Reviews of John Day Fossil Beds National Monument (Tourist Attraction)

Scott Dowdle

Great surprise! Friendly, knowledgeable staff and awesome displays.

Jesse Goodrich

Breathtaking. Mother Nature at her finest.

Stephen Bradbury

Beautiful trip.

Trom Dillinger

Nice views

Jenna Weathers

Beautiful scenery but there is never enough time to just take it all in.

Artistic Pigs

Painted hills is a must see.

Will P

Beautiful, I was there as the sun was coming up and there are not words to describe it.

barry gilliland

Excellent historical journey sightseeing the area !

Thure Johnson

As usual I didn't appreciate the size and depth of this National Monument and really did not give myself enough time to explore it in detail. That said, my stop at the Thomas Condon Visitor Center was truly enlightening. It included many educational displays and working laboratories where much of the fossil work is performed. The Fossil Beds are layer, upon layer, upon layer of mammal and flora fossil deposits. The monument includes three different and separated sites where the fossils are collected.

Dave Petts

Beautiful place with nature and history everywhere. Very nice staff at the visitors center, but other information was easy to read and understand. Should be on people's bucket list!

Dallas Ervin

Very beautiful colored hills with red, tan, and yellow hues. Very picturesque.

Kate Beardsley

Underrated....special place.

P R

Incredible time machine landscapes

Murray Levi

And impressive national monuments along the road less traveled in eastern Oregon. The national monument is made up of three separate "Units", Clarno, Sheep Head, and Painted Hills, each of which has its own distinctive character. It was well worth the drive to visit.

Joris Vallenduuk

Very nice place to visit. Not very big but well worth it. Sufficient parking place. Sun can make taking pictures somewhat difficult, especially in the middle of the day.

Betty Vanderlin

Excellent exhibit

Roger Sewright

The cool things you can find

Autumn Ray

Great informational museum. They had a 10 minute movie presentation that explains a lot. Good parking and clean bathrooms. A little gift shop and a jr park ranger area.

Elizabeth Croft

Went for the total eclipse and watched the park rangers and the monument do an amazing job at handling (record) crowds and being as amenable as possible so everyone would have a great experience. The trails are relatively easy and short, but the park covers so much diverse landscape that the trails all show interesting finds from fossils to the more modern history of a farming family. The only downside is that the there units of the park are pretty spread out (about an hour between parks). They all highlight entirely different elements though, so all are well worth the drive time.

Andrea Dourney

Awesome museum visitor center

Dave Huisman

Impressive! Very good visitor center including lab where you can see the specialists do their work.

Elizabeth Brassell

Bring the camera fully charged you will not regret it. So many beautiful places to explore and and snap shots to take. Just an amazing place. Lots of wildlife and history to investigate for the kids.

robert fetter

Great place to take family

Jason Owens

So much history yet still to be discovered, so happy to be able to take my children to a place like this and let them get a feel for what we have and also what it used to be like. Great learning opportunity and a decent stop while driving through the middle of Oregon.

Ponniranjan Basker

A wonderful drive to see this place. They have a good picnic space

David Legg

Fantastic place. This was stewardship weekend for ONDA, Oregon Natural Desert Association. We were swapping out barbed wire fencing for barbless wire on the top and the bottom. With barbless wire animals have a better chance of escaping predators. We were also treated to an excursion led by two US Park Service archeologists. Fascinating information

Brandon Meek

Beautiful! Epic Motorcycle rides around the area.

Candy Schuetze

Gorgeous area , bathrooms water for your furry four legged family too. Clean Restrooms. Nice picnic areas. Can’t wait to go back.

Rumeysa Venus

Beautiful, quiet and kinds magical. İt was nice to get out of town and see some open country

Howard Berg

The visitor center and the hiking trails were great, we'll be back.

Blake Simpson

Awesome place to visit. Great place to watch the sun set.

