Dinosaur National Monument

Deerlodge Campground Improvements

National Monument
1915
 
Park Size
210,844 Acres
 
Annual Visitors
327,000
 
Park Fee
$25
 
Superintendent
Phil Akers

Park Partner
Intermountain Natural History Association
 
Location
Uintah County, UT and Moffat County, CO

Dinosaur National Monument protects a rich variety of resources, including the eponymous dinosaur quarry where remains of thousands of prehistoric creatures can be seen. The park is also known widely by whitewater enthusiasts as having some of the world's most scenic river rafting on the Green and Yampa Rivers, attracting 18,000 applicants for private river trips each year.

The put-in for the four-day expedition on the Yampa is at the Deerlodge Campground, which is currently dilapidated, poorly signed, and unfitting to its status as a unit of the National Park Service and its world-class wilderness river experience. 

​The Fund for People in Parks is providing a grant to the Intermountain Natural History Association for upgrades to the site, including new picnic tables and fire grates, restroom improvements, an educational exhibit about the river and rafting safety, parking and campsite delineation, and, for the first time, parking and a campsite that can accommodate people in wheelchairs. The upgrades will also serve as a template to improve other campgrounds across the park.

The project is expected to be complete in late 2025.

Project Cost: $212,942                                                               Project Begun: 2023
     The Fund for People in Parks: $76,942
     Intermountain Natural History Association: $1,000
     National Park Service: $135,000

The Deerlodge camping and boating facilities, while they set the stage for a world-class boating experience, are neglected, run-down, unsafe, and not accessible to those with disabilities. Funds provided by The Fund for People in Parks will benefit the visitor experience immensely."
​     -Paul Scolari, (former) Superintendent, Dinosaur National Monument