john-day-fossil-beds | OR | Find park

Sheep Rock, with the John Day River in the foreground

The Painted Hills on a stormy winter day.

The Clarno Palisades are remains of ancient volcanic mudslides.

The Thomas Condon Paleontology Center is both a visitor center and research center.

White house surrounded by green with concrete path leading to the front

Cant Ranch house

Physical Address:

32651 Highway 19

Kimberly, OR 97848

Mailing Address:

32651 Highway 19

Kimberly, OR 97848

contact-details

Phone Number: 5419872333 Voice

Email Address: joda_interpretation@nps.gov
Description:

Fees

Entrance Fees

Entrance Passes

Large rhino-like brontotheres roam a semitropical forest. Dog-sized, three-toed horses dart between the trees. The cat-like nimravid and bear dogs stalk their prey. The climate cools and forests alter to dryer grasslands. Saber tooth cats and camels get replaced by mountain lions and deer. Paleontologists learn more about the ancient animals and environment with every new fossil they discover.

park designation:National Monument

Directions:

John Day Fossil Beds encompasses 14,000 acres in three geographically separated units in Oregon: Sheep Rock Unit, Painted Hills Unit, and Clarno Unit. The Sheep Rock Unit is located between the towns of Dayville and Kimberly. The Painted Hills Unit is located 9 miles northwest of of the town of Mitchell. The Clarno Unit is located on Highway 218 twenty miles west of the town of Fossil.

For detailed directions, please visit this link.

Directions

Operating Hours:

Outdoor Recreation Areas

All outdoor recreation opportunities in the park are open daily, including all overlooks and hiking trails at the park’s three units: Sheep Rock, Painted Hills, and Clarno.

Weather Information:

Weather conditions at John Day Fossil Beds National Monument are highly variable in this semi-arid desert landscape. Summer highs can climb into the 110's. Winters tend to be fairly mild, with occassional snow and ice and lows occasionally dipping into the single digits.