Dinosaurland & the Uinta Mountains

Northeastern Utah combines the fossil beds of Dinosaur National Monument around Vernal, the red canyons of Flaming Gorge, and the High Uintas, Utah's highest mountains and one of the few major ranges in the US that run east to west.

Vernal is the main town of the Uintah Basin and the gateway to Dinosaur National Monument, which straddles the Utah–Colorado border. On the Utah side, the Quarry Exhibit Hall shelters a rock wall with about 1,500 dinosaur bones left in place, one of the most direct views of a fossil bed anywhere. The monument also has petroglyphs, scenic drives and river canyons on the Green and Yampa rivers, which are run by rafting outfitters in summer. In town, the Utah Field House of Natural History State Park Museum has a garden of life-size dinosaur models. North of Vernal, the road climbs into the Ashley National Forest to Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area, a long reservoir behind Flaming Gorge Dam named for its red cliffs. The Green River below the dam is clear and cold and is known for trout fishing and gentle float trips. The High Uintas Wilderness covers the spine of the Uinta Mountains, with hundreds of lakes and Kings Peak, at 13,528 feet the highest point in Utah. The Mirror Lake Scenic Byway from Kamas crosses the western end of the range, passing alpine lakes and trailheads, and is usually open from early summer until the first heavy snow in autumn. This is a less visited corner of the state, best for travellers who want fossils, fishing and backcountry rather than the national-park crowds.