30 miles south of Price, Utah.
The Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry contains the greatest accumulation of Jurassic dinosaur bones in the world. Since the 1920s, paleontologists have collected more than 12,000 fossil bones at the quarry. At least 70 individual dinosaurs died here about 145 million years ago during the Jurassic Period, and their jumbled skeletons were covered by sediments of the Morrison Formation. The remains of the carnivorous dinosaur Allosaurus are unusually common, and visitor center displays include an Allosaurus skeleton. Visitors can also view part of the quarry that has been enclosed for specimen protection. There are restrooms, picnic tables, and self-guided trails. The Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry was designated BLM’s first National Natural Landmark in 1966.
From Price, drive south about 12 miles on State Highway 10. Turn left onto State Highway 155, and follow the signs to Elmo for 5–6 miles. Just east of Elmo, turn right onto a graded dirt road and follow the signs 12 miles through the Desert Lake Waterfowl Reserve and on to the Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry. Visitors should pick up a map at the BLM office in Price. The road to the quarry is well marked, but there are a number of turns on the dirt road leading to the visitor center.
Picnicking, fossil viewing, interpretive exhibits, wildlife viewing, and hiking.
In addition to seeing dinosaur bones, including a mounted Allosaurus skeleton, visitors will experience towering rock outcrops, and miles of empty space. The area surrounding the quarry is semi-arid and sparsely vegetated with pinyon pines, Utah junipers, sagebrush, saltbrush, and cacti. The San Rafael Swell, a large, 900-square-mile bulge in the earth, is the dominant feature to the south. From atop Raptor Point, a high spot a few hundred yards west of the quarry, one can look out across 30 miles of land and see high cliffs arranged in a great horseshoe to the east, north, and west. These cliffs are the abrupt edges of the Tavaputs Plateau to the east and north, and the Wasatch Plateau to the west.
Closer to the quarry, room-size boulders are strewn across the land. Ridges and steep-sided hills contain evidence that dinosaurs once walked here, and ranger guides lead the hardiest visitors on “track tours” to dinosaur footprints recorded in the rock. Large and small hoodoos dot the landscape along the way to the bones and tracks. Reddish barite roses—barium-rich mineral crystals in the shape of flowers—litter the ground in places, giving scientists clues to what the climate was like when allosaurs prowled ancient flood plains.
Permits, Fees, Limitations
There is a fee for admission to the visitor center and covered quarry.
The restrooms and buildings are wheelchair-accessible. The path to the quarry is a 4-foot-wide concrete surface that can accommodate wheelchairs.
Camping and Lodging
Most of the public lands outside the quarry area are open to dispersed camping. The closest State campground is in Huntington, near State Highway 10, about 21 miles south of Price and about 20 miles from the quarry. Motel accommodations are available in Price, Huntington, and Castle Dale, on State Highway 10, 32 miles south of Price.
Food and Supplies
Food, gas, and supplies are available in Price, Huntington, and Castle Dale.
Medical services are available in Price and in Castle Dale. The nearest hospital is in Price.
The quarry is open to the public as follows: from mid-March to Memorial Day, weekends only (Friday, Saturday, Sunday); from Memorial Day to Labor Day, daily; and from Labor Day to the end of October, weekends only. Quarry hours are 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Monday-Saturday and noon-5 p.m. on Sunday. Early or late snows can affect this schedule.
BLM - Price Field Office
125 South 600 West
Price, UT 84501
Tel: (435) 636-3600