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Discover Dinosaurland 2019 1
Dinosaurland Discover the Adventure • 2019
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Dinosaur National Monument:
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Basin offers top-notch trails:
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Designated as an International Dark Sky Park
without the crowds
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elcome to Uintah County! Whether you live here, vacation here, or dream of spending time here, Vernal does not disappoint. Vernal, Utah is the only place in the world where you can view and touch dinosaur bones all in their original resting place at Dinosaur National Monument. Dinosaurs are not all that you can see and do in the monument. Plan a picnic at the Green River or Split Mountain. Hitch onto the camper or load up the tent, there are plenty of camping spots available for a night under the stars. Enjoy a quiet hike on the “Sound of Silence” trail or scream and holler as you experience white water rafting down the Green River! Exploring the monument on foot will allow you to view massive arches and rarely seen petroglyphs. Dinosaurs are not all Uintah County has to offer…camping, hiking, biking, boating, swimming, rafting, petroglyphs, museums and so much more are what makes this area loved by those that live here and vacation here. Uintah County is home to three State Parks. The Utah Field House of Natural History Museum, Steinaker and Red Fleet Reservoir State Parks. You can have your boat launched and ready for a day on the water in less than 20 minutes from downtown. Don’t have a boat? Don’t let this stop you, Steinaker is home of the “Vernal Beach” enjoy a day building sand castles, swimming, or playing on the swim dock. There are lots of picnic tables, campsites, and pavilions. Red Fleet has been referred to as the “Little Lake Powell” with its gorgeous scenery and huge red cliffs. Don’t forget to watch out for Dinosaur Tracks as you play and explore the land around the lake. The Field House museum is a hands on experience where visitors can learn more about the history of the area, view rocks in the mineral room, watch a movie about the fossils that are found in the area, and view paleontologists as they work on newly discovered fossils from the observation window in the curatorial facility. If you really want to ride world-class trails… you came to the right place. You can pick your pleasure: Slick Rock, Alpine Forests, or Desert Canyons. We have it all. When the summer months bring sizzling temperatures to the valleys below, biking in the Uinta Mountains is at its best, with small crowds and great trails. Vernal knows how to celebrate! Mark your calendar and plan on attending some of the biggest events in the basin. Outlaw ATV Jamboree NUMBfest, Uintah County Fair, Red Fleet Paddlefest, Dino Tri, Dinosaur Round Up Rodeo, pick any one or all of these events and you will witness what Vernal is all about. It’s friendship, family, living and recreating in a community we love! Get outside! Explore the area! Have fun this summer in Dinosaurland! After all, you’ll want to stay forever…the dinosaurs did!
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COURTESY
Dinosaur National Monument, on the Utah and Colorado border, has been added to the list of designated dark sky parks.
Dinosaur National Monument Designated
as an International Dark Sky Park
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ith the recent addition of Dinosaur National Monument to The International Dark Skies Places Program, this brings the number to three locations in the Basin designated as dark sky parks. With the continued urban expansion, it is becoming harder and harder to observe the true majesty of the night sky. Buildings, street lamps, and car headlights fill the sky with what has been termed as light pollution. The light is so bright that many of the dimmer stars can no longer be seen by the naked eye through the haze of ambient light. The International Dark Skies Places Program, founded in 2001, seeks to preserve places where the sky is darkest so that people can truly see the magnificence of the Milky Way. “Visitors from around the world are finding that star-filled skies at Dinosaur are often as novel and awe-inspiring as fossil-filled rocks,” says Park Ranger Sonya Popelka. Whether visitors are avid campers enjoying the sky on
their own terms or would like a guided night hike in a park setting, the protected area makes for spectacular stargazing. The regular line-up of night sky programs at Dinosaur from June 24 through September 13 includes Stargazing with Telescopes, Night Sky for the Naked Eye, Night Hikes Under Moonlight, and the annual Skies Over Dinosaur Astronomy Festival. Details for these and other programs can be found on the Guided Tours and Calendar of Events pages on the monument’s website www.nps.gov/dino. Dark sky viewing may also be enjoyed at Steinaker State Park, which is located approximately five miles north of Vernal to the west of Hwy 191, and Red Fleet State Park, which is approximately ten miles north of Vernal to the East of Hwy 191. All three of these locations offer fantastic views of the night sky.
