Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
MYROCKYMOUNTAINPARK.COM 65
PH
OTO
S B
Y C
OU
RTE
SY
PH
OTO
BY
GR
AN
T O
RD
ELH
EID
E
Dinosaurs and Deserts Loop
Some of the least-crowded and most beautiful red-rock can-yons, rivers and recreational opportunities await you on this fantastic road trip. Start
in Salt Lake City where a thriving per-forming arts scene and records detail-ing your family tree await. Then, leave the city behind as you head east to Flaming Gorge Country. Discover di-nosaur bones and tracks, along with fantastic water recreational opportuni-ties. A highlight is � oating on the crys-tal clear Green River just below the Flaming Gorge Dam in your own raft.
Stop in Craig, Colo., and explore the area and Dinosaur National Monu-ment. In Grand Lake, you'll � nd a charming town just a � ve-minute drive from Rocky Mountain National Park. Afterwards, head west to visit Colo-rado National Monument and Arches National Park in Moab, Utah.
Explore some of the country's most amazing red-rock landscapes and soaring granite peaks on this 1,140-mile tour.
UTAH
COLORADO
WYOMING
ArchesNationalPark
Dinosaur NationalMonument
Frisco
Salina
CastleDale
Vernal
Dutch John
Flaming Gorge National
Recreation Area
Colorado NationalMonument
CanyonlandsNational
Park
Palisade
Boulder
GlenwoodSprings
Wolcott
GrandJunction
GreenRiver
Fruita
Provo
Price
Moab
Salt LakeCity
Aspen
Vail
Leadville
Paonia
Montrose
Carbondale
SteamboatSprings
G R E ATG R E ATS A LTL A K EL A K EL A K E
G R E ATS A LTL A K E
Hot SulphurSpringsCraig
KremmlingLyons
EstesPark
25
80Rocky MountainNational Park
40
4040
34
191
191
191
80
80
15
15
15
6
70
70
70
70
50 92Black Canyon of the GunnisonNational Park
24
131
91
133
Denver
Delta
ROAD TRIPS DINOSAURS & DESERTSSALT LAKE CITY TO ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK AND BACK
1,140 miles
CAVE ARCH IN ARCHES NATIONAL PARK IN UTAH
PROOF
RMJ2018_RoadTrips_DinosDeserts_PROOF.indd 65 12/7/17 10:45 AM
66 ROCKY MOUNTAIN JOURNAL 2018
PH
OTO
CO
UR
TES
Y F
LAM
ING
GO
RG
E C
OU
NTR
Y B
Y M
AR
C P
ISC
OTT
Y
ROAD TRIPS DINOSAURS & DESERTSSALT LAKE CITY TO DUTCH JOHN, UTAH
238 miles, 3 hours and 32 minutes
Desert OasisHead to Flaming Gorge to cool down in a stunning setting.
PADDLEBOARDING AT FLAMING GORGE
NATIONAL RECREATION AREA
Cool down in the heat of summer by renting a stand-up paddleboard at the Flaming Gorge National Recreationl Area in Utah.
You won’t even have to worry about waves from motorized vehicles. There are actually a
number of wakeless paddling trails near the dam and near Sheep Creek Overlook, so you can paddle in solitude for a couple miles in canyons that rise anywhere between 100 and 1,000 feet.
“It’s really spectacular,” says Ryan Kelly, Flaming Gorge marketing director. “It’s a great way to get that deep can-yon experience without going on a commercial trip down-stream.”
Below the Flaming Gorge Dam runs a mellow stretch
of the Green River that's great for family river � oating. Rent a raft and � oat seven miles downstream to Little Hole takeout where a pre-arranged shuttle can pick you up. Or rent a houseboat and spend several days exploring the 91-mile-long reservoir.
