Go Back 149 Million Year in Just 24 hours in Vernal Utah: Travel Tips Tuesday

If you mention the city of Vernal to anyone from Utah, they will immediately start talking about dinosaurs. If you mention the same city to anyone outside of Utah, they will say “where?”  I fell into the second category. I had never heard of the city of Vernal until it showed up as the launch site for my OARS rafting trip down the Green River. Knowing that I was going to need to be in town before the river launch, I started to research the area to see what we could explore prior to hitting the river. My search turned up plenty of prehistoric sites, including the one of a kind Dinosaur National Monument and the Utah Field House of Natural History State Park. But, dinosaurs were just the beginning. Vernal is also the gateway to the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area and several state parks that offer everything from water sports to ancient Indian petroglyphs.

With so many outdoor activities and prehistoric past to explore, we decided to come into to town early and spend 24 hours exploring Vernal in earnest.

Day One

4 pm– A kitschy giant pink dinosaur, who we decide to dub Bob, greets us with a welcome sign that says Vernal: Utah’s Dinosaur Land. That’s how we know we are in the right place, well, that, and there is only one main road running in and out of town.  The first order of business is checking into the Best Western Antlers. On the way we encounter many more dinosaurs-all of which we name, of course-and are stunned by the brilliant flowering plants that overfill their vessels on every corner along Main Street. Vernal, I learn later, is known for the more than 900 planters that line Main Street and takes great pride in the beauty that these flowers bring to the city. It is the first of many surprises Vernal has to offer.

~Main Street is lined with flowering baskets that overflow with color~

5 pm-At our hotel, we browse the brochures that offer suggested itineraries for the many attractions around town. After driving from Denver, hiking seems like the perfect options, so we choose to head a few miles out of town towards the McConkie Ranch, a privately owned property that welcomes visitors to hike petroglyph lined trails.

5:30 pm-We arrive at McConkie Ranch to find an almost deserted parking lot this late in the day. Although we are alone, someone has still rolled out the welcome mat with the facilities provided by the owner of the property. A visitor’s center in the form of a small shed houses an honor box for admission ($2 per person) and a refrigerator full of drinks ($.50 per drinks). Inside we can also read about the trail, sign a guest book, and we are invited to borrow one of the hiking sticks from the community bucket before we set out.

~The Hospitality Lounge at McConkie Ranch. Here you can grab a soda and leave a note about your experience.~

We start up the trail, which begins just above the parking area. The first part of the trail is steep and scrambly, but once we make the initial descent, the trail levels out and we are awarded with some of the finest specimens of rock art from the period. Depicted are large anthropomorphic figures, animals, and symbols that are attributed to the Fremont people dating back 1,000 years.

~McConkie Ranch Petroglyphs~

7 pm-Hiking the four miles of trails loosens our road weary muscles and works up an appetite.  We head back into town towards the Quarry Steakhouse, which judging from the full parking lot is a popular place in town. The Quarry has a homey, mom and pop shop feel with old rafting photos on the wall, and a map of the area worked into the tile. While the ambience is charming and educational for me, my always growing, never full 11 year old only cares about one thing- the steak.  It would be fair to describe him as a steak snob. He orders the 10 oz. ribeye, and I order the Chicken Cordon Bleu.  Soup, salad, and plenty of rolls come along with the delicious food. Fortunately for me, I don’t even have to fight my son for the last roll. He is stuffed to the gills with his steak that he rates a 10 out of 10.

~Beautiful Landscape in Vernal, UT~

Day Two

9 am– We start the day in Dino Land at the local greasy spoon, Betty’s Café and Drive-thru. As any good local breakfast shop should, there were plenty of gingham curtains and roosters to go along with plates heaped with food and a grab- a –seat- anywhere attitude.  Locals filled the cozy booths and swapped quick catch-up stories as coffee was poured, giving the feeling that Vernal is a town where everybody knows your name.  In addition to being plentiful to the point of overstuffing, all of the food tasted homemade. Although everything was delicious, special mention goes to the waffles that were large enough to hang over the plate and just the right amount of crispy.

~Hanging out in the Dinosaur Garden~

10 am– Starting our time travel to the prehistoric era in earnest, we head to the Utah Field House of Natural History State Park Museum. As the newest dinosaur museum in Utah, the Field House offers 22,000 square feet of exhibits that showcase the dinosaurs and other creatures that occupied Vernal in the prehistoric past.  Plenty of hands-on projects including models, puzzles, and games keep the kids engaged in the exploration as we move throughout the museum.  The clever architectural design allows us to see life sized dinosaurs peeking in through the windows as we move through the museum. To get a closer look, we end our visit in the Dinosaur Garden, a serene park that houses dinosaur sculptures surrounding a fish pond and walking trails.

