On Sunday, September 3, 2017, we took our kayaks to Red Fleet State Park north of Vernal, Utah. Our mission - paddle to the far side of the lake and find the famous Dinosaur Track Site. As this was Labor Day Weekend, the park campground was full and the boat launch was busy. After launching our kayaks, we decided to explore the "No Wake" section of the reservoir and let the crowds thin out a bit.
Red Fleet State Park's name was inspired by three large sandstone outcrops jutting up from the water as if a fleet of ships. Comprised of two rock formations, the bow and deck are formed by the Chinle Formation, with the upper turrets comprised of Nugget Sandstone.
We took hundreds of photos as we paddled around. We caught this guy sneaking down to the water's edge for a drink.
Large sandstone formations watched over us as we paddled by. What's Gru doing here? He must be up to something despicable! (Kathy thinks he resembles Gru; David thinks this looks more like the backside and legs of a naked person carrying a large pack; imagination is a very personal thing.)
You've heard of the bat cave. Well, this is the "M" cave. Here Kathy does her best Y-M-C-A!
After about an hour, we started back toward the Dinosaur Track Site. On the way, we had more fun with light, color and reflection.
We learned that two hundred million years ago, this area looked like the Sahara Desert. Like the Sahara, the area had oases of shallow desert lakes called playas. Dinosaurs journeyed to the small playas among the dunes. We know this from the tracks they left behind in the wet sand. Hundreds of dinosaur tracks now lay exposed in the Nuggett Sandstone.
The Dinosaur Track Site was only vaguely marked on our map, however, we had no trouble finding it. We just pulled our kayaks right up next to all the other kayaks and were greeted by dozens of hikers who hiked in from the trailhead.
Red Fleet State Park has three dinosaur trackways (which are three or more prints from the same dinosaur in a row). Here we followed in the footsteps of Eubrontes, a dinosaur similar to the Dilophosaurus. These types of dinosaurs grew up to 20 feet long and weighted up to 1,000 pounds. These tracks are believed to be more than 200 million years old.
There are two types of footprints. A true track, like the one below, are a petrified or fossilized natural impression of a footprint.
The below track is a natural cast. Mineralized material fills a true track. It is a stone replica of the foot that made the original track.
After stepping back in time, we decided to head back out on the lake and explore more nooks and crannies.
Click this link to experience David's first attempt at a video while turning the kayak 360 degrees. Looks like it's gonna take a little more practice.
Footprints weren't the only things fossilzed in the sandstone. The Curtis Formation is sandstone shale and limestone that was deposited by the sea. These rocks show mud cracks, ripple marks and fossil remains of many now extinct fish and reptiles. We didn't see any fish fossils, but we saw plenty of ripples.
As we paddled about, the geology of the area was laid out for our perusal.
Once upon a time, low-lying plains, streams and lakes laid the Morrison Formation about 145 million years ago. The area was home to dinosaurs, crocodiles and turtles who left fossils records and became extinct.
This formation has “rainbow” colored clays – red, maroon, purple, white and green which are different types of clay, shale and sandstone.
This formation reminds us of a bassett hound sniffing at the water.
We had a great time paddling through time. We are looking forward to exploring more of Dinosaur Land! Stay tuned.
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