I came her back in September when my boyfriend was working there on an internship, so he got to show me around. I love the Allosaurus exhibits, and I got to go out in the field and pick up some real bone fragments! It was pretty neat. The guides help you decipher between bone fragments and rock.
It is a pretty good drive on dusty unpaved roads. They have a small visitor center with some nice exhibits and models. The quarry area is covered by a building with some exposed bones. There appears to be little activity. We were the only people there during our visit. There is a $5 fee per person admission.
The CLDQ is a must visit and see for anyone who wonders about dinosaurs! They found more than 12.000 bones from very shallow and small area, which makes this site the densest concentration of Jurassic dinosaur bones in the world. How dense it is? YOU have to visit and see it! Friendly staff will welcome you and give you a tour about the site. Have a safe to trip to Jurassic Utah!!
We hiked two ways trough the landscape and havent't seen anything interesting. Like others write before me, it is disappointing to see only a few bones and one dinosaur model
The drive out is a bit long on a well kept dirt road. My kids enjoyed going through a town called Elmo and we took pictures at the Elmo Library and Elmo Post Office.The area was very unique with large rock boulders. The kids loved just running around chasing rabbits and trying to catch lizards. I have 3 boys so they loved climbing on, under, and around the rocks. Outhouse restrooms available.The museum is small, and they don't have a credit card scanner but they can record your card info and bill you back in town (I believe solar panels provide their only power). They do have a few kids activities, such as putting together a rubber dinosaur jaw puzzle, and a pamphlet to fill out. They have a full size Allosaur and several other partials and bones. The price is $5 for adults, but it is free for anyone under 16 (so the 6 of us got in for $10).There are a few trails, we took the rock walk (1.4 miles), and by the time we were done, the kids just wanted to go back to Huntington lake (they were hot & tired). We probably should have done the shorter but steeper raptor point trail.
We drove from Price, Utah following the signs and found it without difficulty. The hours are 10-5 on TH-SAT. The guide on duty, Mary, was an excellent resource who added great interest to our trip. This quarry is the source of 46 Alosaurus skeletons. I think this is a nice compliment to a visit to the Utah State University Prehistoric Museum in Price.We had a senior pass so we got in for no charge.
This is a great find if you're into dinosaurs. Very fascinating. They recently had a major renovation and the building is gorgeous! Easy to navigate. Sometimes you can see the DRs working in the field digging up bones! Or you can take the hike and possibly find something yourself! (bring hiking shoes and water if you take the hike)
After seeing the Utah Dinosaur National monument I have to admit my expectations were pretty high. Being the large concentrations of Dinosaur bones came from such a small area, there is one building with most of the original bones removed and replicas in their place. There are some displays in the building where you pay but it is not very big. The employee said there were dinosaur tracks but he would have to show us and he was alone and couldn't leave. There are trails through the rocks but you won't see dinosaur bones sticking out. The dirt road is in good shape but it is a long drive. However if you do go, there are some other "don't miss" things to see nearby, the Wedge overlook ( looks like the Grand Canyon) and the Indian pictographs at Buckhorn Draw.
It was not our first choice, but it was OK. Its a long drive on a dirt road, so fill up your tank before you go. Lots of secenic desert and a couple of small towns along the way. The visitors building is small, but has some good displays, walk the trail out to the dig site buildings. I was disappointed that there wasn't an active dig happening, but the interns there are nice and very knowledgeable. I don't think they get a lot of visitors and they are glad to see you. Good, cold water in the drinking fountains.
I went along 12 miles of dusty gravel road to find only a small museum. The walks not clearly defined and little explanation. There is an exposed section in two small huts. There is NO digging as mentioned in some brochures. Better to spend an extra day in Vernal or go to Green River where there is some digging.