big water visitor center

samyers1

This is well worth the stop, and won't take more than 30 minutes to an hour. It's small. Don't expect to see a full dinosaur skeleton. But they do have some neat skulls and other fossils including a full size tail and foot. What makes this stop so great is the story behind it. Merle works here and was one of the paleontologists when they first started digging here. He tells a fantastic story about how they first started digging in this area in the 90s I think and quickly discovered 45 different species, many never seen before, including one named after Merle! They continue to excavate many many more. Free to enter. Free giveaways. Public bathrooms open 24/7. Wonderful surprise stop; thank you Page Visitors Bureau for the tip!

heckfy

This is pretty much a free local museum with a very knowledgeable guide. Worth taking a stop if you're not in a hurry .

TravelJohn092

I stopped at the Big Water, UT BLM visitor center to discuss the directions to the Wahweap Hoodoos. James was very helpful, gave me a map to the trailhead, once there it was a 3-5 mile hike to the first set of hoodoos (3-4 miles) then another mile to the main (white) hoodoos which is what I was aiming for. There is a shorter route but its driving on the BLM's administrative dirt road and signs are posted "not authorized to see Wahweap hoodoos" so I wouldn't advise going this route because if caught, I'm sure the fines are high. Also, I wouldn't try to see the hoodoos during the months of July and August as these months are when the area has their monsoons and can ruin your hike( you will be hiking in the Wahweap wash and can flood quite quickly from a storm up north). Little to no cell phone reception in the wash!

Sheila_1031AZ

We stopped by this visitor center on the way to hike to the Paria Rimrocks Toadstool Hoodoos. The highlight of the center is the dinosaur exhibit. There are actual dinosaur bones which have been found within 35 miles of the center. The center was staffed by Merle, who was extremely knowledgeable about dinosaur fossils found in the vicinity, as well as about paleontology in general.( He himself found a dinosaur fossil in 1999, only 2 miles north of Big Water!) He shared with us fascinating information about the dinosaurs found in the area as well as allowing us to browse the exhibit at our leisure. There also is another room with all kinds of books and maps of the area. Other reviewers have commented on the lack of helpfulness of staff at this center, but our experience was wonderful--thanks Merle!

mattp451

Great place to stop between Page and Kanab. They have a binder full of hikes and pictures of each trail head so you can get an idea of what to look for while you are driving. It was very helpful when finding the toadstools hike ( which is about 11 miles up the road ).The guy knows A LOT about Dinosaurs.

767triciaa767

This was a very interesting place to visit, they have many cool things to see about dinosaurs.There was nothing to dislike about this area.

teachertraveler28

This was a nice I scheduled stop. The Boeing is very modern and had nice displays. The interpreter was very knowledgeable. Worth a short visit! We stayed 20 minutes.

tgw51

The dinosaur bones and fossils found in nearby excavations are very interesting, and the volunteer interpreter was well-versed on the exhibits. One of the "finds" is a previously-unknown species of dinosaur. This little gem of a visitor center is fairly close to Glen Canyon Dam, so it's definitely worth a visit if you're taking a tour of the dam.

worldmusician

I had this "visitor center" down as an air conditioned stop while we visited Glen Canyon with 4 year olds who are dinosaur crazy. We pulled in on a Thursday afternoon to a sign stating their daily hours, with a piece of paper taped under it "closed Wednesday's and Thursday" I don't know if this is part of the response to the government sequester or just standard practice, but please be aware or at least, call ahead.With that said, this BLM office is well worth the stop if you are coming through on 89, especially with Dion crazy kids. The courtyard has a replica dino dig, and the signs are informative. Staring through the windows like vandals, we could see the displays including an impressive array of we'll presented dinosaur relics, considering that it is I,supposedly just a ranger station. At 15 minutes outside Page, make it a stop as long,as it isn't Thursday!

Nosi6

If you know everything or nothing about dams, you need to visit and see first hand. One of the highlights of our trip.

LaurelA707

I'm really impressed by this little gem of a "visitor center" focused on paleontology & geology, great for kids & adults. Its a mini museum with a superb 30' mural of the Cretaceous Period, and fascinating exhibits displaying genuine dino specimens. The two Sr. Rangers working there know their stuff and remain enthusiastic and fully engaged with visitors. Another neat feature is the architecture of the building (designed to resemble an ammonite fossil) and the fact that it is a Green Design. Definitely a little sweet spot with a very nice picnic area (with overhead roofing for shade) and great views. I highly recommend it as a stop while visiting Lake Powell, Antelope Canyon, Wire Pass, Glen Canyon.

Spuddler

Ss soon as you walked in you felt like you were intruding on the staff. On Monday September 5th 2011 we stopped in the visitor center for some information. The women at the desk gave us the impression we were interupting her. All we got was little more than a grunt and a one word answer.The guy spritzing the plants wouldn't even acknowledge anybody was there. If this is your first impression most people would keep on going to another state. The rest of the people in Utah were great just avoid the Big Water Visitor Center and go to the Paria Contact Station where they are super helpful.Later in the week we were at the Escalante Visitor Center and they couldn't be more helpful. Big Water could take lessons from them.

RANDREMireval

Depuis le visitor center la vue sur le barrage est excellente et un déplacement sur le pont permet d'avoir une vue sur le canyon

Travel_Maus2701

Hier wird man von den Rangern ausführlich beraten und informiert - auch für ausgefallene Wünsche. Auch Wetter - oder Strassenzustandsberichte gibt es hier aktuell. Zusätzlich gibt es noch eine Dino-Ausstellung, sowohl innen als auch aussen.Man sollte sich dort immer schlau machen, wenn man abseits der Teerwege fahren will.

tourracer

Das Visitor Center in Big Water lohnt keinen Stopp, um sich dort mit Informationen zu versorgen. Die Angetellten waren recht lustlos, und konnten oder wollten uns auf unsere Fragen keine gute Auskuft geben. Auch die Dinosaurierausstellung ist ziemlich mager und hat nicht gerade gefesselt.Die Toiletten waren allerdings gut, so daß sich der Stopp dennoch gelohnt hat.