Porch Notes
Dinosaur National Monument's Utah fossil side and Colorado canyon side
The quarry wall holds approximately 1,500 bones; river launches and remote roads require a separate current permit-and-area check.
Start by choosing the right side of the monument. The Quarry Visitor Center is in Jensen, Utah, and the Canyon Visitor Center is in Dinosaur, Colorado. The fossil quarry is on the Utah side; there are no dinosaur fossil sites on the Colorado side.
Inside the Quarry Exhibit Hall, approximately 1,500 dinosaur bones remain exposed in the rock wall. The rock is part of the Morrison Formation, and the remains are from the Late Jurassic.
The rivers and remote roads call for a different kind of planning. A permit is required to launch a vessel on rivers inside the monument, and the current-conditions page separates its Utah and Colorado areas. Check the exact area, road, and permit doorway before a river trip or remote drive.
Where to see it
Begin at the Quarry Visitor Center in Jensen, Utah, for the fossil side of Dinosaur National Monument. Check the current area details at https://www.nps.gov/dino/planyourvisit/visitorcenters.htm?fullweb=1
Sources
Last reviewed against the listed sources: July 26, 2026.
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Related
Nearby notes and shared topics
These are picked for nearby places, shared tags, or the same Utah topic.
Canyonlands districts need separate travel plans
Canyonlands shares one park name, but its four districts have no connecting roads and require separate choices about driving, services, permits, and conditions.
John Jarvie Ranch on the Green River
The preserved ranch tells a trade-and-travel story, but visiting it still requires a current check on steep, narrow Browns Park roads.
Grand Staircase-Escalante from the Kanab doorway
Kanab is one practical doorway into a nearly 1.9-million-acre monument where the destination, permit, dated road report, and live conditions belong in the same plan.
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