Dinosaur National Monument isn’t all about dinosaurs. Well, it mostly is. But there is a little corner of the park that has a little bit more modern history. Visiting Josie’s Ranch is a great little stop with some fun hikes and beautiful scenery that is just a little bit different from all of the fossils and petroglyphs you see throughout the rest of the park.

How to Get to Josie’s Ranch:

From the main Visitor’s Center, you will want to head East on Cub Creek Road. This is the main road that you come in on. You will drive on it for about 10 miles. Then you will come to a dirt road that you will take. At the end of the road is Josie’s Ranch.

What You Will Do at Josie’s Ranch:

There are a few things you can do at Josie’s Ranch. First you can tour the cabin that Josie built and lived in for the later part of her life. It still stands and while there isn’t much in it, it is still neat to walk in and poke around. You can also visit the rest of her land and see the creek, a chicken coop and a few other out buildings she used.

At Josie’s Ranch you will also find a picnic area that has nice picnic tables in some shaded areas of Josie’s land. This is a nice place to stop with your family for a nice lunch in a cool place.

There are also two short, family friendly hikes you can do at Josie’s Ranch. The first is Box Canyon trail. It is a half mile round trip hike that is very level and easy. The second hike is also easy. It is called Hog Canyon Trail. It is similar to the Box Canyon Trail in that it is level and walks you into a box canyon, but it is longer at 1 1/2 miles round trip. We didn’t have time to do this hike but the National Park Service says that it is also a great family friendly hike that children enjoy.

Sum Up:

Josie’s Ranch is a fun, different area of Dinosaur National Monument. It is neat to see how the area was homesteaded by an older, single lady. There is a nice picnic area and pit toilets. The parking lot isn’t huge, but when we went there were enough spaces to park. There are also two great family hikes to do that are on level ground and fairly easy.