Dinosaur National Monument (Utah) Trail Guide

January 5, 2021 The Virtual Sherpa Comments 0 Comment

Dinosaur National Monument is a US National Monument located in both Utah and Colorado. Although the hiking here is not world renown, it’s a beautiful and unique spot to hike. The park has over 15 miles of established hiking trails on the Utah side in addition to some backcountry options as well. Dinosaur National Monument is kid and family friendly on all hikes.

Dinosaur National Monument Quick Facts

Virtual Trail Guide: Dinosaur National Monument (Utah Side)

Dinosaur National Monument Rating: ★★★ (3/5 Stars)

Distance: Various – most trails under 5 miles RT – View Park Map Here

Elevation Start: 5,000ft

Highest Point: N/A – Most hikes in the park involve very little elevation gain

Total Elevation Gain: Most hikes in the park will be under 500ft

Estimated Time to Complete: Various – 30 Mins to 2 Hours

Difficulty: Walk in the Park to Easy Difficulty System Explained

Class: Class 1 What does this mean?

Season: Year Round – Expect minor snow December – March

Weather: Check the Weather Forecast

Directions to Dinosaur National Monument (Utah Side)

Trailhead: Utah National Monument Entrance

Getting Here: From US40 right outside of Jensen, Utah take UT149 for 4.1 miles to enter the monument.

Fees: Head to this page for the latest monument entry fees.

Parking: There is no shortage of parking throughout the park. Each hike trailhead has ample parking and usually has restrooms available at each.

Summary

Camping: This page has the most up to date camping information within the National Monument.

Dogs: Dinosaur National Monument on the Utah side limits the access to where pets can go. You can read more about it here, but essentially, you can walk your dog along the river and to the Swelter Shelter Petroglyphs.

Make it a Loop: This park has a variety of loop hikes throughout the park. Check out the Park Map Here for more information on any of these hikes.

Trail X Factors: Heat

Regardless of when you visit, be sure to plan for high heat. Hiking early in the morning and later in the afternoon is key. Bringing lots of water is also key as most trails in the Monument offer very little shade.

Hike Tip(s): Dinosaur National Monument is beautiful at all times of the year, but I would highly recommend a visit during the spring, fall or winter. Summer days can be soul-suckingly hot and will limit your patience and energy levels as to how much hiking you will want to do. Along every hike, be sure to soak in the history of the area. It is pretty unique to have history from millions of years ago, thousands of years ago and a hundred years ago all in one place.

Best Views: The National Monument is full of unique and beautiful views. Some of my favorites were along the Fossil Discovery Trail, Swelter Shelter Trail and both the canyons. Be sure to stop at the viewpoints when driving through the park because these are equally as beautiful as the hiking at times.

Dinosaur National Monument Hike Route

I did not use my GPS on all hikes here, but here is a sample from the Sound of Silence Trail

Gear Needed

Hiking Boots or Trail Runners
Backpack
Protection from Sun – almost all hikes are without shade
LOTS of water – At least 2+ liters
Optional: Map of area or GPS – I use the Garmin inReach
Optional: Hiking Poles
Optional: Headlamp
Optional: Camera
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My Trip to Dinosaur National Monument: October 2020

I was on my way back from Kings Peak and decided to explore a new area of Utah. Dinosaur National Monument does share its borders in Colorado as well, but I had never been to either part of the park before. I arrived at the park with no real plan just decided to hike as much as I could. I started with the Fossil Discovery Trail, continued to the Swelter Shelter trail, hiked through Box and Hog Canyons and ended with the Sound of Silence Trail. It was a beautiful day spent at the Monument.