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Monument Fees Monument visitors are required to purchase a recreational use pass upon entering Dinosaur National Monument. Dinosaur National Monument participates in the congressionally authorized Federal Recreation Lands Enhancement Act. Funds generated by the fees are used to accomplish projects the parks have been unable to fund through annual Congressional allocations. Entrance fees help support projects in the monument to improve the experience for visitors. For more information, call 435-781-7700. Entrance fees are valid for seven consecutive days. The following fees will be effective May 1, 2019. Private vehicle (14 passenger capacity or less): $25. Motorcycle: $20 Per person (walk-in or bicycle): $15 Youth 15 and under admitted free.
Annual passes and Lifetime passes: Dinosaur National Monument Annual Pass: $45 Interagency annual senior pass (age 62 or above): $20 Interagency; multiple federal fee areas: $80 Interagency senior (age 62 or above): $10 Lifetime Interagency senior (age 62 or above): $80 Interagency access (permanently disabled): Free Commercial Tour Fees: Commercial tours are required to pay an entrance fee based upon the capacity of the vehicle. Check with the monument for the rate for your vehicle. (435) 781-7759. The monument accepts cash, credit cards, traveler’s checks, money orders, cashier’s checks, gift checks, personal checks and business checks.
Kids’ Maze Haunted Maze Long Maze Short Maze
Activities:
8-acre Corn Maze Haunted Maze Kids’ Maze Pony Rides Petting Zoo Pumpkin Cannon
Corn Cannon Face Painting Barrel Train Rides Farm Scene Investigation Pumpkin Patch Korn Krib
Bouncy House Kids’ Swing and Play Set Giant Slide Giant Straw Bales for climbing and much more!
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PHOTO: JEFF EDWARDS
The Quarry Exhibit Hall, located over the world-famous Carnegie Dinosaur Quarry allows visitors to view the wall of approximately 1,500 dinosaur bones in a refurbished, comfortable space.
Dinosaur National Monument Quarry receives more than 400,000 visitors annually
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inosaur National Monument covers an ancient era, with fossils and geological formations dating back to the time of dinosaurs and beyond. Over 400,000 people visit the monument each year. Most head straight to the Utah side of the monument north of Jensen to see the Dinosaur Quarry Exhibit Hall with its world-famous Wall of Bones. There, they can gaze at 1,500 fossil remains of dinosaurs and other creatures still in place in the rock where they came to rest. When visitors arrive in the monument they start the exploration at the Quarry Visitor Center which is separate from the Dinosaur Quarry Exhibit Hall. The visitor center welcomes visitors by having them walk past the stegosaurus that was present at the 1964 World’s Fair in New York and then across a bridge made from a recycled railroad car. There are displays, a theater, bookstore and restrooms. The center highlights areas across the entire 210,000-acre monument.
It’s a way to keep visitors in the area longer so that they can experience other park resources including the monument’s paleontology, geology, wildlife, scenery and cultural sites like Fremont rock art or historic homesteader cabins. From the center, visitors take a trip back in time to the time of the dinosaurs at the Quarry Exhibit Hall. In the summer, shuttle buses leave the visitor center every 15 minutes for the Quarry Exhibit Hall. At other times of the year, rangers lead car caravans to the Quarry on a set schedule. Check the monument website for more information. www.nps.gov/ dino. The quarry is known for its wall of bones. The rock face displays hundreds of dinosaur fossils, ranging from huge sauropods such as Diplodocus, to Stegosaurus, to meat-eating therapods like Allosaurus. In the renovated exhibit hall which reopened in 2011, visitors can see an overview of the
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wall from the upper level, as monument staff showcase the different fossils embedded in the stone. On the lower level, several fossil displays showcase species that have been found in the monument, including a meateating allosaurus and one of the few baby stegosaurus fossils
ever found. Visitors can also get up close and personal with some of the fossils. It’s one of the few places in the world where people are allowed – even encouraged – to touch real dinosaur bones.