Edward Rubin

Spectacular scenery and unusual geology

Pamela Yang

Gorgeous and family friendly

Vinai Charoenwongsawang

Wow, is the only thing I can use to describe the view. Absolutely amazing. I went when it was ab it hazy and the view was still incredible. Everyone suggest you go towards sunset and for good reason. The lighting it amazing and you aren't getting beat down by the sun. I've been told the colors pop even more after a good rain which would make sense. PLEASE go check this location out if you haven't gone yet absolutely amazing.

Paul Liebertz

Unlike any other Park in the US

Zachery Dyer

Absolutely breathtaking.

Ryan P

Awesome hikes with great views.

Tyee Springer

Painted Hills and Blue Basin are mind blowing. Astoundingly not well known area also boasts great fishing, hiking and almost no people.

James Lussman

Beautiful park. Similar scenery to the Badlands.

Katherin James

Awesome place to visit!

OTTO PAPASADERO

A vary special place to learn about the development of our fantastic state.

Josh Willis

This is such a beautiful park. The ranger staff is awesome and really knows their natural history. The visitor center is on par with many of the countries fine museum institutions. They even have a great junior ranger program for the young kids. This place is a hidden gem in the more than four hundred national park units. I hope to be able to return.

Reno Black

Really liked this place, need to go back soon.

Jack Allen

If you have the opportunity to visit this area...DO.

Lori D.

Gorgeous, we are lucky enough to have timed our visit to match the harvest moon. We were rewarded with a colorful sunset and a beautiful moonrise. We enjoyed it so much so that we returned the next day. It's a great place to bring your gravel bike otherwise you'll have a few short hikes.

Jennie Logan

Such a beautiful place. It is quite impressive, but underwhelming at the same time. There is one small spot that is shaded if you need to get out of the sun. If you are driving a great distance to get here, I would recommend planning a second thing to do. I spent more time driving than I did here at the location. Luckily I had planned to camp at Smith Rock while I was out in this direction. I am not sure the drive up would have been worth it for this alone.

Ahmad Ali

If you think the colorful landscape of John Day Fossil Beds National Monument in Oregon is interesting, just wait until you see what’s hidden among the unique rock formations. The erosion that created the painted hills and deep ravines also revealed one of the longest records of evolutionary change on the continent. On the park’s 14,000 acres, scientists have uncovered fossils of plants and animals dating back from 5 million to 44 million years old. If each time period recorded here is a page in a book,

Felicia Uhden

Wonderful interpretive center and well maintained trails to points of interest.

Shekhar Jain

Amazing views well worth the drive from Bend. Certainly one of the unique formations I have experienced. Came back with loads of pictures and memories

florence tiscornia

Love anything geological!

Bettykay Taylor

Beautiful country. The place to go if you want to learn about geology, especially Oregon geology. We had a great ranger talk at the paleontology center. The trails are beautiful with something different around every corner. The surrounding country is so gorgeous, too.

Rodney OGrady

I always enjoy learning about the past, the informative signs help you learn more.

Rachel Rueth

I really love this national monument. I have been to the Painted Hills Unit a few times - it's a great place to take visitors. The scenery is striking and otherworldly; I can just sit and look at it for hours. Best times to see it are later afternoon, when the light really starts changing and brings out all the rich colors. Typically the expansive sky is partially cloudy and sunny so you really get the depth of the colors and textures - it makes it even more mesmerizing. The Sheep Rock Unit is further on down the road and the rock formations look like the Dakota Badlands or maybe even a Martian landscape. Great colors in this one too. Both units offer easy walking trails that nearly anyone can complete and enjoy. While this isn't one of the better known national monuments, it sure is very beautiful in its unique expanses. Visitor's centers are clean and modern as well, with friendly staff and good information.

