John Day Fossil Beds National Monument

Visited: Sept 2014
Nearby town: John Day, OR

This park in Central Oregon holds a vast collection of plant and mammal fossils ranging from the Eocene to the late Miocene Epoch (45 million years ago - 5 million years ago). The park contains some of the best preserved fossils found from this time period. John Day Fossil Beds is made up of three distinct units: (1) Sheep Rock Unit - this is the most developed and most visited section (2) Painted Hills Unit and (3) Clamo Unit. All of these units are quite a distance from each other, but could be visited all in one day.

We only stopped at the Sheep Rock Unit, just off the main highway west of the little town of John Day in Grant County. Our first stop was the excellent Visitor Center, home of the Thomas Condon Museum. Spend some time here to observe the fossils and learn about the area's history.

Bear in mind that the fossils here are from an age after the dinosaurs went extinct. So don't expect any dinosaur fossils, but there are lots of prehistoric mammals and plants to see.

After you're done going through the museum head north for a few miles to Blue Basin area and take a hike through the exquisite badlands. It's only about a 1.5 mile hike, you can just take Island in Time Trail, or combine it with the Blue Basin Overlook Trail for the full 3 mile hike.

Another great stop is the James Cant Ranch. The Cant family owned and operated a ranch along the John Day River from 1910 - 1975. The NPS purchased the ranch from the Cant family and have turned it into a lovely museum. Tour the Ranch House and Barn and learn about ranching and farming life in the early 20th century. It's well worth a visit.

Bonus stop: About two hours west of John Day is the excellent Smith Rock State Park just north of Bend. Although not part of our National Park series, this is a great place to stop to take a stroll through the beautiful area. If you're up for it, it's also a great place to get in some rock climbing, or just observe it safely from the ground.

This part of central Oregon is a beautiful drive and John Day Fossil Beds National Monument makes for a pleasant and informative stop for an hour or two or half a day trip. More info here: https://www.nps.gov/joda/index.htm