YOUR AD HERE »

MoCo Treasures — Day Trip: Yampa Bench Road for canyon views

Go for the views linger for the history

Craig Daily Press Staff Report
Short walks along the Yampa Bench Road allow travelers to stretch their legs and take in the spectacular canyon overlooks to the Yampa River below.
Sasha Nelson

The Yampa Bench Road offers spectacular views of the complex canyons of the lower Yampa River.

Traveling along the bench, relatively flat land between the lower and upper rims of the river canyons, three pullouts offer opportunities for short walks ending in scenic overlooks.

The best time to make this drive is when the roads are dry in the late spring, summertime and early fall. Access roads are closed after the first snowfall until late spring.



It is recommended to travel in a high clearance 4-wheel drive vehicle.

Stay longer

The views and hike at the end of the Harper’s Corner Road, rock art and historic cabins near Echo Park are worth seeing. To make this trip longer consider exploring Harper’s Corner before camping in Echo Park.



To get there

Travel U.S. Highway 40 to the Colorado entry to Dinosaur National Monument in western Moffat County about two miles east of Dinosaur. Take the Harper’s Corner Road 25 miles to the Echo Park Road. Follow the Echo Park Road for about 8 miles before turning East on the Yampa Bench Road. At the end of the 26-mile Yampa Bench Road take Moffat County Road 16 traveling about 16 miles back to U.S. Highway 40 arriving near Elk Springs. The entire trip is over 50 miles long.

For more information

Contact Dinosaur National Monument at (435) 781-7700 or by visiting their website.website.website.


Support Local Journalism

Support Local Journalism

Readers around Craig and Moffat County make the Craig Press’ work possible. Your financial contribution supports our efforts to deliver quality, locally relevant journalism.

Now more than ever, your support is critical to help us keep our community informed about the evolving coronavirus pandemic and the impact it is having locally. Every contribution, however large or small, will make a difference.

Each donation will be used exclusively for the development and creation of increased news coverage.