Wheeler County Images

Open year round during daylight hours and managed by National Park Service. Established in 1975 with over 14,000 acres spread out in three different units; Sheep Rock, Painted Hills and Clarno. All located within drainage basin of the John Day River, a tributary of the Columbia River. Sheep Rock is largest of the three units and located in Grant County, Oregon nearby towns of Kimberly and Dayville. Within the unit visitors will find Sheep Rock, Thomas Condon Paleontology Center, James Cant Ranch Historic District, the blue-green Turtle Cove beds and several hiking trails. Thomas Condon Paleontology Center is National Monument's headquarters, visitor center and research facility. There visitors can view fossil exhibits and watch scientists at work studying fossils through a lab window. The research facility helps the public and scientific community better understand the paleontological resources of the John Day River Basin Area. Across from paleontology center off Hwy 19, part of Journey through Time Scenic Byway, is the James Cant Ranch. An interpretive center allowing visitors to tour an early 20 century livestock ranch and it's buildings. The Cant Ranch is a great educational opportunity to learn about Eastern Oregon's ranching heritage and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. Painted Hills and Clarno Units are both located in Wheeler County. Painted Hills is 9 miles northwest of Mitchell. Listed as one of Oregon's seven wonders, the colorful clay layers represent different geological time periods. A network of trails allow visitors to view different perspectives of one of the most photographed geologic formations in the National Monument. Clarno Unit is 18 miles west of Fossil and is known for it's towering Clarno Palisades. Volcanic lahars, or mudflows that are the oldest geologic formations within the National Monument created by an ancient volcano. Visitors can also view fossilized plants hiking 1/4 mile Trail of Fossils.

Chris Wagenet

Beautiful landscape and a great introduction to paleontology.

Graffiti

Must visit for a great outdoors experience in Oregon.

Stephanie Davis

Such a beautiful place! So much to explore!

Tanya Lawrence

It was cute and little but had a lot of specimens on display. There was a window where you could watch technician worked on fossils. There were a nice multi-person restroom available outside the Museum.

Patrick Farrell

Like jumping off the diving board of progress, into a timeless pool of history.

Paul Bjarnson

Beautiful country

Heather Tyreman

Check out all three units of the John Day Fossil Beds. Photos here from the interpretive Center at Sheep Rock and from the Painted Hills.

James Nunley

Pretty area. Nice walk.

Matt Swancutt

Great place to explore

Lance MacCarty

If you are passing through or nearby I would highly recommend the painted hills unit. There are a few short hikes that really make your trip worth it. The paleontology center is great but out of the way if you are not going all the way to the fossil beds. Very informative and in depth, beautiful exhibits and presentation.

Alexis Tep.

Polite. Friendly rangers and very informative visitor center!!

Alan Marcusen

Great short hikes with beautiful views all around, with even more spectacular views on the drive. Read everything you can! The geological history here is like none other and totally worth the sunburn!

Vickie Aubel

This was taken at the Mascall View point right off Hwy. 19. Nice and easy paved trail up to the view point. There is a nice 360 view of the John Day Valley and a lot of the monuments. There are also rest rooms so this makes for a great rest area.

Cassandra Knight

A beautiful setting and great day of activity!

nid lilly

Gorgeous! The colors are beautiful. Be warned, though, some of the roads are just gravel. Lots of dust.

Elisabeth Stewart

Awesome. Breathtakingly awesome. A “must see” if ever in Oregon.

Doug Carlson

Always something new to see.If your up to it the blue basin hike is will worth it. Just a nice Sunday drive.

David Pena

Really nice drive but, but far

Janu Vutukuri

Great place to visit

Benjamin Nunez

Increíble place, seems like you are visiting another world!

Mike Honan

The Painted Hills are surreal and quiet. We spent a beautiful afternoon walking around them. Something to see really, worth the drive. The drive was equally lovely, through the Ochoco forest.

Les Tibbetts

Great place. Great staff. What a find

Helene Franzelin

It's a beautiful place, the only bad thing is, that many interesting places are private property, i. e. you can't go to certain lakes

Graham Shaw

This place is beautiful!! It is also small, which makes it an easy half day trip or full day if you combine it with the fossil beds and fossil museum! Definitely recommend going for dawn or dusk for the best lighting!

