Red Fleet State Park

Red Fleet State Park is centered around some ancient dinosaur tracks that just happen to be close to Red Fleet Reservoir. Red Fleet is named for a Navajo sandstone outcropping that resembles a fleet of ships where the rocks stick up out of the water.

Never mind the oil and gas exploration happening in the area, Vernal is in the heart of dinosaur bone and track country. Red Fleet State Park is a great place to fish, picnic or camp in the middle of that, just to the north of Vernal.

The dinosaur tracks in the Navajo sandstone at Red Fleet State Park are about 200 million years old and they are located about a 30-minute hike from the campground. Or you can go the other way and spend a good day in the boat just fishing. This is a beautiful area northeast of Vernal: Dinosaur National Monument to the east, the Uinta Mountains to the west, sandstone and desert country to the south.

Red Fleet State Park is open year-round with no closures. Summer hours are 6 AM to 10 PM, winter hours are 8 AM to 5 PM. The day-use permit costs $7 and covers use of the boat ramp. You can also buy a $75 annual Utah State Parks pass at the Red Fleet State Park Visitor Center. Overnight camping runs $13. Red Fleet State Park is on US 191, about 13 miles north of Vernal.

Elevation: 5,500'. Surface water acreage: 750. Park acreage: 1,963.