On the Utah side, every road is designated a scenic by-way or scenic backway. A “backway” is a back road, not a major highway. These roads make for wonderful scenic drives, but they also are great road bike rides. A fantas-tic 20-mile road bike loop in Sheep Creek Canyon is 13 miles of scenic backroads and 7 miles of scenic byways. For great scenery, visit Red Canyon Overlook, the most Instagramm ed spot in the area with incredible views of the reservoir as it snakes around the canyon walls.
RMJ2018_RoadTrips_DinosDeserts_PROOF.indd 66 12/7/17 10:45 AM
MYROCKYMOUNTAINPARK.COM 67
PH
OTO
CO
UR
TES
Y F
LAM
ING
GO
RG
E C
OU
NTR
Y B
Y M
AR
C P
ISC
OTT
Y
Where are the cool hikes? The best paddling? The moun-tain bike trails that hardly anyone knows exists? Lean on the locals. Not every trail is marked clearly in the area, so locals are happy to share tips and speci� c directions.
The uncrowded trails may take you by surprise and have you planning your next trip a bit di� erently.
“One of the comments we’ll get often as people stop here between the parks is, 'We wish we had spent more time here,'" Kelly says. “It’s a breath of fresh air. It’s not crowd-ed. It’s national park quality scenery like the Red Canyon Overlook, which is absolutely spectacular.”
Farther south, you'll � nd Red Fleet State Park where you can walk a 1.5-mile trail to 200-million-year-old dinosaur tracks. Go early in the morning or later in the afternoon as the tracks are di� icult to see when the sun is directly above you.
To learn more about the ancient history of the area, head to the Utah Field House of Natural History State Park Museum in Vernal, Utah. A giant Diplodocus stretching 90 feet from tail to tip will greet you at the door. Inside, get an engaging hands-on primer on what's been going on for the last several million years. Learn how dinosaurs roamed the area and how to tell fossils apart from pebbles. You can even visit the Fossil Lab to see how scientists work with dinosaur bones.
Learn more and download a map of the wakeless stand-up paddleboarding trails at � aminggorgecountry.com.
RMJ2018_RoadTrips_DinosDeserts_PROOF.indd 67 12/7/17 9:49 AM
68 ROCKY MOUNTAIN JOURNAL 2018
ROAD TRIPS DINOSAURS & DESERTS
PH
OTO
S B
Y D
EP
OS
IT (
MO
NU
ME
NT,
GR
AP
ES
, WIN
ER
Y),
WIK
IME
DIA
CO
MM
ON
S (
TRIC
ER
ATO
PS
)
PH
OTO
BY
ISTO
CK
DUTCH JOHN, UTAH, TO CRAIG, COLO.
165 miles, 3 hours
Tucked in the northwestern corner of Colorado with views that rival those of the Grand Can-yon, Mo� at County is your next destination en route to Rocky Mountain National Park.
A little o� the beaten path and away from the crowds, Mo� at County encompasses the towns of Craig, Maybell, Hamilton, Massadona and Lay and is home to two-thirds of Dinosaur National Monument.
The monument is a breathtaking collection of river can-yons, fossils and petroglyphs. Inside the Quarry Exhibit Hall, visitors can see more than 1,500 dinosaur fossils on a cli� wall and touch fossils from 149 million years ago.
The Green River and Yampa River converge in the mid-dle of Dinosaur National Monument, and the canyons are a sight to see, especially by river raft.
“It’s absolutely gorgeous,” says Tom Kleinschnitz who co-owns with his wife Adventure Bound River Expedi-
tions that runs river trips on the Green and Yampa rivers. “Its views match or are better than the overlooks at some places in the Grand Canyon.”
On the monument's eastern edge is Deerlodge Park where visitors can see hundreds of elk year-round.
“There are times in the middle of the winter where they’ll bunch up into a herd of 800 to 1,000,” Kleinschnitz says. “So that’s an opportunity for people to really take incredible pictures.”
If you seek more wildlife, head east to Maybell then north to the Sand Wash Basin area where one of the larg-est wild mustang herds still roam. Their biology can be traced back to horses brought over by early explorers from the Old World.
Visit the Mo� at Tourism Association at 1111 W. Vic-tory Way in Craig, or at visitmo� atcounty.com.
