John Day Fossil Beds
National Monument
OPERATING
HOURS, SEASONS:
Park trails, overlooks, and grounds, open during daylight hours.
Fossil Museum/Visitor Center open daily from 9:00 am to 5 pm.
Hours extend to 6 pm from Memorial Day to Labor Day. CLOSED:
Weekends and holidays from Thanksgiving through February.
CLIMATE,
RECOMMENDED CLOTHING:
Fahrenheit temperatures range from the teens to upper nineties
through the seasons. Rainy season in early spring can cause muddy
trails; yearly rain-fall averages 15 inches in a near-desert
environment (mountains and valleys of sagebrush and juniper,
with ponderosa pine forests at higher altitudes). Recommended
summer clothing; sturdy hiking footwear for trails, sun-hat,
sunglasses, and water bottle.
DIRECTIONS:
The Sheep Rock Unit of the monument, with visitor center and
fossil museum, is located at the intersection of State Routes
26 and 19, 8 miles west of Dayville, Oregon. The Painted Hills
Unit is located 10 miles west of Mitchell, Oregon, off of State
Route 26. The Clarno Unit is 18 miles west of Fossil, Oregon,
on State Route 218.
TRANSPORTATION:
To Park - No public transportation available.
In Park - No public transportation available.
FEES,
COSTS, RATES:
No admission fees. Donations accepted with drop-box available
at the visitor center.
VISITOR
SERVICES, FACILITIES, PROGRAMS:
Visitor Center:
Staffed visitor center with fossil museum (formally the Cant Ranch house and grounds) is located at the Sheep Rock Unit of the monument. Center has indoor geological and paleontological exhibits, book sales area, small theater with orientation films, and outdoor exhibits on the historic ranch grounds.
Both the Painted Hills and Clarno Units have outdoor orientation, geological, and paleontological exhibits. Rangers on duty at these units spring through fall.
Programs, Activities:
Routinely scheduled, and specially arranged, ranger conducted programs are offered year-around; fossil museum talks, trail hikes, and off-site presentations, featuring the geologic and paleontologic story. The schedule of activities changes during each of the four seasons. See our schedule of 1999 Summer Visitor Programs. The Junior Park Ranger Program is offered all year round.
Education programs are offered to students of all ages; specific programs for 5th through 12th grade students offered (designed to meet Oregon State science curriculum goals); and outreach films, a fossil kit for loan (fee charged to ship kit), and teacher packets available upon request. Teacher workshops are also conducted throughout the year.
Park brochures and schedules of programs are available upon request, sent by mail or FAX.
Trails, Roads, Bikes:
Each of the three units offer short trails (10 to 120 minute hikes) into fossil bed or scenic areas, along with exhibits explaining the geologic and paleontologic significance of the sites.
Roads (mostly asphalt with some hard-packed dirt and gravel) provide access to all points of interest and overlooks within the three monument units and are traversable by large buses/RV's down to bicycles, with suitable parking.
Lodging and Camping Facilities:
None in the park. Motels and Bed & Breakfasts available throughout the area. Public and private, fee and free, camping facilities throughout the region, from primitive sites to full hook-ups and showers. Lodging and camping information available upon request at the visitor center, or by mail.
Food, Supplies:
None in the park. Water is available. Local grocery stores, shopping marts, gift shops, and restaurants available in the area, having limited diversity of sale items.
Other Concessions, NPS-Managed Visitor Facilities and Opportunities:
A small bookstore, located at the Sheep Rock Unit visitor center, is managed by the Northwest Interpretive Association. It offers books, postcards, slides, video, pins, and posters. No film or stamps.
Accessibility:
An accessibility brochure, listing accessible programs and facilities, is available upon request. The monument Voice/TDD number is (541) 987-2333, or 2334. Brochure information includes; foreign language translations of brochure (German, Japanese, French, Hispanic); barrier free trails, overlooks, and visitor use facilities; touch exhibits; and audio-taped self-guiding trail tour.
Special Needs:
None
RECOMMENDED
ACTIVITIES, PARK USE:
The primary reason for the monument's existence is the fossil
resource and their scientific significance, though the scenic
beauty of the area is some of the best the northwest has to offer.
As buried fossils are not commonly seen along the trails into
the fossil beds, and visitors are limited to the trails within
protected areas, a visit to the fossil museum at the Sheep Rock
Unit visitor center is a must. There, on display, are a variety
of plant and animal fossils, collected from the John Day River
basin.
At the Clarno Unit, one self-guiding trail has a myriad of 40 million year old plants fossils visible in the adjacent rocks and boulders of the "Palisade" cliffs.
The Painted Hills Unit is primarily noted by visitors for its scenic beauty, and is well worth a drive to the primary overlook.
RESERVATIONS,
PERMITS:
Collecting or disturbing fossils, or other geologic or biological
resources, within the monument is prohibited.
Program reservations for all groups should be made at least two weeks prior to the visit.
At least one month's notice and application for Special Use Permits is required. Filming permits are arranged on an individual basis (based on size of the project, whether a movie, commercial, etc., and how many park personnel for how much time will be involved). For additional information concerning reservations, special use, or filming permits, call Voice/TDD(541) 987-2333.
BASIC
VISIT RECOMMENDATIONS:
Each of the three units have unique scenic values and visitor
use facilities. Photo opportunities abound. For the best sunlight
on the scenic landscape, we recommend seeing the Clarno Unit
in the morning hours, then a two hour drive to the Sheep Rock
Unit for the early afternoon hours, then an hour drive to the
Painted Hills for the late afternoon hours.
The wildflower season at the Painted Hills Unit is particularly attractive after a wet winter. The time of this season varies from mid-April to mid-May. Information on the wildflowers is available by calling the unit at (541)462-3961.
SPECIAL
EVENTS:
Yearly special events include fossil identification days (conducted
by the monument paleontologist to help visitors identify their
fossils), National Park Service birthday celebration (August),
campfire programs at nearby State Park campgrounds (monthly April
through October); inquire for further details.
The 25th anniversary celebration of the establishment of the monument will be in year 2000. A special event will be planned for that year.
VISITOR
IMPACTS:
Information on safety concerns, periodic area road closures,
bad weather, area hunting seasons, etc., will be made available
to visitors at monument contact points.
NEARBY
VISITOR ATTRACTIONS, INFORMATION:
There are many area scenic, recreational, and historic attractions
in both Wheeler and Grant Counties (the monument is located in
these two counties), and eastern Oregon. The following are sources
of local information.
- Oregon Highway Conditions (800) 977-6368 (ODOT & State Police)
- Grant County Chamber of Commerce (541) 575-0547 (our eastern and southern gateway)
- Wheeler County Chamber of Commerce (541) 763-2698 (our northern gateway)
- Crook County Chamber of Commerce (541) 447-6304 (our western gateway)
ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION:
Other sources of information for the John Day Fossil Beds National
Monument region (made up of about 80% government lands) include:
- Eastern Oregon Visitors Association (800) 523-1235
- Central Oregon Visitors Association (800) 800-8334
- Oregon Tourism Division (statewide information) (800) 547-7842
- U.S. Bureau of Land Management (541) 416-6700 (Prineville office)
- U.S.D.A. Forest Service (541)-573-4383 (John Day office)
- Oregon State Parks & Recreation (503) 378-6500 (Salem office)
- Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (503) 872-5268
Last Updated: 12/98
http://www.nps.gov/joda/index.htm
Author: Jennifer Chapman