Overview

Hype:

Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry contains the densest concentration of Jurassic-aged dinosaur bones ever found. Over 12,000 bones (belonging to at least 74 individual dinosaurs) have been excavated at the quarry. Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry has helped paleontologists learn a great deal about the Jurassic period, yet the site presents at least as many mysteries as it helps to solve. Curiously, more than 75% of the bones come from carnivores, primarily Allosaurus fragilis. With more than 46 individual specimens of Allosaurus, scientists have been able to deduce much about how Allosaurus aged and compare individuals to better understand intraspecies diversity. Yet the sheer density of bones proposes many questions. How did the carcasses of so many animals end up in one place, and why are most of them meat-eaters? While many good hypotheses have been presented, they all still have major flaws - the mystery has yet to be solved.

Time:

Fees: Entrance Fee

Recommended Ages:

0-3
4-11
12-19
20-49
50-69
70+

Recommended Months to Visit:

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Features:
  • BLM Interpretive Center
  • Dinosaur Fossils
  • Museums
  • Hiking Trails
  • Road Access is Dirt - Low Clearance
  • Access Road is 2WD Accessible
  • Restrooms - Flush
  • Potable Water

Links: www.blm.gov

Getting There

Navigate to 39.323053, -110.687846.

Location

Closest City or Region: Cleveland, Utah

Coordinates: 39.323053, -110.687846

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Wildflowers

A magnet board in the visitor center showing which wildflowers are in bloom.
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Claret Cup Cactus.
Claret Cup Cactus.
Indian Paintbrush.
Globemallow.
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Sego Lily.
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Desert Phlox.
Fleabane Daisy.

May 4, 2017 Trip Report

By Jeremy Dye

Trip Members

Jeremy Dye,

Story

While I was on the road for work, I saw a sign that said Dinosaur Quarry, so on my lunch break, I headed out there. The visitor center and museum are very nice. They have some cool displays and interpretive signs.

Behind the visitor center is the quarry. You can go inside one of the metal buildings and see where they dug out the fossils. But it wasn't very impressive. A lot of the dinosaur bone replicas were broken and you could see the foam inside the plastic shells. The drainage pipes were all exposed and in disrepair. There weren't very many real fossils, just plastic bones scattered around. The whole thing felt like a cluttered storage room with all the leftover stuff piled around.

After I visited the quarry, I did the Rock Walk hike.

Pictures