Jurassic Journey An uncrowded national park and animals from prehistoric times and today
meet in Moffat County.
BY JADE LANG
DINOSAUR NATIONAL MONUMENT
RMJ2018_RoadTrips_DinosDeserts_PROOF.indd 68 12/7/17 10:45 AM
MYROCKYMOUNTAINPARK.COM 69
PH
OTO
S B
Y D
EP
OS
IT (
MO
NU
ME
NT,
GR
AP
ES
, WIN
ER
Y),
WIK
IME
DIA
CO
MM
ON
S (
TRIC
ER
ATO
PS
)
PH
OTO
BY
ISTO
CK
1.5-.17 BILLION YEARS AGO Geological features begin forming the Colorado National Monument, but the monument isn't established until 1911. Stay at the Saddlehorn Campground, perched above the canyons, and stroll to the visitor center.
140 MILLION YEARS AGO Dinosaurs thrive, leaving behind footprints and bones. See fossils at the Dinosaur Journey Museum in Fruita or on the 1.5-mile Trail Through Time located 26 miles west of Grand Junction.
10 MILLION YEARS AGO Hard volcanic basalt seals the top of Grand Mesa, the world’s largest fl at-top mesa with an area of 500 square miles, laying the foundation for future outdoor fun. Today travelers can camp, bike and fi sh in summer and ski Powderhorn Mountain Resort in winter.
200 A.D.-1300 The valley’s fi rst residents, the Fremonts, pave the way for future inhabitants.
1400- 1881 The Utes move in, following migrating herds. Three hundred years later, Spanish and Mexican soldiers, priests and explorers visit. The U.S. gains control from Mexico in 1848. In
1881 the Utes are forced on a reservation.
1880s City founder George A. Crawford plants grapes on 60 acres near Palisade. Prohibition wipes out Colorado's wine industry.
1970s TO TODAYGrapes are planted, giving rise to today's vibrant wine scene. Go to Rapid Creek Cycles in Palisade to pick up a wine/orchard map and a cruiser bike with a basket large enough to fi t your purchases. Or stop at the Grand Junction Visitor Center, 740 Horizon Dr., or visitgrandjunction.com for a valley wine map and advice.
A Grand TimeJust 30 miles from the Utah border, Grand Junction has evolved from a western backwater to
the heart of Colorado’s outdoor recreation and wine country.
COLORADO NATIONAL MONUMENT
WINERY IN MESA VALLEY
RMJ2018_RoadTrips_DinosDeserts_PROOF.indd 69 12/7/17 10:46 AM
70 ROCKY MOUNTAIN JOURNAL 2018
ROAD TRIPS DINOSAURS & DESERTSGRAND JUNCTION, COLO., TO MOAB, UTAH
112 miles, 1 hour and 44 minutes
Moab's Top SevenWith so many things to do in Moab, choose among our favorite seven things to do with family.
MOAB GIANTS
PORCUPINE RIM TRAIL
DEVILS GARDEN IN ARCHES NATIONAL PARK
DELICATE ARCHCANYONLANDS PETROGLYPHS
PH
OTO
CO
UR
TES
Y D
ISC
OVE
R M
OA
B (P
OR
CU
PIN
E R
IM),
DAV
ID K
RA
US
(MO
AB
GIA
NTS
D
INO
SA
UR
), D
EP
OS
IT (D
ELI
CAT
E A
RC
H, P
ETR
OG
LYP
HS
), A
DO
BE
(DEV
ILS
GA
RD
EN
)
RMJ2018_RoadTrips_DinosDeserts_PROOF.indd 70 12/7/17 10:46 AM
www.canyonlandsbynight.com
BEST BOAT TOURS
Call 435-259-5261
Sunset Jet Boat w/ dinner
on the Colorado River!
OFFERING MOAB WATER, LAND & AIR TOURS!
