Dinosaur, CO and Jensen, UT - Following guidance from the White House, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and state and local public health authorities, Dinosaur National Monument is increasing access by reopening monument visitor centers and the Dinosaur Quarry Exhibit Hall. The National Park Service (NPS) is working with federal, state, and local public health authorities to closely monitor the COVID-19 pandemic and using a phased approach to increase access on a park-by-park basis.
Beginning Tuesday, June 30, 2020, Dinosaur will reopen the Canyon Visitor Center near Dinosaur, Colorado and the Quarry Visitor Center and Quarry Exhibit Hall near Jensen, Utah. The visitor centers will be open 9 am to 5 pm daily and the exhibit hall 9 am to 4:45 pm daily for this summer. Theaters in the monument visitor centers will remain closed at this time and the film will not be available. Visitors will be able to access exhibits, a staffed information desk, and sales outlets for the Intermountain Natural History Association.
Capacity on the shuttle to the Quarry Visitor Center on the Utah side of the monument will be set at 30 people entering every 15 minutes to allow for recommended social distancing between groups. Parking capacity at the Quarry Visitor Center will also be closely monitored to manage facility capacity. If you arrive and the available parking is full, we invite you to enjoy other parts of the monument such as petroglyph sites, hiking trails, or the Josie Morris Homestead Cabin until parking becomes available at the Quarry Visitor Center. Peak visitation times at the Quarry Exhibit Hall are 10 am to 2 pm. We are encouraging visitors to plan their visit outside these times if possible.
Visitors are encouraged to practice social distancing both indoors and outdoors and wear a face covering when they are unable to maintain a social distance of at least six feet from other individuals or groups.
Campgrounds, river trips, backcountry camping, and all roads and trails are currently open in the monument.
With the reopening of the visitor centers and the Quarry Exhibit Hall, collection of monument entrance fees will resume. Entrance fees are required of all visitors recreating in the monument whether they are visiting the Quarry Exhibit Hall or not. We are encouraging the use of credit or debit cards instead of cash for payment of fees at the monument entrance station. You can also pay online for our new digital pass at recreation.gov prior to your visit. Fee revenues fund a wide variety of projects such as trail work, bathroom renovations, and new exhibits that improve park facilities and visitor experiences.
With public health in mind and due to the increased requirements of visitor use management, the following operations remain suspended at this time:
* All ranger-guided programs including night sky programs are suspended until further notice.
* Theaters in the visitor centers will remain closed and the monument film will not be shown.
The health and safety of our visitors, employees, volunteers, and partners continues to be paramount. While the majority of our operations are now open, we will continue to work closely with the NPS Office of Public Health using CDC guidance to ensure that public areas and workspaces are safe and clean for visitors, employees, partners, and volunteers. Adjustments to our operations may be necessary in response to the COVID-19 pandemic as situations change. Visitors should check the monument website for any updates.
The CDC has offered guidance to help people recreating in parks and open spaces prevent the spread of infectious diseases. We will continue to monitor all monument functions to ensure that visitors adhere to CDC guidance for mitigating risks associated with the transmission of COVID-19 and take any additional steps necessary to protect public health. When recreating, the public should follow state and local area health orders. Best practice precautions include the practice of social distancing, avoiding crowds, wearing face coverings when social distancing is not possible, and avoiding high-risk outdoor activities.
We will notify the public of changing conditions, access, and activities by providing updates on our website www.nps.gov/dino and social media channels @DinosaurNPS on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Updates about overall NPS operations will be posted on www.nps.gov/coronavirus
Tags: covid-19 coronavirus dinosaur national monument colorado utah
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
