Dinosaur Land - Vernal, UT
This June we took a 3 day family vacation to Vernal, UT to explore all the great paleontological finds and beautiful topography of the area. We had a wonderful time with my Mom and our family staying at the perfect Air BnB on a ranch high up in the mountains, exploring local trails, and learning about dinosaur finds in the area. It was such a wonderful chance to reconnect as a family, try things outside of our usual comfort zones, and enjoy the beauty of nature. Not to mention, there is nothing like a good long car trip to bring some family togetherness. :)
Day 1
The Ranch!
After our prehistoric adventure downtown we drove 30 min out to the outskirts of Vernal to a beautiful ranch. This became our home base for the next 2 days. We drank in the beauty and solitude of the place. It was such a serene place and was such a wonderful experience. Plus, we got the use of 3 houses to sleep us all! Mom, Dad, Maeve, Owen, and John got to sleep in the main house. Grandma Phillips, Loyd, and Xavier got the 2 bedroom mini house, and Rebekah got the 1 bedroom tiny house all to herself. It was a teenager's dream!
The Main House
The Party House
Rebekah's cute little party house
Nightly we quickly embraced the tradition of making s'mores and relaxing at the stunning stone firepit. Dustin fell in love with the look of the stone benches around the firepit.
Our stunning vistas!
Drinking in the sunset from the Ranch!
Day 2
Day 2 was hiking extravaganza day! I scoured the the tourist books for all the best short, easy family hikes and this is what I came up with!
Hike 1 in the morning: The McConkie Ranch Petroglyphs
This 1 mile-ish hike took us to some of the most densely drawn petroglyphs from the Fremont Peoples, dating back over 1,000 years. It was a little hairy in some places, but everyone made the hike in one piece and loved seeing the ancient art.
After our first hike we drove an hour out to Fantasy Canyon. Some of us power napped in the car. Other of us got increasingly more concerned as the scenery became more and more desolate and arid, and the road disappeared, leaving us with a dirt trail to follow for the last 20 minutes. We finally arrived to the world's smallest canyon of rock outcroppings, a geological formation that supposedly exists no where else in the entire world. It was very hot. Very dry. There were signs in the bathrooms warning of pigmy rattlesnakes. And not an inch of shade to be found anywhere. Maeve declared in all sincerity, "This is what death feels like!" I fee like this stop was highly overhyped in the guide books.
Fantasy Canyon
Bekah dying on the inside at Fantasy Canyon
Owen LOVING fantasy canyon. He's pretty sure he could recreate it with Legos.
Hike 3: Moonshine Arch, late afternoon
The guide books said this one was "a short walk" from the trail head. I'm pretty sure we hiked uncertainly for 2 miles before finally finding the hidden arch. We were beginning to wonder about the people of Vernal at this point. We had to trick the kids to do this hike. After Fantasy Canyon we had lost any good will we had with the kids on our outdoor excursions so we had to sneak this one in on our way back to the ranch. Children were wilting along the trail, needing great amounts of water and encouragement to make it to the end. But, when we got to the arch they had a wonderful time running around through the arch and up and down the rocks to explore other caves. They may have complained getting there, once they arrived they were all happy they had done the treck. I was especially proud of John who walked all three hikes cheerfully and under his own steam. He didn't need to be carried even once. He was quite the trooper!
Moonshine Arch
Can you see the kids on top of the arch?
Day three was reserved for the Wall of Bones at t the Dinosaur National Monument. Following Federal Covic-19 protocols we reserved our tickets, packed our masks, and prepared to be wowed by this paleontological wonder.
Maeve touching a real dinosaur fossil!
The experience did not disappoint. It was amazing to see so many large fossils preserved so beautifully together. I'm sure glad we made the stop
On the way back to the car from the Dinosaur National Monument I snuck one more hike in. No one was happy about it except for me and Grandma, but they did it anyway. :) We took the 1.2 mile hike back to the large parking area from the Exhibit Hall known as the Dinosaur Discovery Trail. It was by far the best marked and easiest hike we took the entire trip.
Day 3
After all that dinosaur and hiking fun we drove 3 and half hours back home to Morgan. It was a great trip with lots of wonderful memories. When we asked the kids what their favorite part was they unanimously declared, "The Ranch!" What a fun trip and maybe one day we'll make it back again just for s'mores at the Ranch.
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