Tracking Dinosaurs Across Utah

Arrive in Salt Lake City and collect your rental car.

Drop in at the Natural History Museum of Utah, a superb showcase of the state’s natural wonders. Later, drive to the George S Eccles Dinosaur Park which features 125 life-size outdoor dinosaur sculptures. (B)

The North American Museum of Ancient Life at Thanksgiving Point has hands-on interactive displays, expansive murals and soundtracks. Brigham Young University Museum of Palaeontology in Provo is world renowned for its collection of late Jurassic and early Cretaceous dinosaurs. (B)

Today’s highlight is the Dinosaur National Monument, where you can view over 1500 partially exposed and embedded dinosaur bones right in the side of the mountain. Afterwards, visit the Utah Field House of Natural History, home to a 27-metre replica of a Diplodocus that was found in the area. (B)

Set off for Moab and stop at the Prehistoric Museum in Price to view the eight complete dinosaur skeletons plus dinosaur eggs on display. Later, visit the Cleveland Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry, home to the world’s greatest concentration of Jurassic dinosaur bones - with over 12,000 uncovered here. (B)

Most famous for its proximity to Arches and Canyonlands National Parks, Moab also has great dinosaur attractions. The Mill CanyonDinosaur Trail and Copper Ridge Dinosaur Trackway are excellent trails that follow dinosaur footprints through open country. In the afternoon visit Moab Giants, where you can try your hand at uncovering fossils from the sandboxes alongside the track. (B)

Blanding Dinosaur Museum has fossilised skin, eggs, footprints and beautifully presented sculptures. Blanding also has an amazing record of early human habitation in the area. The Edge of Cedars Museum has a large collection of Ancestral Puebloan pottery and an authentic Puebloan village. Hovenweep National Monument is a seriesof villages indicating 10,000 years of human settlement. (B)

Enjoy the scenic drive to Monument Valley via Natural Bridges National Monument, which has three of the largest rock arches in the world. Later, stop at Goosenecks State Park and see where the San Juan River has carved deep gorges into the plateau. Arrive at Monument Valley to watch the sunset. (B)

Pass the western tip of Lake Powell and skirt the southern edge of Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument. The NationalMonument’s Interpretive Centre in nearby Big Water was built in the form of an ammonite fossil. (B)

Spend some time exploring Zion National Park on your way to St George. If time permits, enjoy a hike through the Narrows, or to Angels Landing. (B)

Your final dinosaur destination is the Dinosaur Discovery Site at Johnson’s Farm, with 2000 of the oldest, best preserved tracks in the world. Continue to Las Vegas for your last night. (B)

Your dinosaur adventure ends this morning. Head home or add additional nights in Las Vegas.