Robert Shaw

The Paleontology center was very informative . You begin a walk through time viewing local discoveries beginning 44 million years ago

Micah Nims

Beautiful drive through the whole area. Lots of short, accessible hikes that the kids could easily handle. The visitor center is incredible. There are hundreds of fossils on display and thorough learning material that walks you through the development of the fossil beds. They even have a window into the lab where they are working on recent fossil finds.

Allan Hood

Beautiful country.

Rolling Cabin

Awesome place to learn about the history of the area!

Jill Harwell

No cell service so bring your GPS unit and a few maps. Kids love it and there's plenty of shorter yet impressive hikes.

Tena Storgaard

This was a cool place to visit if you are in the area. You can take a short hike like a half mile or just view it all from the car. I was expecting a little more, so I am glad that I didn't go out of my way just to see this. The drive to here was beautiful!

Rachel Pulver

Very historic and interesting

Elizabeth Martinez

This is an amazing trip - plan time to go on lots of hikes at each unit of the monument. No cell service so bring your GPS unit and a few maps. Kids love it and there's plenty of shorter yet impressive hikes. :)

Jacob Walsh

Worth the drive.

Gary Nelson

Awesome place! The history and fossils are fascinating.

eellsinoc

Just stunning ... nothing else to say. A must see in Oregon. Can’t believe we waited so long to do so in our own state.

Cindy Peterson

Awesome place. A must see. Very beautiful

Rick and Rodney Travel Channel

An incredible place to take pictures.

K. Reed

This place is great. Very informative!

tiffany inabnit

AMAZING place to see the stars on a clear night

Bruce Baumann

An amazing place, a must see if you are interested in natural history.

Ben Greenwalt

Other worldly scenery. Close to the highway. A great place to stop.

Denise Zbozny

Breathtaking scenery. Put this on your Must See list.

Jamie Tidwell-Garratt

Minimum facilities but the freshest/cleanest (drop toilet) bathroom I’ve ever been in.

Renee Lovejoy

Such a beautiful place. It was wonderful to get to see the painted hills in person.

Jo Bledsoe

Magical! Time travels and learned so much.Wonder why this is not called a national park? 2 days of vary busy cool stuff, and we camped for free next to the painted hills area on BLM campground. Gas up! Spotty Verizon. Many cafe.

Angela Collins

Beautiful place. Enjoy every visit. DON'T CLIMB ON THE HILLS!

Komal Zutshi

Beautiful place away from the hustle bustle of city. Perfect for Weekend unwinding. Has a lot of hiking trails and calming campgrounds between the woods. The highlight of the trip was Painted Hills, one of Oregon’s seven wonders. You have to see it to believe it.

Harrison Hall

Wish this place got more funding so it could be a bigger museum! What is there is really awesome though. Local fossils and lots of history, as well as great explanations of evolution. One room is dedicated to horses - if there's a horse lover in your life, I think it's worth taking them there.

Jun Li

Very unique but stunning beauty. It's deep in the mountain areas but worthy the trip.

CJ Dewitt

Worth the trip. So beautiful!

Sing PaPa

Worth the driving... lot of stuffs to see and appreciate... lot of fun with kids. Make sure you plan ahead, foods, water, and gas...

Savannah Roberts

Amazing place. Beautiful!

Jim Sharp

Friendly, fast, and really fast service. Children fried steak comparable to Texas quality. Pie was so so and could use a boost.

Thomas Humphrey

We went here over the Memorial Day weekend. It was incredibly fascinating. There are several movies that can be played that talk about the area and why it is the way it is. The walk through area was especially interesting, as there are real fossils on display. For those wanting to dig their own fossils, you have to go to Fossil, Oregon which is a little over an hours drive away but totally worth it. Sheep Rock is also a short jaunt down the road but again worth the extra time

Roy L Robertson

Visitor center is very informative. Amazing to see what has been discovered in the area.

Clinton Lewis

Interesting place to go to and dry. Didn't have much people visiting which gave us a lot of time to enjoy the sites with people around.

Jolea Allen

If you love wide open spaces, grasslands, volcanic rock, awesome little canyons, and fossils, this is the place to visit.

