Hiking the Green River Trail in Dinosaur National Monument: Canyon Walls, Riverside Miles, and Dinosaur Country

Most people come to Dinosaur National Monument for the fossils. The Quarry Exhibit Hall is the draw, a wall of actual dinosaur bones left embedded in the rock face exactly where they were found 150 million years ago. But the monument is also canyon country, the Green River cutting deep through red and orange sandstone on its way south, and the Green River Trail follows it through some of the best riparian desert scenery in Utah.

Quick Facts

How to Get There

Dinosaur National Monument straddles the Utah-Colorado border, with the main Utah entrance near Jensen. From Jensen, take US-40 east about 7 miles and watch for the monument entrance signs. Follow Harpers Corner Road into the monument and continue to the Green River Campground, where the trailhead begins. The route is paved throughout. Stop at the Dinosaur Quarry Visitor Center on the way in to pick up a trail map and check current conditions.

Parking Information

Parking is at the Green River Campground lot, well-signed and spacious. Monument entry is $25 per vehicle. The America the Beautiful Annual Pass covers the fee. Pay at the entrance station or at the self-pay kiosk. The lot fills during summer peak hours but is rarely a problem if you arrive before 9 a.m. No overflow issues on most weekdays.

Cell Service and Navigation

Cell coverage in the Jensen area is limited and drops out entirely inside the monument canyon corridors. Download offline maps before you leave Vernal or Jensen. AllTrails and Gaia GPS both cover the Green River Trail. The trail is straightforward and easy to follow alongside the river, but having a downloaded map is good practice in any national monument where ranger support is spread across a large area. No navigation challenges on this one once you’re at the trailhead.

What to Expect on the Green River Trail

The River

The trail follows the Green River from the campground trailhead, staying close to the water through the flat canyon bottom. The riverbank is lush compared to the surrounding desert, cottonwood and willows lining the water’s edge with dense green canopy that provides shade unavailable on the exposed canyon walls above. The river moves steadily through this section, wide and calm enough for rafts in summer, and the sound of it carries the whole way along the trail.

The Canyon Walls

The visual story of the Green River Trail is the contrast. Vibrant green riverbank, towering red-orange sandstone canyon walls, deep blue sky above the rim. The rock layers in this section of Dinosaur National Monument tell hundreds of millions of years of geologic history in visible strata. Early morning light catches the east-facing walls first and the colors are at their best before midday when everything flattens out. Late afternoon reverses it, the western walls lighting up warm before the canyon drops into shadow.

Wildlife and History

The riparian corridor along the Green River is productive for wildlife. Mule deer, river otters, and a wide variety of migratory birds use the cottonwood gallery along the bank. Great blue herons are common at the water’s edge in early morning. The canyon walls above the trail also hold evidence of the region’s cultural history, petroglyphs and pictographs left by the Fremont people who lived here more than a thousand years ago. Stay on trail and do not touch any rock art you encounter.

Trail Difficulty and Length

The Green River Trail is 2.7 miles round trip with 341 feet of elevation gain. The terrain is mostly flat along the river bottom with gradual inclines on the approach from the campground. It is one of the most accessible trails in Dinosaur National Monument and appropriate for all fitness levels including families with young children. Trail shoes or even sturdy sneakers handle the surface fine. The river adds a flash flood consideration in summer when upstream thunderstorms can raise water levels quickly. Check conditions with monument rangers before hiking in July and August.

Dog Friendly?

The Green River Trail is one of the few dog-friendly trails in Dinosaur National Monument. Dogs are allowed on leash throughout. The flat terrain and river access make this one of the better options in the monument for bringing a dog. Bring water for your dog even with the river nearby, letting dogs drink from the river is not recommended due to seasonal water quality. The summer heat in the canyon bottom builds fast by midday. Start early with dogs and watch for warm trail surface. Pack out all waste.