Discover the beauty of Moab with a reputable tour company you can trust. Offering water, land and air tours of the entire Moab area with knowledgeable and experienced guides. Create unforgettable vacation memories with Canyonlands By Night & Day.
MYROCKYMOUNTAINPARK.COM 71
DELICATE ARCHSee this iconic arch on a 3-mile roundtrip hike. At 64 feet high and 45 feet wide, it's Arches National Park’s largest freestand-
ing arch. Along the way, you’ll pass the Wolfe Ranch cabin and Native American petroglyphs. Arrive early to get a park-ing spot and to avoid heat and crowds.
2. ZIP LINE ADVENTUREGet your adrenaline � x at Ra-
ven’s Rim Zip Line Adventures. Your day starts when you climb aboard an o� -road, four-wheel-drive vehicle to drive to the high desert of Moab. There are six zip lines and a suspension bridge to test just how brave you are.
The o� ice is at 998 N. Main St.; ra-vensrim.com.
3. RAFT THE COLORADO RIVERSee the red rock canyons
from a di� erent point of view on a half-day rafting trip on the Daily section of the Colorado River. Gentle rapids make this outing fun for everyone. Kids must be 40 pounds or heavier to go on area river trips.
4. COURTHOUSE WASHYou don’t need to go to a mu-
seum to see ancient Native American art. Easily accessible from town, the Court-house Wash art panel is 19 feet high and 52 feet long.Vandals defaced these draw-ings in 1980, but archaeologists restored the panels only to discover older drawings behind the white shields held by � gures.
Head north on Hwy. 191 and cross the Colorado River Bridge. Drive .5 miles to the parking area.
5. NEGRO BILL CANYON TRAILFor a beautiful hike along a year-round stream, do this 4-mile roundtrip hike to Morning Glory Natural Bridge. Spanning 243
feet, the natural bridge is the nation’s sixth-longest. Avoid the poison ivy near the bridge.
Take Hwy 191 out of Moab and turn right onto Hwy. 128. Drive for three miles. The trailhead will be on your right.
6. SEE CANYONLANDS BY NIGHT & DAYCatch a rare glimpse of Utah's incredible red can-
yons, ancient petroglyphs and towering cli� s when you go on a � at water Colorado River boat tour.
Canyonlands by Night & Day o� er a number of
trips, but consider the Sunset Jet Boat Tour, a 36-mile roundtrip adventure highlighted by the vibrant colors of desert rocks changing with the sinking sun. Or opt for the longtime classic Canyonlands by Night & Day Sound and Light Show. It's a laser-free, old-fashioned light show on canyon walls. Dinner is served on both tours in a dining area overlooking the river.
Each trip has limited space, so it's best to make reserva-tions in advance. Learn more by stopping in at 1861 N. Hwy. 191 or at canyonlandsbynight.com.
7. MOAB GIANTSWalk among life-sized dinosaurs on Moab Gi-ant’s incredible outdoor walking trail. Or head
indoors to the Tracks Museum to learn about fossilized footprints. Both are part of an interactive museum, fea-turing great exhibits as well as a 3-D movie that covers everything from the Big Bang Theory to the age of the dinosaurs that began 220 million years ago. You also can get your hands dirty and dig up dinosaur bones along the trail outside.
To get to Moab Giants, drive nine miles north of Moab on Hwy. 191.
Learn more about the greatest things to do in Moab at the Moab Area Travel Council's website, discovermoab.com.
PH
OTO
CO
UR
TES
Y D
ISC
OVE
R M
OA
B (P
OR
CU
PIN
E R
IM),
DA
VID
KR
AU
S (M
OA
B G
IAN
TS
DIN
OS
AU
R),
DEP
OS
IT (D
ELIC
ATE
AR
CH
, PET
RO
GLY
PH
S),
AD
OB
E (D
EVIL
S G
AR
DEN
)
1.
RMJ2018_RoadTrips_DinosDeserts_PROOF.indd 71 12/7/17 9:52 AM
MOAB_GCJ 2018E.indd 1 11/7/17 1:04 PM