2075 W Highway 40 Vernal, UT 435-781-1923
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Joshua Murdock/UB Media
Uintah High School Mountain Bike Team riders prepare for the upcoming season with a training session at the McCoy Flats trail area in Vernal, Utah.
Basin offers top-notch trails without the crowds
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ocated halfway through the drive between Colorado’s Steamboat Springs and Park City, Utah, each established mountain biking meccas, Vernal has long been a great overnight stop or midday break for the traveling mountain biker, but the high desert town on the southeastern reaches of Utah’s highest mountain range, the Uinta Mountains, is becoming a mountain bike destination in its own right. In May 2009, Bike Magazine wondered, “Better than Moab?” and said, “Today, Vernal has more than 100 miles of singletrack and could rival Fruita [Colorado] as the best in the West.” Three months later, the Provo Daily Herald called Vernal an “unexpected mountain biking hot spot” with trails to rival Moab, Saint George and Fruita. The headline of a 2012 Deseret News story read, “Vernal makes a run at Moab’s mountain biking dominance,” and as recently as May 2016 the town and its trails have been featured in Bike Magazine. And on Sept. 16, 2016, Patrick Phillips said while riding
Red Fleet State Park for the first time with his wife, Annie, “It’s just as good as Moab but without the scene.” The couple had stumbled on Vernal and its trails while traveling from their home in California to the Maah Daah Hey Trail in North Dakota. After riding Red Fleet and learning of other nearby trails, they said they planned to return to Vernal for at least a month next year to enjoy the trails. With little advertising beyond word of mouth and directions to trailheads from Altitude Cycle bike shop in downtown Vernal, the world-class singletrack tucked in red rock canyons, draped over pine-blanketed mounts and hidden in high desert plains offer mountain bikers of all abilities and riding styles a tranquil respite from the internationally renown but crowded singletrack to the east, south and west. “The riding is unbelievable,” said Troy Lupcho, the longtime owner of Altitude Cycle and former BMX world champion. “You can get some of the best singletrack, not only in northeastern Utah but, I think, in the Western states. Bike
Discover Dinosaurland 2019 9 Magazine said the trails out here can rival Fruita - it’s some of the best singletrack in the West.” Lupcho, a driving force behind much of the singletrack in the Uintah Basin, said the diversity of the trails and terrain surrounding Vernal was a major attraction to riders. “It’s an area that has the diversity that any place else has to offer without any crowds at all,” he said. “You can camp almost wherever you want and have a phenomenal time.” Whether passing through Vernal for a day or making it a destination, riders hooked on Vernal’s mountain biking recommend these trails for your off-road itinerary. McCoy Flats - With more than 50 miles of trails just a few minutes from downtown, McCoy Flats is synonymous with Vernal to mountain bikers. Trails cater to beginner, enthusiast and intermediate riders on hardtails or full-suspension bikes with 4-5 inches of suspension travel. Loose rocks cover narrow, hard-packed singletrack with creative routing that leaves riders anticipating the next turn, small drop, punchy climb or swooping descent. But riders won’t have long to wait, because the trails are rarely straight. Red Fleet State Park - While McCoy Flats is the most popular of Vernal’s relatively undiscovered trails, Red Fleet State Park just north of Vernal is a true hidden gem. With trails reminiscent of Fruita’s 18 Road and legendary Kokopelli trail system, as well as a taste of Grand Junction’s Lunch Loops, Red Fleet offers a best of the West sampler in one park. Smooth, flowing descents with small rollers and jumps carry riders to a winding array of fast, flowing singletrack before heading into rocky canyons and atop massive sandstone cliffs. Riders of all ability levels leave the park with a grin. Cross-country bikes will dominate the climbs around the park’s northern side while full-suspension bikes up to 6
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Uintah High School Mountain Bike Team riders prepare for the upcoming season with a training session at the McCoy Flats. trail area in Vernal, Utah, on Aug. 15, 2016.
