Dickse’s guidebook
Sightseeing
The most famous of all viewpoints in the fossil beds, the Painted Hills Overlook shows off the beloved Painted Hills, accessible via an easy, half-mile gravel trail. You can get a broader panoramic view, if you like, across the road on the Carroll Rim Trail, which is a 1.6-mile round-trip hike.
69 Recomendado por los habitantes de la zona
Painted Hills
37375 Bear Creek RoadThe most famous of all viewpoints in the fossil beds, the Painted Hills Overlook shows off the beloved Painted Hills, accessible via an easy, half-mile gravel trail. You can get a broader panoramic view, if you like, across the road on the Carroll Rim Trail, which is a 1.6-mile round-trip hike.
Many people float the John Day River during the summer. A popular trip is from Service Creek to Clarno which is 47 miles. The full run is a two to three day trip through cattle country and farmland, but there are also isolated stretches through a scenic, high-desert canyon. The highlights are three class II rapids and some excellent Eastern Oregon desert scenery, which includes the same colorful geologic formations that make up the nearby Painted Hills of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument.
If you would like a shorter alternative a full-day trip is from Service Creek to the Twickenham bridge or from Twickenham bridge to Clarno.
John Day River
Many people float the John Day River during the summer. A popular trip is from Service Creek to Clarno which is 47 miles. The full run is a two to three day trip through cattle country and farmland, but there are also isolated stretches through a scenic, high-desert canyon. The highlights are three class II rapids and some excellent Eastern Oregon desert scenery, which includes the same colorful geologic formations that make up the nearby Painted Hills of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument.
If you would like a shorter alternative a full-day trip is from Service Creek to the Twickenham bridge or from Twickenham bridge to Clarno.
The blue-green canyon of claystone badlands is otherworldly, with a hue that changes with the sun. You can hike the 1.3-mile trail into the heart of the canyon or take the 3.25-mile trek up and around it.
13 Recomendado por los habitantes de la zona
Blue Basin Overlook Trail
The blue-green canyon of claystone badlands is otherworldly, with a hue that changes with the sun. You can hike the 1.3-mile trail into the heart of the canyon or take the 3.25-mile trek up and around it.
The fossil beds are colorful on the outside, but what’s truly incredible is the cache of fossils found within them. The Thomas Condon Paleontology Center is the place to learn all about the fascinating history of the area, which was once a lush, tropical climate home to many species of ancient mammals.
17 Recomendado por los habitantes de la zona
Thomas Condon Paleontology Center
32651 OR-19The fossil beds are colorful on the outside, but what’s truly incredible is the cache of fossils found within them. The Thomas Condon Paleontology Center is the place to learn all about the fascinating history of the area, which was once a lush, tropical climate home to many species of ancient mammals.
In 1910, Scottish immigrants James and Elizabeth Cant settled on 700 acres of land along the John Day River, establishing a ranch in what is now the Sheep Rock Unit of the fossil beds. Staffed hours at the historic ranch house are limited, but you can still walk the grounds, where a mile of trails runs past old buildings and farm equipment in the shadow of Sheep Rock.
Cant Ranch
In 1910, Scottish immigrants James and Elizabeth Cant settled on 700 acres of land along the John Day River, establishing a ranch in what is now the Sheep Rock Unit of the fossil beds. Staffed hours at the historic ranch house are limited, but you can still walk the grounds, where a mile of trails runs past old buildings and farm equipment in the shadow of Sheep Rock.
Unlike the other two units of the fossil beds, Clarno is isolated up on Oregon Route 218, between the small towns of Antelope and Fossil. It also has only a small trail system that’s one mile in total, but the dirt paths wind below some stunning cliffs and rock formations, leading to fossils of ancient leaves pressed into boulders.
Clarno
Unlike the other two units of the fossil beds, Clarno is isolated up on Oregon Route 218, between the small towns of Antelope and Fossil. It also has only a small trail system that’s one mile in total, but the dirt paths wind below some stunning cliffs and rock formations, leading to fossils of ancient leaves pressed into boulders.
Two small trails lead to two distinctly fascinating features at Foree, found in the northernmost part the Sheep Rock Unit. The Flood of Fire Trail is a half-mile hike to a dramatic and colorful cliff face, while the Story in Stone Trail leads .3 miles around more blue-green claystone formations.
Sheep Rock
Two small trails lead to two distinctly fascinating features at Foree, found in the northernmost part the Sheep Rock Unit. The Flood of Fire Trail is a half-mile hike to a dramatic and colorful cliff face, while the Story in Stone Trail leads .3 miles around more blue-green claystone formations.
Food scene
A local brewery with a rotating catalog of seasonal beers, guest taps from other breweries + a full bar. Lunch and dinner served.
https://www.tigertownbrewing.com/
11 Recomendado por los habitantes de la zona
Tiger Town Brewing Co.
108 W Main StA local brewery with a rotating catalog of seasonal beers, guest taps from other breweries + a full bar. Lunch and dinner served.
https://www.tigertownbrewing.com/
Consejos para la ciudad
No te pierdas
Stargazing
If you’re looking for a mind-blowing stargazing experience, Twickenham is the place. One of Oregon’s best stargazing spots, where darkness brings the universe to life, is the area of the John Day Fossil Beds.
The fossil beds lie under some of the darkest skies in the state, which also includes Twickenham. If you have never seen a clear, starry sky from a place devoid of light pollution then you’re in for a real treat. With the naked eye alone, from a dark site, on a clear night you’ll see thousands of stars, meteors, the zodiacal light, airglow, satellites, the milky way and nebulas.