Dinosaur National Monument gets a 3-paw rating because it has number of short dog friendly trails. The park spans 2 states but fossils are only on exhibit on the Utah side. The park can be accessed from all four directions but can’t be driven across however it can be crossed by raft. Unfortunately dogs are not allowed to do so.
Where the dinosaurs are
The western section in Utah is the most popular part of the park. The Quarry Exhibit Hall and dinosaur bone wall can be found here and is well worth the trip. During the summer, there is a tram from the parking lot of the Quarry visitor center to the exhibit hall. During the winter months private vehicles are allowed to drive up the hill. It is only a quarter mile but I can’t find any information about walking to it. We did many years ago but increased traffic on the road may have put a stop to that.
Taking a dog to the exhibit hall
Dogs are not allowed on the tram any longer, they were when we visited with our first Great Dane, Selar. Notify a ranger that your dog is with you and they will allow you to take your own vehicle up the road. Dogs aren’t allowed in the exhibit hall but there are shady benches and water bowls outside.
Where to camp on the Utah side
There are three campgrounds on the Utah side of the park. Of the two central camps, Green River is only open in the summer. The 2 mile long trail between the Green River and Split Mountain campgrounds named River Trail is dog friendly. The third campground, Rainbow Park, is at the end of a dirt road which becomes impassable when wet.
The Colorado side
A second way to enter the park is from the south off I40 near Dinosaur which will lead you to Harpers Corner. Not only is the Canyon Visitor Center on this route there is also a 0.5 mile long dog friendly hike near the center. There is another 0.5 mile hike at Plug Hat Butte and some other dog friendly trails in the picnic area at Plug Hat, the Iron Springs Bench Overlook and the Echo Park Overlook.
Echo Park campground (summer only) is accessed from this route at the end of Echo Park Road. You once again need a high clearance vehicle and trailers are not recommended. We tried to camp at this spot one year but feared we would all leave with anemia, including Selar. As we drove into camp we did not see a single person who wasn’t covered from head to toe in some sort of mosquito netting or inside a netted enclosure. It was gorgeous at the camp but we opted to drive out in the approaching darkness along Yampa Bench Road. Yampa Bench is also an unpaved and high clearance vehicle road. Even in the dark this seemed a better option than murdered by pirates, I mean mosquitos. I recommend the drive but perhaps during the daytime is best.
Deerlodge is located on the eastern edge of the park with a small, 7 site, tents only campground on the river. This is a good spot if you want to play in the Yampa River or go on longer hikes but the trails aren’t dog friendly in this area.
From the north
The fourth way to enter the park is unpaved road 34 off of Highway 318 in Colorado. This area is called the Gates of Ledore. The campground here is a staging area for rafters traveling the Green River. A ranger lives on site and while the trails aren’t dog friendly he told us about a nearby dirt side-road that would be good for walking Varel and K’Ehleyr. One morning as we reached the end of the road and had turned back we came across some very large cat tracks crossing the trail which weren’t there on our way in. The mountain lion must have been behind us at some point. It probably wasn’t too close since the girls didn’t get a whiff of it.
Most of the campers only stay one night before launching onto the river in the morning. The only other campers were the fire crews battling a nearby fire. Even with them in half the camp there was plenty of empty spots.
Browns Park National Wildlife Refuge
Other things to do in the Gates of Ledore area include the nearby Browns Park National Wildlife Refuge which does allow leashed dogs and unleashed hunting dogs.
As always, it is best to check for the latest park regulation on their pet page.
