John Day Fossil Beds National Monument

John Day Fossil Beds National Monument is located in east-central Oregon. This park is well-known for the numerous animals and plants fossils, which are really well-preserved. The park consists of three units: Sheep Rock, Painted Hills, and Clarno.

Story in Stone Trail 24

Story in Stone Trail

  Location: Sheep Rock Unit, John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, Oregon Roundtrip: 1/3 mile Difficulty: Easy Elevation Gain: 40 feet GPS Coordinates: N 44 39.126   W 119 38.407 Visitor’s Information Open: all year round No Pass Required   Foree Area is the northernmost section of Sheep Rock Unit, separated by some private lands from the main part of the Unit. The main tourist features of this area, except for the magnificent scenery of course, is a modest picnic area and two hiking trails – the Flood of Fire Trail and the Story in Stone Trail. Sharing [...]

Flood of Fire Trail 18

The beauty of Foree Area from the Flood of Fire Trail

    Location: Sheep Rock Unit, John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, Oregon Roundtrip: 0,4 mile Difficulty: Easy Elevation Gain: 50 feet GPS Coordinates: N 44 39.147   W 119 38.434 Visitor’s Information Open: all year round No Pass Required   Foree area is a part of the Sheep Rock Unit, but is located at some distance northwards from the rest of the Unit. You need to drive a little bit more than 7 miles north on Highway 19 from the Paleontology Center until you reach the right turn with the sign indicating the Picnic Area. [...]

Island in Time Trail 41

Island in Time Trail – a harkback to the past

  Location: Sheep Rock Unit, John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, Oregon Roundtrip: 1,3 mile Difficulty: Easy Elevation Gain: 220 feet GPS Coordinates: N 44 35.730 W 119 37.856 Visitor’s Information Open: all year round No Pass Required   Blue Basin is an incredible and unparalleled area of John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. At first glance you see only the beauty and unicity of landscape, the enchantment of the colors, but when you look deeper, you understand the whole historical importance of this place. Its paleontological significance cannot be overestimated. Starting from 1860s, when Thomas [...]

Blue Basin Overlook Trail 8

Blue Basin Overlook Trail of the Sheep Rock Unit

    Location: Sheep Rock Unit, John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, Oregon Roundtrip: 3,25 miles loop-trail Difficulty: Moderate Elevation Gain: 760 feet GPS Coordinates: N 44 35.730 W 119 37.856 Visitor’s Information Open: all year round No Pass Required   John Day Fossil Beds National Monument in Oregon can become a decoration of any journey. It's like a trip in a time machine to the distant past of the planet. And if you have interest in paleontology, it is definitely worth a look, although this national monument is located away from the beaten tourist trails, [...]

River Trail 42

Cant Ranch and a peacefully beautiful River Trail

  Location: Sheep Rock Unit, John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, Oregon Roundtrip: 0,6 miles Difficulty: Easy Elevation Gain: None GPS Coordinates: N 44 33.334   W 119 38.677 Visitor’s Information Open: all year round No Pass Required   Cant Ranch is the second “must-visit” place on your trip around the Sheep Rock Unit after Paleontology Center. It can be easily found as it is situated just across the street from the Center. The former house of Scottish immigrants - James Cant and his wife Elizabeth, which was built in 1917, serves now as a historical [...]

Thomas Condon Overlook Trail 19

The beauty of John Day River valley as seen from Thomas Condon Overlook Trail

  Location: Sheep Rock Unit, John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, Oregon Roundtrip: 0,25 miles Difficulty: Easy Elevation Gain: 40 feet GPS Coordinates: N 44 33.101   W 119 38.759 Visitor’s Information Open: all year round No Pass Required   If you chose John Day Fossil Beds (JDFB) National Monument as your next trip destination, you may plan the exploration of this unique source of geologic history study starting from any of 3 units, it is made-up of (Clarno Unit, Painted Hills Unit, Sheep Rock Unit). But to our opinion the best way to start [...]

