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Charlie's Backcountry Camping Page

Welcome to Charlie Roberts' (that's me) page about backcountry camping.

Don't go out in the wilderness without the items below.

FOOD
Bring plenty of granola bars for snacks, they're a perfect high energy good tasting hiking food. You've probably tried those energy bars and if you're a normal person they make you puke.

STEEL WIRE
Steel wire is an excellent substitute for screws, bolts, or any other type of fastener.

FLASH LIGHT
What ever type of lamp you bring make sure it's very dependable. You don't need one that shines very far, you need it mostly around the camp site to find things in the dark.

DUCT TAPE
Perfect for fixing a broken shoe or to fix supports around a broken leg. Even if you don't break your legs or your shoes, duct tape will still come in handy for fixing pretty much anything.

MULTI PURPOSE TOOL
It's a good idea to have two multipurpose tools, one small one with the bare essentials that you always carry in your pocket and one larger one with more features that you carry in your pack.

CAMPSTOVE
I used to carry stove fuel with me up the mountain just like everybody else until I saw someone using a wood powered Trailstove. I bought one and haven't used anything else since. It always works perfectly and you don't need to bring any fuel with you.

TARP
Bring a small tarp with you to make a shelter from the elements.

DEADFALL TRAP

This type of trap is very effective but it will kill the animal that gets caught in the trap, so if you decide not to eat it you killed an animal for nothing. Only make a deadfall trap in an emergency.

You need the following things: A heavy log, a round rock, a sturdy stick about 1 to 2 feet long, a thinner stiff stick about a foot long.

Lift one end of the log up and support it with the sturdy stick. The sturdy stick in turn should be standing on top of the round rock. One end of the smaller stiff stick is placed between the rock and the sturdy stick, the other end should be suspended in the air right under the log, the stiff stick should be roughly horizontal.

Carefully place the bait on the stiff stick.

To make the trap more stable and more difficult to trigger you can cut the part of the stiff bait stick flat where it rests between the rock and the sturdy stick. You can also cut the bottom of the sturdy stick flat, it all depends on what size animal you are trying to kill.

Dinosaur National Monument

Dinosaur, CO

In his book, The Immense Journey, Loren Eisley wrote, "Once in a lifetime, perhaps, one escapes the actual confines of the flesh. Once in a lifetime, if one is lucky, one so merges with sunlight and air and running water that whole eons, the eons that mountains and deserts know, might pass in a single afternoon without discomfort."

This is Echo Park, named by John Wesley Powell in 1869 during his first scientific expedition into the Colorado Plateau. It is here that the Yampa River, the last free flowing river in the Colorado River System, joins the Green River. This is home and critical habitat for the endangered peregrine falcon, bald eagle, Colorado pikeminnow, and razorback sucker. Indian rock art in Echo Park testifies to the allure these canyons and rivers had for prehistoric people. In 1825, William H. Ashley and his fur trappers were the first Europeans to enter Echo Park. In 1883, Patrick Lynch, a hermit, was the first to homestead in this canyon.

CONTACTS

Email - DINO_Superintendent@nps.gov

Fax- 970-374-3003

Write to
Dinosaur National Monument
4545 E. Highway 40
Dinosaur, CO 81610-9724

- or -
Dinosaur National Monument (Quarry)
11625 East 1500 South
Jensen, UT 84035

Phone
Headquarters - (970)374-3000
Visitor Information - (435)789-2115

TRAVEL BASICS

Operating Hours, Seasons
Trails, auto tours, campgrounds, and backcountry areas are open all year unless closed by weather conditions.

Getting There
PLANE - Flying in to Grand Junction, CO or Salt Lake City, UT would probably be the least expencive way to fly to Dinosaur. It is roughly a 3 hour drive from Salt Lake to the park in a rental vehicle, just over 2 hours from Grand Junction. Vernal, UT does have an airport and a few flights shuttle between it at Salt Lake every day.

CAR - The popular Fossil Bone Quarry area of the park is only a 30 minute drive east from Vernal, Utah. Take Rt. 40 (Main Street) east out of Vernal until a well marked turn left/north from Jensen, UT onto Rt. 149. 7 miles later you reach the park.

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION - There are no transportation services to the park such as a taxi or bus. You must have your own transportation. For private river runners vehicle and passenger shuttle service is available from Wilkins Bus lines (435) 789-2476 and River Runners Transport (435) 781-1120.

Weather & Climate
The day-to-day weather conditions are highly variable at Dinosaur National Monument. They change not only with the season, but with time of day and where you are.

Accessibility
Although The Fossil Bone Quarry is only somewhat wheelchair accessible, there are campsites, picnic areas, and scenic trails that are.