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10 Discover Dinosaurland 2019 inches of suspension travel are at home on the southern side. Lapoint - Cross-country riders looking for a recovery ride or a proving ground for hot laps ahead of a race need not look further than the trails in Lapoint. Less than a 20-minute drive from downtown Vernal, the aptly named Racetrack Trail is a 7-mile loop of fast, smooth singletrack with 500 vertical feet of climbing, most of which is in the first half of the loop. A cutoff gives riders the option of shortening the ride to just more than 4 miles. From the same trailhead, rid-
ers can access the Corkscrew Trail. With 850 vertical feet of climbing over nearly 10 miles, the trail is a tougher version of Racetrack. Buckskin Hills - Cut for two back-to-back high school races in September 2016, each attracting hundred of riders from around the state, a 5-mile loop of singletrack, doubletrack and dirt roads sits on the northeast corner of Buckskin Hills Motorsports Complex northeast of Vernal. Currently a ribbon of narrow singletrack connecting doubletrack and roads, the high school team and its coaches plan to add berms, rollers and other features to craft one of the best high school courses in the state. Red Mountain - Vernal isn’t just for crosscountry and trail riders. Red Mountain, just to the southwest of Red Fleet State Park, offers two downhill trails best suited for enduro and downhill bikes, though skilled riders on bikes with less suspension travel may also enjoy the trails. Downhill routes begin at the summit of Red Mountain, which is accessable via a roughly 1.5 mile hike-a-bike from Taylor Mountain Road or by climbing the downhill routes on a bike or in an ATV. Riders can descend a 5-mile mix of doubletrack and singletrack on the mountain’s west side or a 3.3-mile doubletrack on the east side. Both trails feature drops, technical rock gardens, roots and varied trail conditions. Both trails have steep downhill sections and gradually sloping sections, so be ready to pedal if you’re on a downhill rig. Dry Fork Flume - At roughly 20 miles roundtrip, Dry Fork Canyon’s Flume Trail is a mixture of dirt road and singletrack running along the bottom of a massive canyon into Ashley National Forest. With gradual elevation changes in most sections, the Flume Trail is a top-notch cross-country ride. Punctuated by parking areas and outhouses at multiple spots along the way, the trail can also be tackled in individual segments by riders not interested in a 20-mile pedal. With a mixture of trail and road, the ability to ride short sections of trail and the mellow elevation change, the Flume Trail is an excellent choice among cross-country riders looking for a relaxing but breathtakingly scenic ride. Red Canyon Rim - An hour north of Vernal, the Red Canyon Rim Trail offers mountain bikers a fairly flat pedal through pine forest atop the southern rim of Red Canyon, a section of Flaming Gorge Reservoir. Starting from Route 44, riders meander toward the Red Canyon Overlook and its stunning views before returning to the trailhead the same way they came. At 9 miles when ridden as a full out-and-back, the trail passes Red Canyon Lodge and Red Canyon Visitor Center, allowing riders to shorten their routes by parking at ether location or stop along the way if riding the full length. Dowd Mountain - Just a few miles past Red Canyon, the Dowd Mountain Trail is an 11-mile loop of singletrack and doubletrack
Discover Dinosaurland 2019 11 with sections of fast berms and rollers. Best ridden counterclockwise, the trail offers unparalleled views of Red Canyon and Flaming Gorge at the Down Mountain Overlook, and an optional downhill spur to the Hideout Draw boat launch. Riders who choose to descend to the boat launch can either ride back up the doubletrack they descended or, as Lupcho suggested, coordinate a boat ride to another launch area accessible by maintained roads. Not only is Vernal surrounded by an ever-expanding network of trails, but the town is also improving its bike infrastructure. Bike lanes are appearing within Vernal and in unincorporated Uintah County, and the Uintah County Commission is also pursuing Federal Lands Access Program (FLAP) grants to improve access between town and nearby trails at McCoy Flats and Red Fleet State Park. Joshua Murdock/UB Media The commission is also vying for a Patrick Phillips rides a mountain bike trail at Red Fleet State Park, on Sept. 16, 2016. The stage of the 2017 Tour of Utah. 62-year-old rider from California and his wife, also an avid cyclist, plan to return to Vernal But for now, all is quiet on Vernal singletrack. Aside from locals, riders after being impressed with the trail offerings. passing through and a slowly growing For the most recent trail information, recommendations on number of riders from around the nation who are in on the riding and trail maps, visit Altitude Cycle bike shop at 580 E. secret, Vernal’s trails remain as Lupcho put it: “No crowds, Main St., Vernal, UT 84078. phenomenal thrills, freedom, open spaces - I mean, it’s unbelievable.”
