Stretching across the rugged landscape of western Colorado and eastern Utah, the Dinosaur Diamond is an epic 512 mile loop. It spans several US highways and a large portion of I-70. This is one of the few places in the United States where the roads are so gorgeous that an interstate has been designated as a national scenic byway. It’s a small wonder, too. The road passes several national monuments and parks as well as national forests. The scenery provided by the wise, age-old desert is nothing short of jaw-dropping in its beauty.
That’s just speaking of the scenic qualities of the road alone. The Dinosaur Diamond loop got its name from its roots in archaeology and history. If you stop in the town of Moab, Utah, you can find rock art created by Native American cultures. The Arches National Park also has petroglyphs and pictographs on display from a distant past that we sometimes forget we came from.
Many museums along the route contain dinosaur bones and tracks. In the towns of Moab, Vernal, and Price, in fact, they are still actively digging up bones. I don’t know about you, but I can’t say that about my hometown!
Perhaps you don’t want to stay in your car the whole time, stopping only occasionally for sights and historical intrigue. If you want to get out and be active, there’s plenty of opportunity for that, too. If you find yourself attracted to the water, there’s a lot of opportunities to go rafting – calm-water and whitewater. There’s also a ton of hiking and biking trails as well. Want to go snowboarding, skiing, or ice-fishing? There’s lots of places to do that up in the highest altitude regions along the byway.
Have I piqued your interest for a summer road trip? There’s a whole website dedicated to the Dinosaur Diamond. If I just gave you your next vacation destination, you’ll find it very useful for making plans.
