Put Dinosaur National Monument on your 2026 Colorado bucket list

From prehistory to epic rafting, this under-the-radar spot packs in more than many national parks

By Rebecca Toy

There are few places in the world where you can stretch out your fingers and graze fossilized bones exactly where they have rested for 150 million years. In the Quarry Exhibit Hall in Dinosaur National Monument, hands of all ages reach out eagerly to the remains, connecting to the uncanny sensation of life across millennia.

Both a time capsule and a wilderness escape, Dinosaur National Monument is one of the West’s best-kept secrets. The monument straddles the corner of northwestern Colorado and northeastern Utah, 330 square miles of deep canyons carved from the sediments of the Colorado Plateau as it abuts the Uinta Mountains. 

The most popular spot is Quarry Hall, located near the Utah entrance of the monument. In 1909, paleontologist Earl Douglass was on a mission to find a sauropod – a large herbivorous beast with a long neck – for the Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Understanding the region’s potential, Douglass and his team found what they were looking for on this spot: eight connected tailbones of a Jurassic-era apatosaurus. 

Early 20th century visitors began arriving in this remote region within days of the discovery, marveling at unearthed dinosaurs. After 15 years of work in the quarry, Douglass sought to make this a permanent exhibit for future generations. Today’s accessible glass-walled exhibit hall, built on the former quarry site, does precisely that. 

“This is one of those places for dinosaur pilgrims,” says Dan Johnson, the park’s program manager for visitor services. “On a single cliff face, there are 1,500 dinosaur bones, 10 different species of dinosaurs and other animals.”

Johnson also explains that many of the dinosaur fossils on display in storied institutions such as Smithsonian museums and the Museum of Natural History in New York City originated here. “We see reconstructed fossils in museums, but to see them in the position they were found, their final resting place, it creates this feeling,” Johnson says. “It’s a touchstone, stepping back in time.”

Yet, the monument has even more to offer than a time-tripping sense of awe. Johnson estimates that at least 90 percent of visitors, most of whom are day-trippers on a larger road trip, don’t venture beyond the quarry. Instead, most wish they had more time when they get a glimpse of what lies beyond the exhibit hall: a backcountry with diverse wildlife, Indigenous peoples’ petroglyphs, and coursing rivers perfect for rafting.

Here’s what you need to know to not only walk in the path of dinosaurs but also explore one of Colorado’s least-visited and most glorious corners. 

Photo by Colt Hoffman and Colt 45 Productions

A playground of whitewater wilderness 

The Yampa and Green rivers dominate the backcountry of Dinosaur National Monument, slicing through the sediment for eons. Elevation changes create diverse habitats from low shrubland to pinyon pine woodlands. “A lot of people don’t think they will see black bears and moose in this landscape, but [the animals] follow the river,” Johnson explains. They join more than 400 species of fauna that populate the canyons, including pronghorn, raptors and elk.

“In the fall, with cottonwoods appearing on fire with the color change, there’s hundreds of elk rutting,” Johnson says. “You’re standing there on the river, a bald eagle flying overhead, a river otter swimming by. It just takes you back to a time before our country was developed.”

One of the best ways to see it all is on the Yampa. “The Yampa River is the last natural flowing river in the state of Colorado,” says Tom Kleinschnitz, director of Visit Moffat County and former river guide, heralding the natural cycle of snowmelt and water flow. 

During snowmelt, the Yampa runs big, creating Class IV rapids, and peaks in May and June. Those looking for a more gentle, low-river, raft-packing trip can float off season. If you don’t snag a rafting permit through the monument’s competitive lottery system, outfitters can often accommodate visitors during the season.  

On land, the park’s 31-mile Harper’s Corner Road delivers superlative views from short trails, such as the 2-mile round-trip from the end of the road, which culminates on a pinnacle with gorgeous drop-down river views. Although the trail system may not be extensive, the monument allows for off-trail exploration throughout the valleys. Johnson recommends both navigation skills and plenty of freshwater. 

The monument also has human history. The petroglyphs of the Fremont People, contemporaries of the Ancient Puebloans, remind visitors that these lands were essential trading routes and home to Indigenous communities for more than 1,100 years. Backcountry visitors will also encounter historic homesteads, which serve as evidence of remote ranching from the state’s early days. 

Today, people are sparse across the monument. Several camping sites offer reservations, and Johnson always recommends planning ahead, but most sites have availability even on the busiest holiday weekends. 

“Compared to a lot of other parts of Colorado and compared to national parks, (the region) still has a very western feel to it, still very remote,” Johnson says. With open spaces and dark skies, there is plenty of opportunity for a sense of peaceful solitude. 

Rebecca Toy is a freelance writer who covers wine, spirits, beer, travel, history – anything with passionate people doing inspiring things. She has contributed to National Geographic, Wine Enthusiast, Fodor’s Travel and others.

This story is from our winter 2025-2026 issue. Read the entire issue online here, and find our full magazine archive here.