Dinosaur National Monument, an Undiscovered Gem, Shines this Summer

(I-TravelNewswire.Com, June 18, 2012 ) The stars aligned to make this the perfect summer to explore Utah’s Dinosaur National Monument with Don Hatch River Expeditions¬—the state’s original river running company. This is the first summer in five years that visitors will have the opportunity to visit the newly-remodeled Quarry Exhibit Hall, located over the world-famous Carnegie Dinosaur Quarry and the brand-new Visitor Center at Dinosaur National Monument. Paired with the hot summer days, ideal whitewater on the Green River, and close proximity to Salt Lake City, there’s been no better time to discover this lesser-known gem of our National Parks.

Dinosaur National Monument became the birthplace of modern river running in 1929 when legendary river runner Bus Hatch established Hatch River Expeditions in Vernal, UT. Today it remains home to the most visually stunning one-day river trip in North America—The Green River through Split Mountain Canyon—as well as one of the West’s premier family-friendly multi-day river trips—The Green River through the Gates of Lodore. The area offers spectacular desert landscapes, towering canyon walls, fascinating geology and natural history, a colorful Wild West heritage, and some of the West’s most untrammeled river ecosystems. Don Hatch River Expeditions offers one- to five-day adventures from May through September.

The 2012 summer season will be the first opportunity for rafters to experience 149 million years of natural history on display at the newly remodeled Quarry Exhibit Hall. The newly refurbished Quarry Exhibit Hall opened in September 2011, weeks after the season’s last rafting groups had come off the river. The Quarry Hall showcases approximately 1,500 dinosaur bones and contains the last remains of the largest creatures to ever walk the planet. Sauropods—huge, long-necked, long-tailed, plant-eating dinosaurs—were the dominant animals of the late Jurassic Period. The bones of several kinds of sauropods make up about three-fourths of all the fossils found in the Quarry. This includes the diplodocus, the barosaurus and the apatosaurus, which measured 75 feet in length and weighed as much as 34 tons.

The Quarry Hall’s stunning display of natural history is the perfect pairing with a scenic rafting trip down the Green River. Visitors to the Monument can visit the Exhibit Hall before or after their rafting trip to listen to ranger-led interpretive talks and view hands-on exhibits and former paleontological excavation sites.
For more information about rafting with Don Hatch River Expeditions in Dinosaur National Monument, please visit http://www.donhatchrivertrips.com. For more information on the new Quarry Exhibit Hall, visit http://www.nps.gov/dino/planyourvisit/quarry-exhibit-hall.htm.

The HATCH family name has been synonymous with river running since 1929. With blessings from the National Park Service and the Hatch family, in 2007 Don Hatch River Expeditions became a part of the O.A.R.S. Family of Companies. It has been a seamless transition and one that offers generations of Hatch adventurers more opportunities on dozens of rivers throughout the West. Since 1969 the O.A.R.S. Family of Companies has set the standard in first-class rafting, sea kayaking, hiking and multi-sport adventures with destinations and unparalleled experiences on over 35 rivers and coastlines of the world. O.A.R.S. caters to active travelers of all ages and abilities with more than 75 unique itineraries worldwide including one-day and weekend escapes. For more information on the O.A.R.S. Family of Companies, including Grand Canyon Dories, Rivers Fiji and Don Hatch River Expeditions, call 1-800-346-6277, email the company at info@oars.com or visit www.oars.com.

Don Hatch River Expeditions (Part of the O.A.R.S. Family of Companies)
CONTACT: Steve Markle
PHONE: 209-753-4797
EMAIL: stevem@oars.com
WEB: www.DonHatchRiverTrips.com
MEDIA KIT: http://bit.ly/OARSmk

O.A.R.S

Steve Szczecina

970-568-7423

steve@adventuremedianews.com

Source: EmailWire.Com