What to Bring

At least 2 liters of water per person. Summer temperatures in the canyon regularly hit the 90s and the exposed sections offer no shade. Sunscreen, a hat, and sunglasses for the open river sections. Lightweight trail shoes or hikers. A camera, the canyon wall reflections in the river at golden hour are worth setting up for. Binoculars for birdwatching along the riparian corridor.

Best Time to Hike the Green River Trail

Spring (April through June) and fall (September through November) are the ideal windows. Mild temperatures, low river levels, and the cottonwoods in full leaf in spring. Fall turns the riparian corridor golden and the canyon light deepens in October. Summer works with an early start, aim to be on trail before 8 a.m. and off the exposed sections before noon. Afternoon thunderstorms in July and August can raise river levels quickly and make the lower trail sections muddy or impassable. Check current conditions at the visitor center before heading out in monsoon season. Winter is possible but cold in the canyon bottom and potentially icy on the shadowed sections near the river.

Rules and Regulations

The Green River Trail sits within Dinosaur National Monument, a federally managed area under NPS jurisdiction. Stay on the designated trail. The riparian vegetation along the river is fragile and slow to recover from off-trail foot traffic. Do not disturb or collect any fossils, rocks, or cultural artifacts. This is federal land and fossil or artifact collection carries serious penalties. No campfires along the trail corridor. Practice Leave No Trace throughout. Monument entry fees apply to all visitors.

Where to Stay Near Dinosaur National Monument

Vernal, Utah is the primary gateway city, about 20 miles west of the monument entrance near Jensen. Vernal has a full range of lodging options from chain hotels to local properties. The Flaming Gorge Resort in Dutch John, Utah is about an hour north and a solid base for combining Dinosaur National Monument with a Flaming Gorge trip. For points travelers, check available Marriott Bonvoy properties in Vernal, IHG Rewards hotels in Vernal, and Hilton Honors options in the area.

Camping Nearby

The Green River Campground at the trailhead is the most convenient camping option and puts you steps from the trail at first light. Sites are first-come, first-served and fill in summer. Split Mountain Campground is another developed NPS campground nearby with river access. For dispersed camping, the Ashley National Forest north of Vernal offers free BLM and forest land options with no fee and a 14-day limit. The Flaming Gorge Resort area has both developed campgrounds and some dispersed pull-offs along the reservoir corridor.

Nearby Adventures

The Dinosaur Quarry Exhibit Hall is the non-negotiable stop at Dinosaur National Monument, a wall of 1,500 dinosaur bones left in the sandstone exactly where paleontologists found them, with rangers on-site to explain what you’re seeing. The Harpers Corner Trail is a 2.3-mile out-and-back to a dramatic peninsula overlook above the confluence of the Green and Yampa Rivers, one of the best canyon overlooks in the monument. The Sound of Silence Trail is 3 miles with 324 feet of gain, winding through desert terrain above the canyon on the Colorado side of the monument. For water-based adventure, guided rafting trips on the Green River through the monument are available from outfitters in Vernal, ranging from easy scenic floats to technical whitewater depending on the section. The Fantasy Canyon badlands area near Vernal is a short drive and one of the more surreal landscape experiences in Utah, eroded clay formations in a remote BLM area worth an afternoon.

Plan This Hike

AllTrails has the Green River Trail documented with GPS tracking and current condition reports from recent hikers. Download the offline map before leaving Vernal since cell service drops inside the monument. The Dinosaur Quarry Visitor Center also provides current trail information and monument maps at the entrance. Plan your hike on AllTrails.

Chase the Quiet

I sat at the turnaround point on the Green River Trail for a while, where the canyon walls closed in and the river bent out of sight. The sound of the water was constant, the canyon completely still otherwise. Dinosaur country. Tens of millions of years of layered rock on both sides, a river that carved through all of it, and me with a cup of coffee watching a great blue heron work the shallows. Some mornings earn their keep before 9 a.m.

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