Dinosaurland & Eastern Utah

Dinosaurland & Eastern Utah Travel Guide

The rugged beauty of Utah's eastern corner, wedged neatly between Wyoming above and Colorado to the east, is the reward for those willing to take the road less traveled. Neither I-80 nor I-70 enter this part of the state, so most visitors who pass through the western United States never even see it. That, of course, is part of its appeal. Small towns, rural attitudes, and a more casual and friendly approach to life are all part of the eastern Utah experience.

Eastern Utah is most spectacular when viewed out-of-doors. It's home to great boating and fishing at Flaming Gorge, Red Fleet, Steinaker, and Starvation reservoirs. Hundreds of miles of hiking and mountain-biking trails (often available to cross-country skiers, snowmobilers, or snowshoers in winter) crisscross the region. The Green and Yampa rivers entice white-water rafters as well as less ambitious float-trippers. The pine- and aspen-covered Uinta (pronounced You-in-tah) Mountains reveal hidden, pristine lakes and streams to campers and hikers. Even if you don't get out of your car, exploring this region takes you through vast red rock basins, over high mountain passes, and between geologic folds in the earth.

This area of Utah was home to Native American cultures long before the first European fur trappers and explorers arrived. Cliff walls and boulders throughout the region are dotted with thousands of examples of rock art of the Fremont people (AD 300 to 1300), so called because they inhabited the region near the Fremont River. Today the Uintah and Ouray Reservation is the second largest in the United States and covers a significant portion of eastern Utah, though much of the reservation's original land grant was reclaimed by the U.S. government for its mineral and timber resources. The Ute tribe, whose 3,000-some members inhabit the land, hold powwows and other cultural ceremonies, which help visitors understand their way of life.

Museums throughout the region are full of pioneer relics, and you'll find several restored homesteads in and near Vernal. You'll also be able to unearth the dinosaur legacy that's made eastern Utah one of the most important paleontological research areas in the world. You'll discover the rich mining and railroad history of the Price-Helper area. And, of course, you'll hear story after story of outlaws, robberies, mine disasters, and heroic deeds everywhere you go.