elementary school aged (or younger) kids. No one in our group was under 25, but we liked it. The exhibits are spread over 2 floors and also include some full size replicas of dinosaurs (and a mammoth) outside as well. If you start on the top floor, there are exhibits that include some dinosaur history and then basically trace life on earth through various eras. You descend on a long sloping hallway through these exhibits until you reach the most recent (still pre-history) section. This transitions into some dinosaur skeletons and simulated archeology digs. You are back on the ground floor at this point. Also on this level is a theater which shows a film about the history of the area, a window into a sop where they clean and prepare fossils for exhibit, and an exhibit about tourism activities in the area. It is worth checking out the full size replicas of multiple dinosaurs around about 1/3 of the exterior of the building also. We arrived here in the afternoon just an hour or so before closing time at 5 p.m. We still managed tour the whole place, but if you are really interested you may want to allocate at least 2 hours. If you are in Vernal, this is definitely worth checking out.

OK... realize Vernal is nowhere near the size of a big city - so set your expectations accordingly…read more- and you'll quickly realize that - wow - this place has so much more than you'd expect as a result. When you go in, there's a movie that sets the stage. Can get boring for kids, yet works well for adults. Then, you just follow the route through about six or seven rooms ranging from a fossil dig, to history going back to the dinosaur age, to geologic history, along with a room that is "find the ancient animal" that kids love. Once finished, you've gradually moved from the 1st floor to the 2nd. There's a few more small exhibits. Then... outside is a route that goes around much of the building that has life-size recreated dinosaurs in their habitats. Takes about 90 minutes to do the whole thing depending on whether you are just adults, or have kids that are interested.

The northern part of highway 139 has a wealth of petroglyphs that are only a short walk from your…read morecar yet are largely devoid of tourists. Every site is clearly marked with BLM signs and interpretive plaques. Waving hands is one of the first you will encounter on the south side of the route, we stopped at every site as they are all very different, some are right by the parking lot, while others allow you to take a short hike. Be sure to stop at the Kokopelli and Lookout sites, the later has a stone calendar and some nice, short walks.

Interesting BLM historic site with rock-art exhibits from prehistoric human occupation in the area…read more There's an orientation site on the south end of Highway 139, south of Rangely, Colorado that provides some information on the cultures that lived here, mostly the Fremont people but apparently it goes back as far as the Clovis people just after the last ice age. Seven rock-art sites are scattered along the highway north of the orientation site - most are just pull over brief stops but a couple are more than that. We didn't stop at all of them. Restrooms at the south orientation site.

I took my 2.5 year old son here to pet some animals, and he loved it so much he cried for 20…read moreminutes after we left. This place is a hidden little gem that everyone should visit. It's so unique with all their little tiny houses and the animals. Each house has a theme like the teddy bear house, the old lady in the boot, mother goose, grandma's house, and so many more. The gentleman who owns it is very kind. The admission is free, but they appreciate a $5 donation per person. My son was allowed to pet and feed all the animals, and he got to hold a bunny. He was in heaven!! We will go back here for sure, especially for the pumpkin patch and for Christmas.

I picked up a few pumpkins with my fiancee this October. I heard that this was their first year…read morewith a pick your own pumpkin patch. We enjoyed the hay rack ride, which was my fiancee's first ever. We loaded up with all of the other kids and parents and did a tour (or a lap) around the pumpkins. We then were dropped off where we started and set off with a wagon to get the perfect pumpkin. We had a great time. The weather was wonderful. The only disappointment I had was that they did not have food or anything to purchase other than pumpkins. I was thinking caramel corn, caramel covered apples, some sweets, nothing available. Being their first year, I'm sure they will figure it out for next year.

A fantastic library, especially for a city like Vernal that's out by itself in eastern Utah. This…read moreplace has a large selection of books, movies, and CDs for adults and kids, in many genres. There are great reading, study, and work areas on the second floor, with a few computers available for public use. The building is clean, the outside is beautiful, and books are well-kept.

Amazing new library, paid for with revenues from taxing the energy extraction industries that…read moreoperate in the area. A great example of land use benefiting all people in a community.