Lars Jochems

The colors are amazing

Janet Talbott

To me it just seems such an incredibly sacred Place such a deep part of Oregon history holy mackerel a thousand Reasons

Sarah Huckins

Always a great place to visit

Anne Wagner

The Visitor Center and Internationally-recognized Thomas Condon Paleontology Center are really valuable stops. Hikes were fascinating but were would have been better undertaken in May or early June September or early October. The dry July heat was pretty significant. We were absolutely glad we have gone but if we went again would choose a different time of spring or fall

DLR CBR

Great place for family. Kids love it. Beautiful scenery and loaded with history of the area (animal and plant life). Good place to stop and unwind while learning about the basics of life here on Earth.

Katie Stoddard-Watt

Great family day

Robert Mutch

Lots of great geology and paleontology to see. Several different units to visit. The Painted Hills Unit is most well known. They have a great new visitor center for paleontology exhibits. It can be hot and dry during summer. bring water when hiking. Often not very crowded. Go in the fall when cooler. :-)

Denise Peterson

Wow! So beautiful. Don't miss the Paleontologist Center or the Blue Bell Canyon Trail.

Adam Cook

Painted hills were amazing to see. We did not have time to see the other 3 areas but will make a trek back to see the rest. Worth the detour to see these amazing areas.

Leonides Martinez

This time I visited the Painted Hills overlook. There are a few hiking trails in the area, some short and easy to do. The colors of the hills under the direct sunlight can be impressively bright. It's a very peaceful place. Enjoy slowly, let the different tones and hues soak in. And, above all, leave no trace!

Jessica Barnett

I love Love LOVE John Day Fossil Beds. The visitor center is filled with amazing fossils and so much information! The trails are beautiful and none are what I would consider difficult. Most are a half-mile or less and have minimal elevation change. The geology out here is incredible, the rangers are friendly and filled with laughter, and the movie-even at 20 years old-is an excellent piece of park cinema. 10/10, would go again (and continue going forever). I learn something new every time I visit. Be sure to see every unit (Painted Hills, Sheep Rock, and Clarno) even though they're hours apart; each has their own spectacular beauty. Clarno in particular is very underrated. Actual fossils on the trail!? Yes, please. And don't forget the Thomas Condon Paleontology Center in Sheep Rock! It's worth every second of the drive!

Anne Wolke

This is a great place to learn about prehistory. It's well off the beaten path but worth the drive. The landscape is stunning!

Average Shmo

It's a worthwhile stop if you're passing through. It's located in a less foliated, and sparsely populated part of the state, but has a desert kind of beauty to it. Several areas are next to creeks or rivers. Painted Hills is one of the star attractions and is a great stop because the trails are short. Picture Gorge is beautiful. One stop I'd recommend is the short hike at blue basin. Wheel chair access is somewhat possible for about half of the short trail only. Clean toilets at this stop :) The Condon museum is short and decently put together. Decent flushing toilets at that stop. A helpful staff can answer most questions and point you to the various places you would be curious about.

Janice Reeve

Fabulous place but take plenty to drink. It was 103°F when I visited!

Lynn Aley

Great fossil display and hiking!

Jon Welsh

The parks are beautiful but only one has in situ fossils that the public can view.

rian nestlen

A must do in your life!

Emily Kimes

Amazing! It was a cloudy day but the colors were still impeccable. The fossil beds themselves were a bit boring to me, but I absolutely recommend doing the longer hike up Carroll rim and all the view points (there are 4 main spots here, I did them all and enjoyed all of them). I recommend wearing pants and shoes you don’t mind getting dirty, as after the hike out shoes and bottoms of pants were just caked with the clay from the ground and was then all over the floor of the car, so be prepared!

Jessica P

Love this place. So beautiful and the people here are so kind.