DINOSAUR NATIONAL MONUMENT
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1120 W Highway 40 Vernal, UT 84078 781-2222
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Dig in at the Utah Field House Museum
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he Utah Field House of Natural History State Park Museum allows visitors to experience life as a paleontologist. A short video explains the digs the museum participates in, how some of the exhibits were quarried, where they came from, and how they were delivered to the museum. Guests can also volunteer to help on summer digs. “These digs are connected with the Scientific Outreach Program and require one-week minimum commitment. Volunteers, ages 12 and older, are needed each summer. Most of the work isn’t technical; it’s just getting your hands dirty and removing dirt,” said Mary Beth Bottomley. Contact Dr. Steve Sroka at the Utah State Field House Museum for more information. In an interactive museum youth center, visitors can dig through specially formulated “dirt” to discover fossil models just like paleontologists do in the field. “After successfully removing the items, guests can figure out what they have found by taking the fossils to a key and comparing them to pictures, descriptions, and characteristics,” Mary Beth Bottomley said. In the Eocene Fossil Gallery, a striking mosaic of individual plant fossils covers the eastern flank of the room. More than 40 scientists were involved in prying layers of fossils loose from where they had developed near the Green River
approximately 47 million years ago. Guests will see petrified mud textures, colors, plants and a fish in the display. Step back in time as you walk through the Dinosaur Garden of the museum. Look at a full-size replica of a 20-foot tall Tyrannosaurus with six-inch, knife-like teeth or a ferocious, four-foot, meat-eating Coelophysis. Guests of all ages will enjoy the seventeen life-size prehistoric replicas lining the garden paths, small waterfalls, and beautiful foliage. The Utah Field House of Natural History State Park Museum is located at 496 East Main, Vernal. The Museum is open daily from 9 a.m. through 5 p.m. Admission Prices are $7 for adults, $3.50 for children 6-12, those under 6 are free and seniors (62+) are $3.50. Extended hours are offered beginning Memorial Day through Sept. 3, 2019, with the Museum open daily from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. each day. Two junior scientist programs are offered for younger visitors age 4-12 and offer a fun way to learn about museum exhibits while earning a patch. Annual state park and senior passes may be purchased at the museum as well as non-resident OHV/Snowmobile permits. For further information, please call the museum at 435-789-3799.
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Dinosaur National Monument operating hours
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lanning a winter visit? Don’t worry – Dinosaur National Monument is open all year, though certain roads and facilities are closed during the winter months. Standard operating hours for Quarry Visitor Center, North of Jensen, Utah run from Mid-Sept. to late May 2019, with the visitor center open daily, 9 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. It is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. With standard operating hours for the Quarry Exhibit Hall (Wall of Bones) daily, from 9 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Also closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. Extended hours are offered during the summer beginning May 18, 2019 through Sept. 15, 2019. Extended operating hours for Quarry Visitor Center, North of Jensen, Utah run from Mid-Sept. to late May 2019, with the visitor center open daily, 9 a.m. - 6 p.m. It is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. With standard operating hours for the Quarry Exhibit Hall (Wall of Bones) daily, from 9 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Canyon Visitor Center, Dinosaur, Colo. Open Daily, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. May 24, 2019 until Oct.12, 2019. (Visitor center may occasionally be closed during lunch). Closed from late fall through early spring. The Center reopens in late April 2018.
winter snowy hills
Yampa Canyon from Harpers Corner
435-789-BEER (2337) • 29 South Vernal Ave.
