Description: The unpaved Crouse Canyon Road provides somewhat of a shortcut to get from the main part of the Dinosaur NM to Gates of Lodore . The road is about 23mi long and leads through Crouse Canyon. We drove the road at the end of May 2023. Except for Crouse Canyon itself, the road was in a very good condition. One could have driven it with any normal passenger car. Only in the area of the canyon the road became narrower and a bit rougher. The high ground clearance of the Jeep Wrangler was very useful for one or the other place. After leaving the canyon we reached Browns Park, a water protection area where you can watch birds. Shortly before you reach the paved road again, you cross the Browns Park Swinging Bridge. This bridge was not passable for a long time after a tractor had broken in on the previous wooden bridge. But it was repaired and is now a stable concrete bridge.

Our rating: We quite liked the drive through Crouse Canyon. It's not necessarily the most spectacular drive, but the scenery around is pretty and the remoteness provides a nice opportunity to enjoy the surroundings. There are also a lot of deciduous trees here, so driving along here in the fall should be an added attraction.