Canyonlands NP and Dead Horse Point SP
North of Moab about ten miles is turnoff to Canyonlands NP and Dead Horse Point SP. Both are situated on mesas that overlook the Green and Colorado Rivers. Views, hiking, and biking. Think I would save hiking and biking for late fall, winter, and very early spring. Everything is totally exposed. No shade anywhere (except picnic areas and campgrounds which have ramadas at every site – nice!) Views are pretty neat. Mesas are 2000’ above the rivers and the rivers snake through the valleys below.
After the views we went north a few miles to visit two dinosaur sites. The first is located a couple of miles off the main highway basically following washes up into a canyon. Lots of sandy road (red rock sand is finer than beach sand – basically gritty powder). Fun to do some four wheeling. Site is a rough trail that has information stops that point out fossils in the ancient river bank you are following. How someone finds this stuff and identifies it as to type of dinosaur is unfathomable to me.
Horizontal dark area in middle is part of scapula of some very old beast. Who am I to argue.
Back on the sand road to the highway and on a few more miles. Turn off onto gravel road this time. Two miles into back country canyon to parking lot. Short hike up a hill to see dinosaur tracks. Again, finding and identifying as tracks let alone identifying particular dinosaur that made them, unreal.
Difficult to see. Areas that look like potholes in center are tracks.
Tracks in center of picture.
Tracks again.
If I were walking across this area I would just call this a depression in the ground. What do I know.
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