Mary Ybarra

Great park. Must go

Justin Wise

Amazing place to visit so much to learn, do, and see

Dale Eagar

Interesting, educational and great for exploring and hiking. The landscape changes a great deal between the different units of the park. Take in at least two units and experience the differences and see how they are the same as well. It will be worth the time. If you decide to visit the Painted Hills, try to schedule the visit in the afternoon, the colors will be more vivid in the later sunlight.

kendi oldshield

Absolutely beautiful drive with so much to see. Lots of hiking opportunities and you can even dig up fossila to keep in fossil.

brian Gumaer

Take a short walk (1.3m). Prepare to be amazed at Blue Basin. Never have we seen anything like it. Cheers

Cheryl Baker

Beautiful. Great interpretative center

Terry Bloom

Pretty interesting and worth the stop. It's free.

Benjamin Park

The natural mountains and landscapes here are unlike any Oregon has to offer. The way the river carves through the mountain at certain spots makes it feel like a drive through the grand canyon. It truly feels like stepping back in time to the oregon trail days. There are mountains here that have flat tops that I personally have never seen the like. I can't wait for another opportunity to come here so I can share one of Oregon's finest with the ready of my family.

Katherine Powers

Great interpetive center at sheep rock. Blue basin and painted hills were beautiful!!! Wish we could have seen the clarno unit, but we ran out of time. Definately take at least two days, so you can fit in side trips. Mitchel was a great place to refuel and grab some lunch.

Norbert Aschenbrenner

This is a fantastic place to get first hand information about the history of the earth. Here you get the evidence that volcanic eruptions formed the planet for millions of years. You see the many layers of different rocks through the ages and learn how the climate was that time. The people here are experts who know nearly everything about biology, geology and earth's history. I recommend the visit to all students.

Doreen McGregor

Absolutely beautiful. Natures scenery is breathtaking. Be very cautious where you stop for picture taking.

Leaf Fael

Kids and Dad enjoyed touring this visitor center. Took about 2 hours for movie, tour and completion of Jr. Ranger packet. Not much shade at center. Dogs must be attended to at all times. Center has great visual aids of archeological records, working research area, screening room, hands on kid opportunities with a kiddo room. Small gift shop. No food here so bring a lunch or grab a bite before you head this way. Free entrance. Nice restrooms.

Josiah Keeler

Stunning views, colorful rocks, the power of nature. Quick trip in and out of the park to see the painted hills.

John Mathia

Hmmm...nice place but not a lot to see here. Yeah some natural phenomena but not like the Grand Canyon where the whole place is amazing. Worth the trip once or if passing through. The visitor center promotes the “theory” of evolution and nothing about the fact that all around there is evidence of a large cataclysmic event involving water about 8-10,000 years ago. No mention of that but as a geology major I recognize it all over.

Cody Hayes

Such A Beautiful Place! Just The Feeling Of Amazement Is Worth The Drive!

Jennifer F

Totally awesome!!! I'm coming here with my kids again for sure!

Isaac Miller

We can't wait to go back. We saw a lot of it, but still have so much to learn and see again

Catherine Cousineau

Good. Get your exercise!

Rich Nguyen

Truely a wonder on earth that is worth to make the effort to get there and enjoy the wonderful landscape

Philip Andrews

Great exhibits. But be aware that it requires a lot of driving.

August Johnson

Amazing to see if you are out and around the Ochocos. It looks great with the tiny yellow flowers creating a stunning view of something special in Oregon. There are some trails to hike around but bring water. It could get a bit toasty.

Christina Shipman

Had a fun day here with my kids. Summer time visits for me not a good idea, the sun and heat just bakes you however a spring or fall visit much better

Ivan Bissell

Another vacation place we want to return to.

anjoviej

Beautiful. Should go see.

Bob Bonstead

What an interesting area! Lots of trails to hike and things to see. Beautiful scenery, crisp winds with changing temperatures. Most trails have sign posts identifying topographical features. Drive to all trailheads. Great museum and historical local ranch to visit. Watch out for rattlesnakes in the barn in warm/hot weather (there are warning sign to that effect). Take water for hydration and appropriate clothing for the weather.