A wall of about 1,500 dinosaur bones, with places to touch real fossils, at the Quarry Exhibit Hall on the Utah side near Jensen. The park lists sensory items such as noise-cancelling earmuffs or fidget toys among the things it may be able to lend on request: ask a ranger.
Sensory supports. Sensory items such as earmuffs or fidgets the park may lend on request, fossils to touch, drive if the shuttle is too much.
Hours
The monument can be accessed 24 hours. Quarry Visitor Center and Quarry Exhibit Hall: open every day, 9 am to 5 pm in spring and fall, 10 am to 4 pm from December through February, and in summer (mid-May to late September) 8 am to 6 pm for the visitor center and 8 am to 5:30 pm for the hall. Both are closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year's Day. The Canyon Visitor Center in Colorado closes for winter and spring, typically from mid to late October until mid to late May.
Quarry Visitor Center, 11625 E 1500 S, Jensen, UT 84035 (the fossils are on this Utah side). Canyon Visitor Center: 4545 Hwy 40, Dinosaur, CO 81610 (Colorado side, no fossils)
This season · Fall (late September through November)
Quarry Visitor Center and Exhibit Hall: 9 am to 5 pm every day, closed Thanksgiving Day.
In seasons when the shuttle isn't running, visitors may drive to the Exhibit Hall; between October and April, visitors drive their own cars.
The Canyon Visitor Center in Colorado is open daily in its summer season, which typically lasts to late September; depending on staffing, it may be open Saturdays and Sundays after that. It closes for winter, typically in mid to late October.
Winter (December through February)
Quarry Visitor Center and Exhibit Hall: 10 am to 4 pm every day, closed Christmas Day and New Year's Day.
You drive your own car to the Exhibit Hall.
Harpers Corner Road in Colorado is typically closed from the end of December to mid-April, and the Canyon Visitor Center is closed.
Stay close“Diving and swimming in rivers is strongly discouraged” because “dangerously cold temperatures and strong currents can lead to disaster.”
Stay close“Never try to cross a stream or wash that is flooding.”
Stay close“Be careful near cliff edges, especially when conditions are wet or icy.”
Stay closePlug Hat Trail (Colorado side): “Many places along the Plug Hat Trail are near drop-offs without fences or barriers, so be careful.”
“Popular attractions like the Quarry Exhibit Hall or Josie Bassett's Cabin can get busy between 10am to 2pm” nps.gov
Fossil Discovery Trail: “There is no shade on this trail.” “Temperatures can exceed 100°F (38°C) in summer.” nps.gov
“All of the buildings and scenic overlooks in the monument meet the requirements of the Architectural Barriers Act (ABA).”
Start at the Quarry Visitor Center for the bathroom, then ride the shuttle or drive 3 minutes to the Exhibit Hall to see the wall of bones. That can be the whole visit. If your kid wants more and the weather is mild, the Fossil Discovery Trail also links the two buildings, but it is 1.2 miles one way with no shade, and it is not wheelchair or stroller accessible.
For a full-size copy your child can use, open this page at squaredsteps.com, tap Make it yours, then print.
More about Dinosaur National Monument
$25 per private vehicle, good for seven days; children under 16 don't need an entrance pass. The park prefers a credit or debit card; the Quarry Entrance Station takes cash or card. The park also lists free passes (among them the Access Pass for U.S. citizens and residents with a permanent disability, which covers everyone in the passholder's vehicle, the 4th Grade Pass and the Military Annual Pass; passholders show photo ID) and fee-free days on its fees page.
The park says some locations may have accessible items to borrow, you may be asked to sign a check-out form and give a phone number, and it may be able to do more if you let it know in advance (435-781-7700).
The Quarry Exhibit Hall has no elevator; a ramp connects the first and second floors, and a wheelchair is available to borrow on request.
Louder
The Quarry and the Fossil Discovery Trail (the park says they quickly become loud, confusing, and unsafe when multiple large groups visit at the same time)not stated
The Quarry Exhibit Hall between 10 am and 2 pm (the park says popular spots can get busy then, so you may need a quieter space to avoid crowds or full parking lots)not stated
Flush toilets: in the Quarry Visitor Center entryway (only when the building is open) and outside the Exhibit Hall, to the left of the shuttle shade shelter (open even when the hall is closed). Picnic areas along Harpers Corner Road have pit toilets.
Elevations within the park vary between 4,700 and 9,000 feet. Extreme winter lows may reach -40°F, and summer highs can top 110°F. The park says to drink 1 gallon (4 L) of water per day.
There are no restaurants in the monument, and some services may be over an hour away.
Cell service will not reach many areas of the monument.
If you type the monument's name into a GPS or map app, the park warns the destination may not be the one you want; it gives the Quarry Visitor Center address and coordinates on its directions page.
Rock art: the park asks you not to touch petroglyphs and pictographs.
Junior Ranger booklets (no activity fee) are at the Quarry Visitor Center, Quarry Exhibit Hall or Canyon Visitor Center, with one for readers (about ages 5 and up) and one for kids 5 and under.
Pets are not allowed on the shuttle or in any buildings.