Red Scar Knoll Trail 16

Red Scar Knoll Trail – the Beauty of Oregon’s Desert

Location: Painted Hills Unit, John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, Oregon Round Trip: 0,5 miles Difficulty: Easy Elevation Gain: Minimal GRS Coordinates: N 44 38.137 W 120 17.555 Visitor’s Information Open: all year round No Pass Required Amazingly beautiful Painted Hills Unit of the Oregon’s John Day Fossil Beds National Monument can fairly be called a natural wonder. Its uniqueness, astonishing colors and stunning undulating forms will make you to feel like you are visiting a Fairyland or another planet (hiking the Painted Cove Trail will surely give you the sensation of a spaceman [...]

Painted Cove Trail 12

Unforgettable Experience with the Painted Cove Trail

Location: Painted Hills Unit, John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, Oregon Round Trip: 0,25 miles Difficulty: Easy Elevation Gain: 40 feet GRS Coordinates: N 44 39.723 W 121 43.278 Visitor’s Information Open: all year round No Pass Required Driving approximately 9 miles northwest from the town of Mitchell, Oregon, will bring you to the most beautiful, in our opinion, part of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument – to Painted Hills Unit. The vibrant colors of its hills, the unreal beauty of its unique picturesque landscape draw the attention of people from [...]

Arch Trail 29

Exploring the Clarno Unit: Arch Trail

Location: Clarno Unit, John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, Oregon Round Trip: 0,5 miles Difficulty: Moderate Elevation Gain: 200 feet GPS Coordinates: N 44 54.794 W 120 24.562 Visitor’s Information Open: all year round No Pass Required   Eastern part of Oregon will amaze you with a significant natural attraction - John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. This fantastic national monument introduces the visitors to the 40 million years evolution history of plants and animals, showing also the change of climate and various ecosystems which existed throughout all these millions of years. John Day [...]

Geologic Time Trail 26

50 Million Years’ History of the Geologic Time Trail

Location: Clarno Unit, John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, Oregon Round Trip: 0,5 miles Difficulty: Easy Elevation Gain: None GPS Coordinates: N 44 54.794 W 120 24.562 Visitor’s Information Open: all year round No Pass Required   The Geologic Time Trail is one of three Clarno Unit’s trails, allowing the visitors fully enjoy the striking Palisades and investigate the spectacular, unique fossils, telling us the story of the distant past, when Clarno Unit was not an arid, desert area, but a tropical forest full of various flora and fauna representatives. This trail provides [...]

Painted Hills Overlook Trail 14

The Best Views of the Painted Hills Overlook Trail

Location: Painted Hills Unit, John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, Oregon Round Trip: 0,5 miles Difficulty: Easy Elevation Gain: 100 feet GPS Coordinates: N 44 38.997 W 120 16.005 Visitor’s Information Open: all year round No Pass Required   One more option to enjoy some really scenic views of the Painted Hills and get the most out of this incredible area is hiking the Painted Hills Overlook Trail. It’s much shorter than the Carroll Rim Trail, but the fabulous views it opens for its visitors are highly competitive with those of the Carroll [...]

Leaf Fossil Trail 31

The secret treasure of the Leaf Fossil Trail

Location: Painted Hills Unit, John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, Oregon Round Trip: 0,25 miles loop Difficulty: Easy GPS Coordinates: N 44 38.57 W 120 17.151 Visitor’s Information Open: all year round No Pass Required   At first glance the Leaf Fossil Trail (which is also known as the Leaf Hill Trail) may seem the least remarkable out of all trails meandering throughout the Painted Hills Unit. You will not find here the sweeping views or incredible panoramas of undulating, variegated hills of the unit. But this trail has something more [...]

Barnhouse Campground 4

Barnhouse Campground – the best campsite near Mitchell, OR

Location: Ochoco National Forest, Oregon Season: All year round Reservations: On “First Come, First Served” basis Phone Number: (541) 416-6500 GPS Coordinates: N44 28.077 W119 56.455 Visitor’s Information This is a free campground   Starting to plan a visit to John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, don’t forget to think about overnight possibilities beforehand. As camping is forbidden in the area of three units of the National Monument, one of the great options, which we highly recommend, is Barnhouse Campground. It’s quite close to Mitchell town. If you go east on Hwy 26 [...]