Colorado · National Monument trail

Harpers Corner Trail Stop 15

in Colorado

Seashells far above the sea, great blocks of rock bent and broken, deep and tortuous canyons - was this land the site of some great cataclysm? To us, accustomed as we are to thinking in terms of minutes, hours, and days, the scene may look like the result of some chaotic upheaval but it wasn’t. All around us the forces that shaped it are still in action.

Rivers deepen their channels grain by grain; minor earth tremors occur daily in one place or another; and lands have risen or fallen, slowly but measurably, within historic times. We measure our history in years, but the Earth measures time in millions of years, enough time for each tiny change to be multiplied over and over into a major change. The upturned layers of the Mitten Park Fault below you dramatize such a change.

This is the same fault noted at stop number seven, but here the Green River has sliced through it to reveal the broken rocks in cross section. Movement along the fault probably began with the uplifting of the region around 50 million years ago, and may have continued off and on almost to the present. Each shift, perhaps accompanied by what we would call a major earthquake, might have been only a few inches, but over the ages many little shifts added up to a total displacement of about 3,000 feet (920 meters) from one side of the fault to the other.

States: Colorado
Trail type: National Monument trail
Centroid nearest city: Salt Lake City, UT · 152 mi · ~4 hr drive
Centroid coords: 40.5344°, -109.0076°

About Dinosaur National Monument

National Monument

This trail is inside Dinosaur National Monument, a national monument managed by the U.S. National Park Service. Conditions, road status, trail closures, and reservation requirements are published on the park's NPS page — check it before driving in, especially in winter or during major weather events.

Entrance fee: $25 per vehicle (verify current rate on the park page). An America the Beautiful annual pass ($80) covers entrance to all NPS units.

Official NPS trail page: https://www.nps.gov/places/harpers-corner-trail-stop-15.htm

Park homepage: https://www.nps.gov/dino/index.htm

Plan your hike

Practical notes

Maps + permits: long-distance trails like this often require permits for through-hiking, backcountry camping, or specific sections (especially in National Parks). Check with the maintaining organisation listed above and the relevant land manager before booking travel.

Water + supplies: water sources vary seasonally on most U.S. trails. Carry a filter and consult current trail-condition reports — through-hiker journals (PCT-L, AT Reddit, etc.) and the maintaining organisation publish regular updates.

When to go: hiking seasons vary widely with elevation, latitude, and snowpack. Through-hikers traditionally start the AT in March-April (Springer northbound) and the PCT in late April (Campo northbound). High-elevation western trails (CDT, JMT, Wonderland) generally aren't passable until July.

If you've hiked Harpers Corner Trail Stop 15 and have current notes (water sources, trail closures, permit changes), tell us at /contact — we update pages as we learn.