Fossil Discovery Trail (Uintah County, Utah)

Before calling it a day, I decided to hike the Fossil Discovery Trail, which winds around the cliff through several former dig-sites between the Dinosaur National Monument Visitors Center and Quarry Wall building on the hill above.

The scenery is quite beautiful in this canyon, but most interesting are the three dig-sites scattered along the trail. Each rich with different species of the past epochs. The first, the Mowry Formation, provided numerous fossils from ancient sea-life. Informational placards explain that some of the dark splotches on the rock face are fossilized fish scales. As I explore the area, I look for indications, but I'm unable to find any.

Moving further up the trail, take a side route into the Morrison Formation, which was the source of a number of dinosaur bones. As I scan the cliff wall, I find a number of specimen still in the wall. While the Quarry Wall with it's sheer number of fossilized bones was a site to behold, seeing these fossils exposed to the sun and elements somehow inspires a sense of discovery in me, as if I had found them for the first time myself.

The third site is a bit further up the hill. The stump formation provide paleontologists with numerous examples of ancient clams and other shell fish. Again though, I'm unable to identify any specific specimen myself. I obviously don't have a trained eye.

As I make my way to the end of the trail, the Quarry Wall building comes into site and while closed for the day, would offer quite the crowning end to this trail if it were open and if I had not already visited. I suppose I did that in the incorrect order, but no worries, there is still a lot to explore tomorrow.