~Entrance to the Utah Field House of Natural History~

11 am-Exploration of Dinosaur National Monument begins at the Visitor’s Center, where you can watch a film about the discovery of the Dinosaur Quarry and explore some exhibits while waiting for the tram. The tram runs every 15 minutes to take visitors to the Quarry site.

Vernal has long been the gateway to dinosaur exploration, starting with paleontologist Earl Douglass who uncovered the beginning of the quarry in 1909. In a letter sent to the secretary of the Smithsonian in 1923, Douglass said  “I hope that the Government, for the benefit of science and the people, will uncover a large area, leave the bones and skeletons in relief, and house them in. It would make one of the most astounding and instructive sights imaginable.”

~The wall of bones in the Quarry seems to stretch in every direction~

Douglass’ vision is exactly what visitors experience today at Dinosaur National Monument in Utah. It is important to note that the Monument spans two states-Utah and Colorado- and it is not possible to visit both sides of the Monument without driving around the Green River that runs through the middle. For ultimate dinosaur lovers, science geeks, and anyone interested in a truly unique experience, the Utah side is the place to get the best view of the prehistoric remains.

The highlight of Dinosaur National Monument is the Quarry Exhibit Hall, a state of the art facility that allows visitors to have an indoor view of a rock face that is the final resting place for over 1500 bones representing 100 different species of dinosaurs. The sheer volume of bones, and the fact that you cannot see anything like this anywhere else in the world makes the experience truly memorable. There is even a place where you can touch a 149 million year dinosaur bone!

Although certainly the oldest, the bones are not the only history preserved in Dinosaur National Monument. By car, we followed the guided trail which led us to a great place to climb and explore.  Among the rock we more examples of petroglyphs left as a history of the Fremont people.  The park is also home to the Josie Morris Cabin- a homestead that stands in monument to one woman’s determination and grit.

~Petroglyphs at Dinosaur National Monument make a great place to jump and climb~

Josie Morris, a small time rancher and occasional lawbreaker, established a simple homestead in the canyon. The homestead consisted of a low square cabin with an attached kitchen, and various outbuildings such as a pigpen and barn.  Josie was known to be quite the colorful character with quite a story to tell. She was married five times after divorcing four husbands, tried and acquitted for cattle rustling, and known for making brandy and wine during Prohibition.  Butch Cassidy, who frequented the area as he hid from the law, was a family friend and may have even taken shelter in Josie’s cabin.

~Josie's Cabin~

She lived in the cabin and managed the land alone until her death in 1964. Considering that virtually all other Americans were living in homes with running water, electricity, and televisions at that time makes the walk through her humble dwelling all the more inspiring.

2 pm– Finally feeling hungry from the mammoth breakfast, we head to Vernal Brewing Company, the newest brewpub in town.  From the modern slate and glass exterior, the restaurant immediately gives off a different vibe from the majority of the other restaurants in town. The difference continues inside, where the menu is gourmet, eclectic and, I learned, a constant experiment.  A garden just off the terrace of the restaurant where hops, fruits, and vegetables grow is the impetus for an evolving menu. As harvest from the garden changes with the season, so does the menu. I order the grown-up grilled cheese that included brie, bacon, and seasonal herbs.  With my mouth half full of melty goodness, I raved about the combination, only to learn that the sandwich had been served differently the week before. 

~Tracks at Red Fleet State Park~

4 pm– It didn’t seem fitting to leave Dinosaur Land without literally walking in the tracks of some of the most famous former residents of the area. For this, we headed to Red Fleet and Steinaker State Parks, two reservoirs just north of town that are ideal for watersports and hiking. Knowing that we would be spending plenty of time on the water as we rafted later in the week, we decided to stick to dry land and hike the Red Fleet Dinosaur Track.  Following the black painted dinosaur prints along the rock, we were able to traverse the 2.3 mile hike, finding three toed fossilized prints made over 200 million years ago along the path.  As we slow hike the trail, it feels like the perfect place to sum up 24 hours that have taken us on a 149 million year journey to know the town of Venal a little better.

~The City of Vernal hosted my stay. They did not require that I express a particular viewpoint and all opinions are my own~

 

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