FEES/PERMITS

Entrance Fee
ANNUAL PASS
$20 for Annual
The Annual Pass allows the holder and all guests in their vehicle to enter the park for one year. Fees only collected at the Dinosaur Quarry area on the Utah side of the park.

FAMILY VEHICLE
$10 for 7 Days
Fee covers everyone in a single private vehicle. Fees only collected at the Dinosaur Quarry area on the Utah side of the park.

HIKE-IN OR BICYCLE
$5 for 7 Days
$5 / person for those hearty enought to hike or bike to the park! Fees only collected at the Dinosaur Quarry area on the Utah side of the park.

MOTORCYCLE
$5 for 7 Days
$10 for motorcycles with 2nd rider. Fees only collected at the Dinosaur Quarry area on the Utah side of the park.

Permits
RIVER PERMIT

Fees and non-commercial river permits are required for private white water river trips on the Green and Yampa rivers within the park. For information on fees, equipment and experience requirements, and how to apply for the permit lottery, call (970) 374-2468 or click "More Info" for the river information web page.

CAMPING

Deerlodge
Open All Year
(53 miles east of Headquarters)- no fee, 8 sites, handles tents, is shaded, no drinking water, vault toilets, tables and fireplaces, and is open all year.

Echo Park
(38 miles north of Headquarters) Newly renovated, $6.00/night, 17 campsites, including 1 handicap accessible, plus 4 walk-in sites and one group site. Water and vault toilets, handles tents. Check with a ranger on present fire use policy. Access is dependent upon weather, the last 13 miles of road are unpaved and impassable when wet. The road also requires high-clearance vehicles, RVs and trailers are STRONGLY DISCOURAGED. Closed by snow in winter.

Gates of Lodore
Open All Year
(106 miles north of Headquarters) - $5 per night, handles tents and RVs, has some shade, drinking water, vault toilets, tables and fireplaces, and is open all year.

Green River
Open From 04/01/01 To 10/01/00
(5 miles east of Dinosaur Quarry) - $12 per night, has 88 sites, handles tents and RVs, is well shaded, usually has drinking water but does not for the 2000 summer season because of a water line break. Some areas will be closed for water line construction, water will not be available. No fees will be charged until construction is complete. Has modern restrooms, tables and fireplaces, firewood for sale, and ranger talks at the campground campfire circle. It is open approximately April to October.

Rainbow Park
Open All Year
(26 miles from Dinosaur Quarry on unpaved road) - no fee, 2 sites, handles tents, no water, vault toilet, tables and fireplaces, and is open all year. Road to campground is impassable when wet.

Split Mountain
Open All Year
(4 miles east of Dinosaur Quarry) In the summer this campground is for group camping only, but is otherwise open all year. The campground has group camping fees, 4 sites, can handle tents, is shaded, has drinking water, modern restrooms, tables and fireplaces, and firewood for sale. Call (435) 781-7759 to reserve a group campsite.
For More Information on this campground please call (435) 781-7759

FACILITIES

Museums
DINOSAUR QUARRY VISITOR CENTER
Open All Year
Phone - 435-789-2115

Visitor Centers
HEADQUARTERS VISITOR CENTER
Open All Year
Location - 2 miles east of Dinosaur, Colorado on Hwy 40
Closures - Open daily 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., during the summer. Winter hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays, closed on weekends and holidays. There is no entance fee.
Exhibits - Exhibits and a 10-minute orientation program provide information about the monument's scenic canyon country.

Some content donated by Hikercentral.com and the National Park Service

FOOD		Bring plenty of granola bars for snacks, they're a perfect high energy good tasting hiking food. You've probably tried those energy bars and if you're a normal person they make you puke.
STEEL WIRE		Steel wire is an excellent substitute for screws, bolts, or any other type of fastener.
FLASH LIGHT		What ever type of lamp you bring make sure it's very dependable. You don't need one that shines very far, you need it mostly around the camp site to find things in the dark.
DUCT TAPE		Perfect for fixing a broken shoe or to fix supports around a broken leg. Even if you don't break your legs or your shoes, duct tape will still come in handy for fixing pretty much anything.
MULTI PURPOSE TOOL		It's a good idea to have two multipurpose tools, one small one with the bare essentials that you always carry in your pocket and one larger one with more features that you carry in your pack.
CAMPSTOVE		I used to carry stove fuel with me up the mountain just like everybody else until I saw someone using a wood powered Trailstove. I bought one and haven't used anything else since. It always works perfectly and you don't need to bring any fuel with you.
TARP		Bring a small tarp with you to make a shelter from the elements.