Dinosaur

Dinosaur National Monument is the legacy of ri vers, past and present. Here, preserved in the sands of an ancient river, is a time capsule from the wo rld of dinosaurs: the fossil bone deposit tl1at g ives the park its name. The Dinosaur Quarry has revea led many secrets of the past , but the remote and rugged land around it, created by todays rivers. is a secret of the prese nt, known to few travelers. There . mixed with the rema ins of turtles. crocodi les, and clams that lived in the river. the bones we re preserved in the sand. This layer itse lf was not ve ry th ick , but th ousands more meters of sed iments piled up on top of 1t as the sea crept in and out during the last part of dinosaur times. Dissolved si lica percolatin g through the strata turned the ancient riverbed into a hard sandstone and mineralized the bones buried with in it. Stand on the tip of Harpers Corner and look down at the rivers far below; your gaze is spanning time as we ll as space. In the rocks beneath you are fossils of sea creatures two or three times older than the dinosaurs. Upheavals that began about the time that the last dinosaur died jolted these she lls far above sea level and downward cutti ng rivers stranded them on this promontory in the sky. Whe1~ Seen in this context, the Age of Dinosaurs is but a brief chapter in a long story, and only a paragraph about the dinosaurs themselves is written in the rocks here . Not until about the midpoint of dinosaur history, abou t 145 million years ago, did a suitable habitat develop here -a low-lying plain crossed by seve ral large rivers and many intermittent streams, clad in a variety of ferns , cycads, clubmosses, and clumps of tall con ifers. Thi s was home to dinosaurs such as Apatosaurus (be tter known as Brontosaurus) , Diplodocus, Stegosaurus, and other vegetarians, and to the sharp-toothed carn ivores - A//osaurus was th e largest at this time that preyed upon them. As these animals lived and died, most of their skeletons decayed without a trace , but in at least one spot, river floodwaters washed a great number of carcasses and bones onto a sandbar. the Rocky Mountains began to rise to the east, this area went along for the ride. Here, the mountain-building did not push up the rock layer ' from below , but instead it squeezed them from the sides, warp ing and tilting them , sometimes cracking and shift ing them alo ng fault lines. Rain , rost. wind . and grav ity slow ly but steadily wore away layer after layer of the uppermost strata. revealing the olde r rocks beneath . In th is way. a bit of the lo ng-buried riverbed and its fossil treasure began to show up on the top of a jagged ridge. Not f r from that ridge , the prehistoric Fremont people carved elaborate drawings into the cl iffs abou t 1000 A.O . Fur t rader William H. Ashley float ed down the Green River not far fro m t hat ridge in 1825. Explorerscientist John Wesley Powe ll fo ll owed the same route in 1869. But it rem ained for Earl Doug lass to take a c lose enough look at the ridge to noti ce what was weathering out on its surface. Douglass, a paleonto logist from the Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh , Penna. had not come here by accident. He knew that similar rocks in Colorado and Wyoming had yiel ded great dinosaur fi nds. and he began to search this area in 1908. On August 17. 1909. he wrote in his diary: "At last in the top of the ledge I saw eight of the tail bones of a Brontosaurus in exact position. It was a beautiful sight. " Those were the first of thousands of bones. inc luding several nearly comp lete ske letons. that Douglass and his workers dug from this single ri dge . Many of them are now on display in the Carnegie Museum . The quarry site was designated a nationa l monument in 191 5, and though Doug lass continued to excavate for severa l more years, he did not remove eve rything. Today th e remainder of the bone-bearing layer forms one wall of the Quarry Visitor Center. Here th e foss il bon 'S are still being exposed in , but not removed from . the sandstone cliff , cr@ating a unique exh ibit of the bones in their natural sett ing . In the summer, you can watch th e quarry technicians as they expose the fossils in high elief . The canyons