Dinosaur National Monument was first established in 1915 to protect a large collection of dinosaur fossils discovered in a quarry in northeastern Utah, near Vernal. In 1938 it was greatly expanded from its original 80 acre site to its present size (about 210,000 acres, or 330 square miles) by protecting the canyons and watersheds along the Green and the Yampa Rivers in northwestern Colorado. At present, it is a wonderful national treasure that protects Jurassic age large dinosaur fossils, many more ancient marine fossils, archaeological sites that are at least 10 centuries old, geological sites that are as fascinating as they are beautiful, and river corridors that protect two important tributaries to the mighty Colorado. So roughly, there is the large Canyon section of the park, which includes two rivers, almost completely in Colorado, and the smaller Fossil section, which is almost completely in Utah.

The Canyon Section: Drove to spots that overlook the Green River, where we'd be kayaking and rafting in the following days. Fun to see Steamboat Rock, Whirlpool Canyon, the Mitten Uplift, a nd Split Mountain before and after paddling through them at river level! We squashed a few thousand "Mormon Crickets" who were crossing the road on our way. May they RIP.