| Okay, so last year's vacation was to Disney | | | | |
| World. The year before that it was | | | | Ogden is located thirty-five miles north of |
| Disneyland. And the year before that it was | | | | Salt Lake City on the banks of the Weber |
| ... Disney World. Ready for a change? How | | | | River, and is home to a many dinosaur |
| about visiting a dinosaur this time? | | | | exhibits, including Ogden's Historic Union |
| | | | Station's Gem and Mineral Museum at 2501 Wall |
| The state of Utah is home to the biggest | | | | Ave. Here you'll find one of the world's |
| concentration of dinosaur exhibits in the | | | | oldest dinosaur eggs, estimated to be around |
| United States, so no matter where in Utah you | | | | 120 million years old. That's right, this |
| visit, you're probably a day trip away from | | | | egg's not for scrambling. The egg, however, |
| walking in the path of a prehistoric | | | | was not discovered in the Utah area, but, |
| dinosaur. | | | | rather, in China and later donated to the |
| | | | museum. There are several dinosaur bones, |
| Vernal, in northeastern Utah, is known as | | | | eggs and tracks from North America on |
| "Dinosaurland," and is home to the largest | | | | display. |
| quarry of prehistoric Jurassic dinosaur | | | | |
| bones. Although currently closed for repairs, | | | | Another good dinosaur exhibit near Ogden is |
| the Quarry at Dinosaur National Monument has | | | | the North American Museum of Ancient Life at |
| on display over 2,000 dinosaur fossils | | | | Thanksgiving Point. Here you'll find more |
| embedded and exposed in sandstone. The Quarry | | | | than near Ogden is home to the world's |
| boasts that they provide more complete | | | | largest dinosaur museum, the North American |
| skeletons, skulls, and bones of dinosaurs | | | | Museum of Ancient Life. With more than 60 |
| than any other quarry in the world. Visitors | | | | mounted dinosaur skeletons and thousands of |
| to The Dinosaur National Monument have over | | | | ancient fossils. You'll also find a six-story |
| 200,000 acres of land on which to hike, fish, | | | | movie screen and theater, which features 3-D |
| camp and river raft. | | | | movies and specialty films. |
| | | | |
| If you want to see life-size replicas of | | | | Moab, Utah |
| dinosaurs, the Utah Field House of Natural | | | | |
| History Museum near Vernal has a dinosaur | | | | If your travels take you to Moab, you have a |
| garden with 17 life-size replicas of | | | | few wonderful opportunities to view dinosaur |
| dinosaurs, including a 20-foot tall | | | | fossils up close. Just 13 miles north of Moab |
| Tyrannosaurus. You can also view displays of | | | | you can walk The Mill Canyon Dinosaur Trail, |
| ancient fossil skeletal reproductions, | | | | a self-guided trail where you can walk among |
| archaeological and geological exhibits, | | | | dinosaur fossils and actual dinosaur tracks |
| fluorescent minerals and other aspects of the | | | | left in the sedimentary rocks. |
| nearby Uinta Mountains and Uinta Basin. | | | | |
| | | | Moab has two exhibits with displays on |
| While Dinosaurland near Vernal is thought of | | | | archaeology, paleontology and dinosaur bones. |
| as 'the" dinosaur vacation spot, there are | | | | These are the visitor center at Dead Horse |
| other areas in Utah where you can view | | | | Point State Park north of Moab on SR 313, and |
| dinosaur fossils. Also located in | | | | the Dan O'Laurie Museum, 118 East Center |
| Northeastern Utah is the Cleveland-Lloyd | | | | Street. |
| Dinosaur Quarry, one of the world's best | | | | |
| fossil sites. Formed about 147 million years | | | | For a truly unforgettable family vacation, |
| ago, the quarry is open daily during the | | | | dinosaur trekking through Utah is a must-do. |
| summer and on a shorter schedule during the | | | | Remember, however, that fossils are |
| spring and fall. | | | | protected, which means you cannot remove them |
| | | | from the environment. The only thing you |
| Some of the other more noteworthy dinosaur | | | | should be removing from your hikes through |
| spots around Utah are: | | | | Utah is your own trash. Be sure to leave all |
| | | | fossils ad plant life undisturbed. |
| Ogden, Utah | | | | |