Going For A Dinosaur Ride
Nearing the rim on Echo Park Road.
I wanted to see if the road through Dinosaur National Monument was rideable on a dual sport bike and found that indeed it was. Of course, just a couple weeks before we went there Dom Chang rode that route on his Ural sidecar rig but OK, he had three wheels, plus, Dom goes anywhere Dom wants to go. There’s no one more hard core.
So I’m here to tell you what the road is like. We started where County Road 14 takes off from U.S. 40 at Elk Creek, went along the Yampa Bench Road to get to the Echo Park campground, and later went up the Echo Park Road to the rim where we rejoined the pavement. I was hoping to embed a Google map showing the route but for some reason, although after much hassle I finally got the route mapped, whenever I click the embed button it changes the route. So here’s the link that will take you to see the true route.
Heading in it’s your basic gravel road. Washboard in some spots, loose gravel here and there, and even a bit of sand occasionally. But no big deal. You wind around through some private land on the county road and then pass a sign and fence telling you you’re entering the monument. You’re climbing as you go and then come over a ridge and see the Yampa canyon laid out before you. As you descend and near the river–still out of sight–there are some wonderful views.
By this time you’re on the Yampa Bench Road. It runs along the so-called bench below the mountains to the south and the gorge of the river to the north. At times you can see the river but much of the time you can’t. There are three viewpoints, however, that you can turn off and go down, and then hike the rest of the way to the cliff above the river. These are worth it. Particularly the first you reach coming this direction, Wagon Wheel Point overlook, is so incredible that if you came to this park and only saw this one thing your trip would be worthwhile. Ride out to the point as far as the road goes and then walk all the way out to the point. You won’t be sorry.
Other than the overlooks there is nothing else remarkable about the Yampa Bench Road. It seems certain that it would be impassable in wet weather because you would get into some of the gummy red dirt that this part of the country is famous for. But if you have a cloudburst, just wait it out, give the road a little time to dry out, and you can go on. Plus there was one mudhole we encountered. Not big but messy.
After 42 miles you come to the intersection where the road to the top of the canyon goes off to the left. Stay on the other road and another 4 miles brings you to Echo Park. This is just a short walk from the confluence of the Yampa and Green Rivers. And yes, the echoes are amazing. Plus, the campground is surrounded by cliffs rising straight up about 1,000 feet or more. Gorgeous and awe-inspiring. And incredibly peaceful. Stay a night or two if you can, walk out to the confluence, and relax. We did.
Leaving a couple days later we took the Echo Park Road to the rim. This road they tell you straight out that it is impassable in the rain. I assumed that meant mud but in fact it is quite a good gravel road. What makes it impassable is that there are a dozen or more washes where, if it had been raining for awhile and the water had time to run and collect, these washes will be flooded. You wouldn’t even consider taking your motorcycle through that water, although some idiots would probably think their SUV would make it.
I emailed the park superintendent before we went–I work for the National Park Service so I have all this information at my fingertips–and I asked him about this road. His response was simple: Yes, the road is impassable when it’s raining. Just wait for the rain to pass and for things to dry out and you’ll be fine. Have a great trip.
It didn’t rain while we were there, in fact the weather could not have been more perfect. The road up to the rim gets steep and the view back into the canyon is superb. We went out as far as the road in the rim goes and saw spectacular scenery. We had a fabulous time. And it’s funny because when Dom was there just two weeks before he was unimpressed.
Bottom line: The monument is okay, perhaps I’ve been spoiled by the sights in other parts of Colorado, with majestic mountains in the distance and towering rock formations to pose my motorcycles in front of.
We thought of Dom a hundred times while we were there. We couldn’t have disagreed more.
He concludes saying, “Now that I’ve seen the canyon portion of this monument, I probably won’t be coming back. I guess that’s the criteria for a location isn’t it? Would you return willingly?”
Yes!!! We absolutely would! We loved Dinosaur. And yes you definitely can do it on a motorcycle. Just don’t try it on your Harley bagger. Although I am acquainted with a certain old BMW street bike that has made this trip.
Recent from the National Motorcycle Examiner
Adventure riders have unique lodging option in northwest Colorado
Biker Quote for Today
There is nothing I won’t ride on your bike.
June 25th, 2015 at 3:25 pm
[…] started out at Dinosaur National Monument, which we had also been to last year. Last year we did the middle section of the park and that was good for dual-sport bikes. This year we went to the west end. Not too much […]