Prettier Drive through Colorado to Salt Lake City

Oh...I recall both quite well! My son says he would rather do Aspen over anything Dinosaurs. He is becoming a teen! Still...I am more than happy to spend a day in Aspen. My mother used to live in Snowmass and I just loved visiting the area.

I hadn't heard about the "wall", etc. being closed. I remember that building, as well as the walk around the park area. Just fascinating. Thanks for the updates!

Samanthahhi wrote:
Is the museum you are talking about Dinosaur National Monument or something else?

The museum I mentioned is in Vernal itself. There is also a museum at the NM, but without as many dinosaur replicas as the one in Vernal. Just in the last couple of years they reopened quarry museum with the "bone wall", well worth the stop if you're so inclined. They had to demolish part of the old building and rebuild due to severe settling of the foundation.

We spent three days at the Green River Campground located right on the Green River (go figure) inside the Dinosaur National Monument. Great campground, no hookups, and no dump station, but very pretty.

The Dinosaur NM has a wonderful welcome center with a video presentation of the history of the area, and the fossils and bones that they have excavated.

They have a huge wall of rock inside the display building that has numerous dinosaur bones protruding. Some you can touch. It's pretty cool.

One evening we watched Jurassic Park on the DVR, seemed like the right movie at the right place.

Plus, there are many petroglyphs from ancient people that you can walk to and photograph.

A very memorable trip.

they're both good. If you like dinosaur stuff, do give the Dinosaur National Park a good look.
Personally, I haven't found any area in the entire state of UT that I would call ugly or boring.

Is the museum you are talking about Dinosaur National Monument or something else? I took myson when he was 6 to Dino...but I also seem to recall a real cool natural history museum. Thank you...I had forgotten all about that and it was quite good! Though Dino is the ultimate.

I will have to review my maps for the route suggestions. See....that's what I love about posing these questions,. You can't tell from a topical map what you are really going to see along the route. This gives me lots of food for thought.

We spent half a day at the Museum of Natural History in Vernel. Very Well Done! Lots of dinosaurs exhibits and ancient American artifacts.

Went across the street to a brewery and had thin, watery beer and the worst pizza that I can recall.

Don't mean to hijack the thread, but the museum was fantastic, the beer, not so much... :)

I guess I'd say I-70 to US 6. The views across the vastness toward the LaSals and Arches are nice. Once you're on US 6 heading toward Price, you have the Bookcliffs in the distance on one side and the San Rafael Swell on the other. But there is a long stretch without any towns along that route. Quite a busy road, as it is the main route trucks use from SLC to I-70.

While CO 139 over Douglas Pass is quite beautiful, I'm less enthralled by the Rangely area. It's miles of driving though an oil field. Similar places along the road around Vernal. More towns along US 40 that US 6 in UT (oil field). If you do go this route, check out the Utah Field House of Natural History. One of the best dinosaur museums in the country, if you're into that sort of thing. If you do want to go through Vernal, an alternative route is to take CO 13 north out of Rifle, then west on CO 64 to Rangely. Less of a pull than Douglas Pass, and you end of following the White River for a while. Ranches, cows, etc. but not mountain views of Douglas Pass.