of the Green and Yampa Rivers were added to the 011 ginal park in 1938, but. isolated from main-traveled rou es and perhaps overshadowed by the uniqueness of the quarry, th ey have remain ed relatively unexplored . A few hardy sou ls settled in the canyons aroutid the turn of the century , but most of the land is sti ll wilderness . Erosion has stripped away the "younge r" rocks from most of the canyon coun try, accentuating the contrast . in both time and envi ron ments, betwee n past and present. Land that was once a sea floor where corals and shellfish thrived is now fa r away from moist ocean winds . and a semi-d esert climate prevails. The temperature can vary by nearly 85° C (155° F) between January and July, and th ough snow cloaks the ground in winter, it contains little water. Rain. when it comes. is o en in the form of brief, localized thundershowers, drenchi ng the ground in one place and filling the gullies with f lash f loods. while dust devi ls ri se in the hot breeze nearby. In this setting, life must be tol era nt of extremes. Good looks, as humans rate t hem . are not very important in the desert. Most of the dry basin-and-plateau land of th e park is covered with sagebrush . greasewood, and saltbush, graduating into " pygmy fore sts" of pinyon pine and juniper at the higher elevations. Drab as these plants may seem to our eyes, they are beautifully adapted for their special tasks: conserving water. resisting extreme temperatures, and eking out a living from poor soi ls. Within this arid setting , t he rivers and th eir canyons are linear oases, in whic h th e green of cottonwoods and boxe lders seems all the more vivid in contrast to the su rroundings. Boaters drift ing along a quiet st retch of wate r may be sta rtled by th e sound of a flock of Canada geese taking wing, or by the sight of a bighorn sheep high on a cliff. Around the next bend might be a surprise of another kind. as the river plunges madly into a foam ing rapid. Roar-bounce-splashl - who would have expected tl1is in the middle of the desert? Perhaps the unexpected is what Dinosaur National Monument is all about- a ga llery of di nosaur bones in solid rock, the whisper of flowing water heard from a sun -baked canyon rim , the aroma of Douglas-fir on the high mountain slopes. Time and the rivers have been long at work on this land. Take the time to discover its secrets. ., lllustrat1011 by Richard F ish Stegosaurus is a common tors and dissipation of Apatosaurus 1s better Dinosaurs came in all a he qua•ry t>u •Is reladinosaur at the quarry. body heat. knm•,n as Brontosaurus. sizes -Camptosaurus t1 es lounshed in later didn 't get much larger dinosaur times. Its bony plates may h:.:;a.;.. ve;;.,..._ _ _ _ __ _ _ _~--~-------------------;;O;,;f;,::te°"n'='c'i:o:;;.m;;p;;:a::,:re;;.;d:;.,t;;:o'""e;,;,le:;,-=-~-=-===----~--~--~-~-~--::..::a= n a Auman be1ng".'Tnis~--------- -~-----~,__~--se rved dtl'atptrrptJse. phants and gi raffes , these protection against predagiants traveled in herds plant-eater is un common Built for hunting , Allosau rus was armed with sharp claws and knife-edged teeth . It is rare among quarry fossils. A Park Sampler The Quarry Visitor Center is the fulfi llment of the dream of Earl Douglass who hoped in 1915 that some type of in-place museum cou ld be built here. Late afternoo n sun light enhances th e colo rs of Split Moun tain. Arrowleaf balsa m root is a common wi ldflower that blooms in May and Jun e. The sage grouse is the largest grouse in North America. The common tree lizard , found throughout the park, basks in the sunshine. -::GPO 1983- 381 ·578, 221 suggesting that it needed a large prey population to feed it. Dinosaur Quarry Visitor Center Th is center. 