Hike the Fossil Discovery Trail. It's 1.5 miles long and rated easy to moderate. Find the trailhead at the Visitor Center. Trail maps can be found for any trail at the Visitor Center. The Fossil Discovery Trail cuts through tilted rock layers, exposing a great variety of rocks and fossils. The Morrison Formation stop features an outcropping of several small pieces and a few large pieces of dinosaur bones.
Give the Sound of Silence Trail a try. It's a 3-mile loop rated moderate to difficult. Find the trailhead about 2 miles east of the Visitor Cener on the Tour of the Tilted Rocks auto tour road. This is hike through several of Dinosaur's most interesting rock layers with excellent geologic diversity. There are some steep sections on slickrock. Be sure to use the trail guide, even if you plan to return it at the end of your hike, since portions of the trail can be confusing. There is no shade and be sure to carry water.
For an easy trail, hike Box Canyon Trail, a half mile round trip. Find the trailhead at Josie's Cabin on the Tour of the Tilted Rocks auto tour road twelve miles east of the Visitor Center. Box Canyon Trail is a level walk into a shady box canyon. You'll see nice exposures of the craggy sandstone of Split Mountain and this trail is excellent for small children.
Find another easy trail starting at the Canyon Area Visitor Center. The Cold Desert Trail is a half mile loop that opens your eyes to the diversity of the desert shrub community found around Dinosaur.
Take yet another easy hike on the Plug Hat Trail. It's a quarter mile loop starting about five miles north of Canyon Area Visitor Center on Harpers Corner Auto Tour road Plug Hat is a level trail on top of a butte. It affords an excellent view of the surrounding landscape and provides an introduction to the pinyon pine-juniper community. This trail is paved and wheelchair accessible. A wheelchair-accessible picnic area is across the road from the trailhead.
The Ruple Point trail is the best way to get a glimpse of inaccessible Split Mountain Canyon on foot. An moderate to difficult eight mile round trip follows rolling terrain of sagebrush and juniper. The descent at the end brings you to a breathtaking view of Split Mountain Canyon. There is no shade except at the very end of the trail. The trail is hard to follow as you descend at the end. Find the trailhead at the Island Park Overlook on the Harpers Corner Auto Tour road 27 miles north of the Canyon Area Visitor Center.
