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Dinosaur National Monument > Harpers Corner
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The road towards Harpers Corner, near the confluence of the Green and Yampa rivers and at the centre of Dinosaur National Monument, starts near the little town of Dinosaur, on US 40. The inhabitants are keen to make the most of their famous association and have named the east-west streets of the grid system Tyrannosaurus St, Brontosaurus St, etc., as well as having several large plastic dinosaurs at strategic places. Just east of town, the Harpers Corner road branches northwards, and the main Dinosaur National Monument visitor center is located at the intersection with US 40. Officially, this road is within the monument, as the boundaries have been defined so as to include a narrow corridor of land several meters wide either side of it, although the monument proper is not reached until after a 25 mile drive across a rolling landscape of cliffs and wide plateaux.
Approach Roads: Standard National Park Service rules to the whole of the approach road, such as no camping being allowed. However, a good quality dirt track (designated 16s) links US 40, 10 miles west of Dinosaur with the Harpers Corner road 15 miles north of the entrance. Besides providing an interesting short cut for visitors approaching from the west (and avoiding payment), the road passes across Bureau of Land Management terrain so camping is free. There are some excellent places to stay with great views of distant lands to the south and the colorful stratified
Cliff Ridge to the north.
Overlooks: The views along Harpers Corner road become more impressive as it climbs gradually and approaches the river canyons. There are several overlooks of the Green river to the west, but the most amazing and extensive views are to the east, towards the Yampa - the red and green and white landscape stretches for miles with many cliffs and canyons, and just a few tracks clearly visible, disappearing into the distance.
The End Viewpoint: The road ends on a narrowing ridge, 7,625 feet elevation, with great views of the Green river as it flows west and enters Whirlpool Canyon. An easy one mile trail continues to the very end of the ridge, descending slightly and winding through rocky areas with pine trees and cacti. The path ends at a point where the ridge is only a few meters wide and it is possible to see in all directions - far below the 3 canyon systems twist away from the river confluence point. There is a safety fence surrounding the viewpoint at the end of the trail although the ridge does extend a little further and it is possible to continue, climbing down amongst large boulders but eventually the rocks become too unstable and the views are no better.
Echo Park: Echo Park is a small oasis at the actual meeting point of the rivers; in this spectacular location there is a campsite for those able to make the steep 13 mile descent along the rough Echo Park Road which joins the main Harpers road 10 miles from the end viewpoint.
Beetles: One curiosity about this section of the monument during my visit was a plague of katydids (Mormon crickets) - thousands of these creatures, which are black, shiny and about one inch long, were crawling all over the road surface for many miles. In some places, the whole tarmac seemed to be moving; as a consequence many hundreds were crushed noisily beneath the wheels of the RV I was driving.
Satellite Photo/Map: View above the Green-Yampa confluence:
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