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FILE PHOTO
Dinosaur tracks can be seen at Red Fleet State Park
Hunt Dinosaur tracks near Red Fleet
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ed Fleet State Park is located in the heart of Dinosaurland, 12 miles north of Vernal on Utah Highway 191. The park name was inspired by three large Navajo sandstone outcrops jutting up from the landscape as if a fleet of ships. At an elevation of 5,600 feet, Red Fleet offers camping, picnicking, swimming, fishing and boating. Red Fleet State Park is also known for the Dinosaur Trackway. Two hundred million years ago, this area looked like the Sahara Desert. And like the Sahara, the area had oases of shallow desert lakes called playas. Dinosaurs journeyed to the small playas
among the dunes. We know this from the tracks left behind in the wet sand. Hundreds of dinosaur tracks now lay exposed for you to see in the Navajo sandstone. Juniper, sagebrush, native grasses, and cactus dominate the area. Red Fleet is home to mammals such as rabbits, ground squirrels, bobcats, badgers, coyotes, and mule deer. Golden-eagles can be seen sunning themselves on sandstone cliffs. Other birds include magpies, hawks, mountain bluebirds, pinyon jays, vultures, owls, and an occasional osprey. Bald eagles visit the area during winter months.
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Moonshine Arch an awesome local wonder
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tone arches inspire wonder. Carved by nature when conditions are right, they are something special to behold. Stone arches abound in Utah. There is even Arches National Park, which is home to a great many of these solid and graceful sculptures. So sure, you could drive 230 miles to Moab and go to Arches, pay your fee and be awed. You will also be surrounded by crowds who seek the same experience. Or, you can make a very easy day trip -- an eight-mile drive from downtown Vernal – hike about a mile and a half in some scenic and serene landscape and experience the splendor of our area’s very own Moonshine Arch. It seemed a little tricky to find the entrance from Highway 191. The road is primitive, rutted and not advised when wet, and is best taken by a four-wheel drive vehicle with a high clearance. Cars and SUVs can make part of the trip by road, and find a place to park if the FILE PHOTO road seems too rutted, wet, or sandy for your The view framed by Moonshine Arch. vehicle to travel. Directions: Once you reach the general vicinity of the trailhead you will soon be directed by metal signs pointing the way. After Driving north on Highway 191, drive about one-half mile parking, at the trailhead, you will take a pleasant hike to past the entrance to Steinaker State Park; about mid-point the arch. There are a few places of somewhat steep elevation in the curve of the highway, there will be a dirt road to the gain, so wear good, sturdy hiking shoes and be sure to have left, which is a little hard to see from the highway. The gravel plenty of water in warmer weather. The trail to the arch is road crosses a small wash before coming to a metal gate surrounded by private land, which is clearly marked and which you should close behind you after passing through. fenced. Be respectful of the private land and stay on the trail. About one-half mile from the highway turn left from the You will know you’re on the right path, but until you gravel onto a wide dirt road, then follow the signs for about actually make the last turn you won’t see Moonshine Arch. a mile. Travel as far as safe for your vehicle to traverse; fourComing around the bend, I bet you can’t suppress a “Wow.” wheelers with a high clearance will probably make it all the The massive arch is about 85 feet in length, about 40 feet way to the trailhead. If you get to the trailhead, park there above the sandy ground. (These are guesstimates...forgot to and follow the signs, otherwise walk to the trailhead, respectstash a tape measure in the backpack.) The stone arch curves ing the fences of private property down, wide in the beginning and flowing to a slender terminus. Nature seems to be working to carve a second arch right behind the first, and there are caverns to explore behind the arch. On an Easter weekend one year, there were just a few visitors to the arch. In about three hours, we encountered one group coming out who reassured us we were on the right track as we drove in, and just as we were leaving the arch we said hello to another group just getting to their destination. We had lots of time to explore, climb and take photos to our hearts content. Another pleasant surprise is that Moonshine Arch is a perfect frame for Steinaker Reservoir far below. This is not Open 6 days a week a national park and there are no fences, railings or improveMonday - Saturday - 11 a.m. - 9:30 p.m. ments, leaving you free to wander and climb, but do so at Closed Sunday your own risk. It would not be a pleasant trip down if injured. 1175 West Highway 40 Respect nature’s handiwork and leave this special trea(435) 789-3338 Vernal, Utah 84078 (Next to K-Mart) sure as you find it. A pristine and awe-inspiring secret known mostly to Basin residents alone.
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