Utahraptor State Park was created after lawmakers passed HB257 during the 2021 Legislative Session. It allowed the Division of Parks and Recreation to turn parts of Grand County’s Dalton Wells area into a state park.
The bill appropriated $36.5 million from the 2022 general fund to the Department of Natural Resources to complete the park.
The park is named after the Utahraptor whose fossils were first discovered in 1975 and have only been found in Utah.
The DNR said many of the fossils came from the Dalton Wells Quarry, home to one of the largest dinosaur bone beds in North America.
More than 50 dinosaur species have been recovered from the area, 28 of which have not been found outside Grand County.
The park about 15 miles northwest of Moab opened May 23.
It offers paved campsites with water and electricity hookups for RVs, picnic tables, flush restrooms and showers.
The park has access to OHV and mountain bike trail systems.
