I had a blast in Vernal, Utah - a fun little city of about 10,000 people in the far east of the Beehive State. Fremont Indians once lived in the area and were later followed by Utes who still live there today. When the Mormons came to Utah, they saw no reason to settle in the region despite the Green River flowing nearby. In fact, settlers didn’t come to what is now Vernal until 1879. The railroad came through in 1906 and Vernal was incorporated and began to grow. Just three years later, paleontologist Earl Douglass discovered a massive deposit of dinosaur bones and fossils just east of Vernal and it would be designated as Dinosaur National Monument in 1915. Oil and mineral extraction are probably the biggest drivers of Vernal’s economy, but dinosaur tourism certainly plays a significant role, as you can tell from the photos in this post.
I was only planning on staying a short while in Vernal, but ended up there for several days. I enjoyed checking out the dinosaur quarry at the National Monument, and the Field House Museum in the middle of town. The recreation center was top-notch and I even got to catch some bull riding while I was there. Mostly, it’s just fun town with a good feeling to it and friendly people at every stop. That and the sunsets were hard to beat. I hadn’t been to Vernal in many years and I was glad I made the trek to get there. I hope you enjoy these photos from Vernal, definitely a fun town in the heart of dinosaur country.