Dinosaur Diamond National Scenic Byway

If you're into dinosaurs even a tiny bit you absolutely need to drive the Dinosaur Diamond National Scenic Byway. It's a spectacular loop winding through the fossil-rich Uinta Basin of western Colorado and eastern Utah. It is widely recognized as the absolute best region in the world for finding dinosaur fossils, visiting active excavation quarries and museums, and viewing prehistoric Native American rock art. The scenery is fantastic along the entire route.
Total driving distance is 486 to 520+ miles depending on the exact route and side trips chosen. The route we will take is 520 miles, excluding any side trips. You could drive the whole thing in a day without stoping to see anything, but what's the sense of that? A better trip is two days, rushing through all or most of the designated stops and overnighting in Vernal or Price. The best option is a three (or even four) day junket with overnights in Vernal and/or Castle Dale and/or Moab.
I have divided the trip into four parts: Grand Junction to Vernal, Vernal to Castle Dale, Castle Dale to Moab, and Moab back to Grand Junction. Of course you can start your journey at any point on the loop. Designated stops are presented in pink boxes with side trips in white boxes. I've included almost every dinosaur-related place that I have visited. Feel free to choose only the places of interest to you when planning your trip.

Slightly modified for this presentation

Grand Junction to Vernal

Take I-70 from Grand Junction to exit 15 to Loma (17 mi); CO-139 from Loma to Rangely, summiting 8,240 ft Douglas Pass and passing through Canyon Pintado along the way (72 mi); CO-64 from Rangely to town of Dinosaur (18 mi); US-40 From Dinosaur to Vernal UT (34 mi). Stops along this section of the Dinosaur Diamond are Dinosaur Journey Museum, Canyon Pintado National Historic District, town of Dinosaur, and Dinosaur National Monument in Utah. Possible side trips include Dinosaur Hill in Fruita and the Canyon Area of Dinosaur National Monument.

Dinosaur Journey

The first stop on our tour is Dinosaur Journey museum located in Fruit, CO. The museum has real dinosaur fossils, interactive displays, and a working paleontology lab. There are also several robotic dinosaurs!

Click to visit Dinosaur Journey

Side Trip - Dinosaur Hill

The Dinosaur Hill Trail is a 1-mile loop with about 150 ft of elevation gain. About two-thirds of the trail is packed pea gravel with curbs on either side. The middle third is packed dirt with several rocky sections and switchbacks. Dinosaur Hill is famous for the excavation of a nearly complete Apatosaurus skeleton by paleontologist Elmer Riggs in 1901. The Riggs quarry is located along the trail together with several interpretive signs.

Welcome to Dinosaur Hill

Riggs Quarry at Dinosaur Hill

Elmer Riggs at Dinosaur Hill

Colorado Natl Mon View from top of Dinosaur Hill

Canyon Pintado National Historic District

The Canyon Pintado National Historic District is a 16,000-acre preserve managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The district includes about 15 miles of CO State Highway 139 (part of the Dinosaur Diamond). There are several excellent Fremont Culture pictographs along the road dating from 650 to 1150 A.D.

Click to visit Canyon Pintato Natlional Historic District

Dinosaur

The junction of CO-64 and US-40 is located in the small town of Dinosaur, CO just 3 miles east of the Utah border. The town was originally named Artesia, but changed its name to Dinosaur in 1966 to cash in on "dinomania". It bills itself as the "Gateway to Dinosaur National Monument". The town sports replicas of dinosaurs, and many of it streets are named after the prehistoric critters.

Click to visit Dinosaur, CO

Side Trip - Dinosaur National Monument Canyon Area

Although not actually on the Dinosaur Diamond loop, the Canyon Area of Dinosaur National Monument is well worth the visit. The entrance to the park is located 2 miles east of the town of Dinosaur on US-40. There are no dinosaurs, just fantastic canyon views. In fact, I would go just for the view at the end of Harpers Corner Trail.

