Dinosaur Bones, Outlaws and Moonshine – Three Places to Visit Outside of Vernal, Utah

Dinosaur National Monument, the Outlaw Country scenic drive, and the Moonshine Arch are three places to try to visit just outside of Vernal, Utah. The Dinosaur National Monument is a national park located on the border of Utah and Colorado and covers 210,000 acres. The Quarry Visitor Center is located in Jensen, which is southeast of Vernal, Utah. Shuttle buses will take visitors to the Quarry Exhibit Hall where you will see a wall of nearly 1,500 dinosaur bones. A  few of the 149 million year old fossils are identified permitting you to touch them, while others can be viewed from several feet away. The National Park offers scenic drives, and walking trails.  If you are traveling with pets, be sure to be familiar where pets are permitted. Pets at Dinosaur National Monument 

Outlaw Country scenic drive is an approximately 85 miles loop that travels through some of the most picturesque parts of the country.  Be sure to have a full tank of gas and carry plenty of water.  You will be traveling through Crouse Canyon, Brown’s Park, Jarvie Historic Ranch, and Jessie Ewing Canyon.  Butch Cassidy and the Wild Bunch and other noted outlaws were known to stay in this remote area.  The Jarvie Ranch  has been historically reconstructed.  Crouse Canyon with its red-rock walls is a beautiful drive, but you will need a high clearance vehicle to get by sections of deep ruts in the road. Driving Directions for Outlaw Country

Just eight miles outside of Vernal, and a short distance from the road is an opportunity for a short hike to an incredible natural sandstone arch that is 85 feet long and stands 40 feet above ground.  The hike to Moonshine Arch is approximately 1 mile, with an elevation gain of 290 feet.  Read my previous post on Moonshine Arch for directions and additional information.