We explored Dinosaur National Monument, which spans two states and divides into two distinct sections: Utah’s Fossil Bone Quarry and Colorado’s Harpers Corner.
Our visit began with the Fossil Bone Quarry in Utah’s section of the Dinosaur National Monument, where dinosaurs are the main attraction.
Then, we explored the Colorado side, including Harpers Corner. This are is celebrated for its scenery of the canyons and Yampa and Green rivers.
Here we provide details on our visit to the Harpers Corner area, including details on how to drive down to Echo Park by the Green river.
Driving to Echo Park via Harpers Corner involves a paved drive with scenic views, followed by a steep, unpaved road to Echo Park. The park recommends high-clearance vehicles, especially as the road can become impassable when wet.
Canyon Visitor Center
There is a smaller visitor center for the Colorado section of the Dinosaur National Monument.
It is referred to as the “Canyon Visitor Center” to distinguish it from the Fossil Bone Quarry Visitor Center located in Utah.
The Canyon Visitor Center is located at 4545 US-40, Dinosaur, Colorado 81610.
Harpers Corner Road
To access the beautiful Echo Park area of the Dinosaur National Monument, you’ll drive approximately 30 miles on Harpers Corner Road, which is the road on which the Canyon Visitor Center is located in Dinosaur, Colorado.
Any passenger vehicle can drive on this regular paved road.
For the next phase of the journey you’ll need a high-clearance 4×4 vehicle.
You’ll drive about 12 miles on a dirt road that becomes impassable when wet.
Four-wheel drive will be required in some sections.
To Begin the Drive on Harpers Corner Road
From Harpers Corner Road heading away from the Canyon Visitor Center, turn right when you see the sign for Echo Park.
Most RVs will not make it, but we did see a number of truck campers and specially designed travel trailers and campervans along the way that navigated the terrain without any problems.
They were on their way to the Echo Park Campground at the end off the dirt road and along the Green River with some incredible scenery.
If your RV setup allows for 4×4 driving, this is a beautiful spot to camp.
With our Airstream, we couldn’t make the drive with the travel trailer, but we did drive it in our pickup truck.
There are signs warning that passenger cars and travel trailers are not advised for this dirt road in Harpers Corner.
The road will start out fairly steep but eventually flattens out a bit.
Your drive down the dirt road will take you along steep cliffs down to the Green River and beautiful scenery, including the picturesque Steamboat Rock along the Green River.
Drive Down to Echo Park
The beginning of the road down to Echo Park is shown below.
The dirt and gravel road will take you through varied terrain, including grassy fields, steep canyon cliffs, and some large boulders.
After driving down to the near bottom of the canyon, you’ll see a sign for Echo Park to the left for four miles. Take this left.
From there the drive gets really beautiful in Harpers Corner. You’ll drive through large rocks and canyon walls.
Chew Ranch
You’ll come across an old ranch that was inhabited by the Chew family for three generations in Harpers Corner.
They homesteaded in this area from 1910 and raised 12 children here at the ranch.
They raised sheep and cattle on the land until 1966 when the family sold the 1,900 acres of the ranch to the National Park Service to become part of the Dinosaur National Monument.
We found an interesting tidbit from the Chew ranch. Check out this old outhouse.
It has two seats, which is, well, very interesting.
Upon further investigation, it turns out that many outhouses are built with a large and a smaller seat.
One is for adults and the other is for children. Here’s hoping that’s the case with the Chew ranch outhouse too!
Petroglyphs
After passing the Chew ranch and its two-seated outhouse, you’ll come across some petroglyphs on cliffs along the road.
The petroglyphs are right along the road with no hike required in Harpers Corner.
Echo Park
You’ll keep driving through the pretty scenery and more canyon walls before you come to the Echo Park Campground.
Once you make it to the valley area by the campground, you’ll find dry camping sites and a ranger station.
The Green River goes right through here, and there were people swimming in the river when we hiked by.
There are regulations concerning who can access the Green River in this area with a boat, so be sure to investigate that further before planning to raft, kayak, or canoe in this area.
A sign warns visitors about the permit requirements.
Amenities in the Echo Park Area
The Echo Park area has pit toilets and a fresh water source, along with picnic tables for campers and day visitors.
These are both located near the Green River access point in Harpers Corner.
There is plenty of parking available for campers and day visitors.
Plan to spend several hours making the drive down to the Green River from the Canyon Visitor Center and back again.
The scenery is beautiful, but it does take time to get there and requires that you have the right kind of vehicle.
There are plenty of hikes in the area, but we did not have time to do any on this visit.
Some types of small, high-clearance off-road campers might make it okay, but our large 27 foot Airstream definitely would not!
Final Thoughts on Harpers Corner
We enjoyed our drive through the Colorado Harpers Corner section of the Dinosaur National Monument. It features some beautiful scenery, with a perfect spot for a picnic next to the Green River.
We recommend visiting both sides of Dinosaur National Monument in order to appreciate what both have to offer!