Click to visit Dinosaur National Monument - Colorado

Dinosaur National Monument Dinosaur Quarry

Take US-40 from Dinosaur CO to Jensen UT (21 mi); UT-149 from Jensen to Dinosaur National Monument (5 mi). The centerpiece of Dinosaur National Monument in Utah is the world famous Quarry Exhibit Hall with its rock wall containing over 1,500 partially exposed dinosaur bones. The park visitor center is located less than a half mile from the Quarry. You can hike or take a free shuttle from the visitor center to the Quarry from late May to mid September. The rest of the year you can drive to the Quarry. The park has 3 campgrounds, multiple hiking trails, and Fremont petroglyphs galore.

Click to visit Dinosaur National Monument - Utah

Vernal to Castle Dale

Take US-191 from Vernal to Price; UT-10 from Price to Castle Dale. There will be three stops along this section of the Dinosaur Diamond. Before leaving Vernal visit the Utah Field House of Natural History State Park Museum. The next stop will be the Prehistoric Museum in Price, and last the Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry.

Utah Field House of Natural History State Park Museum

The Utah Field House of Natural History State Park Museum is an excellent paleontology and geology museum featuring Jurassic dinosaurs and Eocene mammals. It has complete fossil skeletons, a paleontology laboratory, and best of all, a dinosaur garden.

Click to visit Utah Field House of Natural History State Park Museum

Prehistoric Museum at Utah State University Eastern

The Prehistoric Museum at Utah State University Eastern located in Price features excellent exhibits in paleontology, archaeology, and geology. It is famous for showcasing local fossils and artifacts. The museum also has a Discovery Area for children and paleontology laboratory.

Click to visit the Prehistoric Museum

Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry/Jurassic National Monument

The Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry is located about 33 miles from Price. To get there take UT-10 from Price to the junction of UT-10 and UT-155; UT-155 to Cleveland; Desert Lake Road from Cleveland to Dinosaur Quarry Rd /Dinosaur Quarry & Flattop; Dinosaur Quarry Road to Cleveland-Lloyd Quarry.
The quarry, located within Jurassic National Monument, contains one of the densest concentrations of Jurassic dinosaur bones ever found. Over 12,000 bones have been unearthed, with more than 75% belonging to predators (mostly Allosaurus fragilis).

Click to visit Cleveland-Lloyd Quarry

Castle Dale to Moab

Take SR 10 to N. Moore Road (~ 23 miles); N Moore Road to Moore Road Cutoff (~ 4.6 miles); Moore Cutoff Road to I-70 (21-22 miles); I-70 to Junction with US 191 (70 miles); US-191 to Moab (31.5 miles). Stops along this section include Museum of the San Rafael and Molen Reef Petroglyphs and Dinosaur Tracks.

Museum of the San Rafael

The Dinosaur Hall in the Museum of the San Rafael in Castle Dale, UT displays full skeletal casts of Albertosaurus, Torosaurus, and Animatarx in addition to many other exhbibits. The Museum also highlights the geology, archaeology, and natural and human history of Emery County and the San Rafael Swell.

Click to visit Museum of the San Rafael

Molen Reef Petroglyphs and Dinosaur Tracks

To get to Molen Reef petroglyphs turn left onto W Moore Cutoff Road (CR 803) at the junction of N. Moore Road and Moore Cutoff Road (see directions above). Continue on W Moore Cutoff Road for ~ 4.7 miles. Look for the parking area on the left. When finished visiting turn left onto Moore Cutoff Road and continue to the junction with I-70.
The petroglyphs are a short distance to the left from the parking area and the dinosaur tracks to the right. The petroglyphs are fairly obvious; the tracks not so much. Look for a large sandstone boulder about forty feet from the parking area. It will be flat on top and tilted about 20°. Tracks are on the flat top. The interesting thing about these sauropod tracks is that they are raised, not impressed into the sandstone.

