Dinosaur Nat'l Monument Hiking & Camping Trip

Please read the FULL event description and review the linked materials before signing up for this event. Some carpooling on this trip is REQUIRED, see below.
RSVPs on Meetup open at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 16. If you would like to sign up before then, please email us at slchikingnature.campingtrips@gmail.com

General Overview:
Damon and Jordan will be leading this trip. Dinosaur National Monument is near Vernal, UT and about 3.5 hours from Salt Lake. This is a 3-day-2-night trip. We will be hiking between 6 and 12 miles a day with some long drives to reach destinations for the trip. Hikes will range from short walks to breathtaking viewpoints, to longer multi-mile hikes with petroglyphs, waterfalls, and other offshoot observations and all things in between. It will also include a high-clearance vehicle only set of trails, so we will be needing to coordinate these logistics once we see who all signs up.

Tentative Hiking & Viewing Itinerary:
Friday May 9: Day 1 (optional): Arrive at Dinosaur Quarry Museum by 3:30 p.m. to tour the Museum.
Thereafter, we will hike two of the three following trails (those arriving later than 3:30 are welcome to join for one or both hikes):
Desert Voices Nature Trail: 2.3 miles, 270 ft of elevation gain Desert Voices Nature Trail and Split Mountain Campground, Utah - 194 Reviews, Map | AllTrails
Sound of Silence Trail: 3.2 miles, 325 ft of elevation gain
Sound of Silence Trail, Utah - 545 Reviews, Map | AllTrails
Hog & Box Canyon: 1.8 miles, 390 ft of elevation gain
Hog Canyon and Box Canyon Trails, Utah - 315 Reviews, Map | AllTrails

Saturday, May 10 (Day 2): Dinosaur National Monument of Colorado Section (carpooling required):
We will leave camp early and head over to the Colorado side of Dinosaur National Monument (around 2 hour drive). In Dinosaur, the plan will consist of four destinations, dependent on exact road conditions and travel time, (1) Yampa Bench overlook trail/drive with viewpoints (requires high-clearance vehicles); (2) Whispering Cave, Pool Creek Petroglyphs and Echo Park; (3) Harper’s Corner; and (4) Ruble Point Trail.
Yampa Bench: Driving Route with viewpoint: Yampa Bench Road OHV Trail, Colorado - 5 Reviews, Map | AllTrails
Echo Park Confluence River Walk: 1.25 miles https://www.nps.gov/thingstodo/hike-the-confluence-trail.htm
Harpers Corner: 2.1 miles, 300 ft of elevation gain Harpers Corner Trail, Colorado - 532 Reviews, Map | AllTrails
Ruble Point Trail: Up to 9.2 miles with 1000 ft of elevation gain (depending on time)
Ruple Point Trail, Utah - 64 Reviews, Map | AllTrails

Sunday, May 11 (Day 3): Jones Hole by day, Moonshine Arch by early evening (optional):
We will leave camp around 8:00 am to drive to the Jones Hole trailhead, which is around 1 hour, 20 minutes from Jensen, UT. Jones Hole covers 7.6 miles with multiple stopping points along the way depending on weather conditions and water levels. We anticipate finishing Jones Hole by around 3 p.m.
After we complete the Jones Hole hike, we will pack into vehicles and head to Moonshine Arch, which is just North of Vernal. This is an optional short 1.5 mile round trip hike to a beautiful standalone arch. Those who wish to head home after Jones Hole, are welcome to do so.
Jones Hole: 7.5 miles, 600 ft elevation gain Jones Hole Trail, Utah - 281 Reviews, Map | AllTrails
Moonshine Arch (optional): 1.5 miles, 250 ft elevation gain: Moonshine Arch, Utah - 1,030 Reviews, Map | AllTrails

Camping: We plan to disperse camp. The exact location is TBD depending on weather and road conditions connecting the Utah and Colorado portions of Dinosaur National Monument. If direct roads (Blue Mountain and Echo Park) are passable, we will likely camp on BLM land between the two portions of the National Monument. If, however, the area has seen rain and 4x4 roads are questionable such that we need to drive via Dinosaur, Colorado, then we will disperse camp just outside Jensen. Below are links to possible camp locations. Our hope/plan is to not have to move camp during the trip. Finally, you are welcome to get a hotel in Vernal; however, it is on you to arrive at camp at the scheduled departure time each morning.
Green River/Jensen (near Jensen, UT Welcome Center) iOverlander | Red Wash Road off Hwy 40
Miner's Draw Rd iOverlander | BLM land on Miner’s Draw
Blue Mountain Rd iOverlander | Dinosaur Cliffs Sunset View
Harper's Corner (Colorado, in event roads really require moving camp) iOverlander | 360’ view

Costs: To cover gas and mileage expenses, if you do not have a high clearance vehicle that we use for Day 2, you will need to pay your driver between $10 and $20, depending on how many folks we fit into each vehicle. There is also an entry fee, covered by a national parks pass, for Dinosaur National Monument. We will try and put a pass in each carpool, but you'll need one if joining on Friday or if leaving straight from Jones Hole, such that you'd be driving yourself Sunday.

Supply Information: You are responsible for bringing all the supplies you will need for three days and two nights of camping and hiking. Be prepared to experience high temperatures in the 80s and low temps in the 30s. There is no access to food outlets while in the Monument, so please plan to bring snacks/lunch/beverage items for lunches and hiking stops accordingly.

Attendee Cap: We hope to offer 20 spots on the trip. This is somewhat dependent on how many people with high clearance vehicles sign up for the trip. Those with high clearance vehicles may be given preference. Please note your vehicle and number of seatbelts when signing up. We further hope to reserve 1/4 of the spots for people who have never attended a prior trip. As a result of these parameters, the cap limit listed on the event is set to less than 20.

Spreadsheet Requirement: Once we have a full trip, we will send out a link to a spreadsheet. Having some basic info on everyone's arrival time, departure plans, vehicle info, and camping preferences is essential to our ability to run the trip. Timely completing the spreadsheet is your way of securing your spot on the trip.

Cancelation Policy: Out of respect for those on the waitlist and to account for the work it takes to replan logistics when there is a cancelation, if you sign up for the trip and cancel after April 13 or miss one of the days of the trip without preapproval, there is a $40 cancelation fee. The fee must be paid by June 9, 2025. The cancelation fee goes toward covering the groups yearly Meetup subscription, which has more than doubled in the last year.