11 ki lometers (7 miles) north of Jensen , Utah, is the only place in the park to see dinosaur bones. It is open every day of the yea r except January 1, Thanksgivi ng, and December 25. Because of limited parking space at the quarry, a shuttlebus operates dai ly in summer from the main pa rking area. During the rest of the year you may drive in directly. Headquarters Visitor Center This ce nter, 3 kil ometers (2 mil es) east of Dinosaur, Co lorado, is th e gateway to the canyon count ry and has no fossi ls. Ex hi bi ts and a sho rt slide progra m provide orie ntation to th e park. Headquarters is ope n daily in the sum mer and weekdays only in wi nter. Du ring the summer the park offers a variety of programs to help you understand E:::J "" E 3 Trail Unpaved road c=:::J Unpaved rodd - L__,_J four wheel drive Rapids vehicles only 1 Kilometer Hiking There are only a few tra ils 1n th is rugg d high-desert park, but they prov ide the most in timate look at the landscape. Check with a ranger for 1nfor ation abou t trails and backcountry perm its. For any hiking, always carry plenty of water and let someone know where you 're going and when you 'll be bac k. Campgrounds Spl it Mou ntain and Green Rive r Campgrou nds are developed. The sites can accommodate most recreational ve hicles, but there are no hookups or sanitary dump statio ns. Fi rewood can be bought at both. Primitive campgrou nds are at Ec ho Pa rk, Gates of Lodore , Deer lodge, and Rainbow Pa rk; drinki ng water is avai lable at Echo Pa rk and Ladore. Vehic le-based campi ng is lim ited to these designated campgrou nds. Wood ga therin g is prohi bited at all campgrou nds. River running One of the best ways to see the ca nyon country is on th e rivers themselves. Further information is available at both v isitor centers. Fishing The mud dy water of the rivers somewhat li mits fi shing. A state fishing license is requ ired. A number of endangered fi sh species inhabit these rive rs. Check at the visitor centers o r with a range r for detailed information. m Ranger station . ._,,.,,, m I I °-==J.OMiles BRONNS PARK NATION,!.\. W:LDLIFE RE• UGE !'I Handicap access Picnic area ~ Campground Nature trail A m Gas, lodgi ng, and supplies are not available in the park.Jensen, Utah , and Dinosaur, Colorado, have gas stations. small groceries, and cafes. Dinosaur also has lim ited lodging . Vernal . Utah, and Rangely and Craig, Colorado. have motels, restaurants. stores. and medical services. Tra nscontin enta l buses se rve Vernal and Dinosau r, and a scheduled airl ine serves Vernal. Renta l cars are available in Verna l and Craig. ,. Distance indicator 2324 Elevations are given 7625 in meters, with feet in italics. Primitive campground ¢ "2600 8530 .~ ~ ;, Gate I Lodore <m A ~) 1 5 1Mile Rougher roads. unsuitable fo r low-slung vehicles and trailers. lead fa rthe r into the backcountry. The most spectacular of these is 21 -kilom eter (13-mile) Echo Park Road . Before plann ing any backcountry travel , you shou ld in qu ire at visitor cen ters for cu rrent in formation . \-- / All unpaved roads"lre lmpasssble when wet. 0 Canyon Country No vis it to the pa r 1s complete witho ut at least a glimpse of th e can on country, and Harpers Corner Sce nic Drive does 1ust that. The round tri p takes about two ho urs and lets yo u scan the landscape from roadside overlooks. If you have another hour or two. walk the tra il at Harpe rs Corner itsel f, which gives stunning vi ews of the ca nyo ns be low. Some of the most scenic parts of the park are accessi bl e on paved or we ll-graded roads : Gates of Lodo re and Deerlodge Park, where the Green and Yampa Rivers beg in their ca nyo n plu nges; and Jones Hole , an oasis-li ke tribu tary of Whirlpool Can on with an easy hiking trai l alongside a c lear. rushing stream p ) Fossils can be seen only a't-_Dlnosaur Quarry Vlsilol' Center t:b and enjoy the surrou ndi ngs. Sch o ules are posted a both visitor centers. fl "I ~I ll 0 ( D \ :r ~ ~ a: f- 0 :::> __J 0 0 G ULc >t 00 I u / \ Mo ,,_,,,---Isla~ _,_- --' ____ ... ..........:: Park Road u rv r A ' rv ___,-~ .--- 22.2 km. 13.8 mi. i SPL I T MOUNTAIN SCHOONOVER BUTTES ( '-1Jy Dino Vi anks Pear< 2657 Bl 7 B L U E 0 D :r ~ ~ a: f- 0 ::::i _J 0 0 Safety Most accidents in the park take place when people are boating the rivers or climbing and hiking. Please be espe· cially careful while e ngaged._in one of these activities. One sllP can change a pleasurable tr.ip into an unpleasant, or even tragic, ordeal. Swimming in the rivers is not recommended because of the hazards of cold water and strong currents. Severe electricalstorms occur occasionally at Dinosaur during the summer. Be alert to approaching storms and take necessary precautions. M OUN T AIN ...._,,, \ \....--.., ' --- '