Click to visit Molen Reef

Moab to Grand Junction

Take US-191 from Moab to I-70 (31-32 miles); I-70 to Grand Junction (80-81 miles). Stops include Willow Springs Road, Mill Canyon Dinosaur Tracksite, Copper Ridge Dinosaur Tracksite, and Trail Through Time. Possible side trips are Blanding Dinosaur Museum and Bull Canyon Dinosaur Tracks

Side Trip - Dinosaur Museum in Blanding, UT. - HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Although it's not officially on the Dinosaur Diamond, I highly recommend driving the 75 miles from Moab to Blanding to visit the Blanding Dinosaur Museum. It has excellent exhibits on the evolution of dinosaurs into birds, and a hall devoted to dinosaurs in the movies. The Museum is usually closed mid-October to mid-April and has seasonal hours, so check before going.

Click to visit the Dinosaur Museum in Blanding

Side Trip - Bull Canyon Dinosaur Tracks

To get to Bull Canyon Dinosaur Tracks take UT-128 out of Moab to Castleton Road/La Sal Loop Road roughly 15-16 miles. Take Castleton Road/Gateway Road through Castle Valley to the parking area for Bull Canyon Overlook and Dinosaur Track Site trail, roughly another 15-16 miles.
The trail to the overlook and track site is a very easy 0.2 mile loop. In addition to the 46 theropod footprints, there are jaw-droping views of Bull Canyon.
If Bull Canyon quenches your thirst for dinosaur tracks continue north on UT-128 instead of returning to US-191 and more dinosaur tracks. UT-128 is designated as the Upper Colorado River Scenic Byway. It parallels the Colorado River and meanders through drop-dead gorgeous canyon country for some 44 miles till it intersects with I-70 in the almost ghost town of Cisco, UT. Look for Fisher Towers and the historic Dewey Bridge site along the way.

Bull Canyon Overlook

Theropod footprint

Theropod tracks

Trackway

Willow Springs Road

This stop combines some 4-wheeling with lots of dinosaur tracks. It needs to be done in a 4WD vehicle with high clarance. Turn off US-191 at the entrance to Utahraptor State Park to access Willow Springs Road. The road is a 7.9-mile route known as the "back-door" into Arches National Park. It's a little over 3 miles from the 191 turnoff to the dinosaur track site. The road is packed dirt for about 2.7 miles then dips into a sandy wash that is pretty much impassable in a low-clearance vehicle. After the dinosaur tracks the road becomes a rugged 4x4 track featuring slickrock ledges, rock steps, and sandy patches. It intersects Arches Scenic Drive in Arches National Park near Balanced Rock. Stock 4WD vehicles are allowed in the Park, but not OHVs or ATVs.

Information

Sauropod Trackway

Theropod Footprints

Sauropod Footprint

Mill Canyon Dinosaur Tracksite

The Mill Canyon Dinosaur Tracksite is located 15 miles north of Moab. Turn left onto Mill Canyon Road and travel about a mile to a primitive campground and the trailhead to the tracksite. The trail is about a quarter mile long and leads to a boardwalk overlooking various dinosaur tracks. This is one of the best dinosaur track sites in the country, with over 200 individual footprints from theropods, sauropods, ornithopods, and ankylosaurs.

Click to visit Mill Canyon Dinosaur Tracksite

Copper Ridge Dinosaur Tracksite

The Copper Ridge Dinosur Tracksite features Jurassic dino tracks of a limping theropod and a sauropod making a right turn. To reach the site drive north from Moab on US-191 for 23 miles. Turn east onto BLM Road 143 and follow it for approximately 2 miles to the trailhead. A moderate three-tenths mile hike leads to the tracks.

Click to visit Copper Ridge Dinosaur Tracksite

Welcome

Dino Info

Theropod Tracks

Sauropod Footprint

Trail through Time

The Trail Through Time is a neat little hike in Colorado just east of the CO-UT state line. Take Exit 2 to the parking lot. Exposed sauropod bones are scattered along the 1.5 mile loop trail.

Click to visit the Trail through Time