John Day Fossil Beds, Oregon

As mentioned in my Painted Hills post two weeks ago, the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument is divided into three separate areas referred to as “units”. These include the Painted Hills Unit, with the other two being the Sheep Rock Unit and the Clarno Unit. The monument includes close to 14,000 acres (5,600 hectares) and receives hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. We visited all three units during our time there which included lots of driving, but was well worth the effort.

After visiting the Painted Hills, our next stop was the Sheep Rock Unit, about a 45 minute drive from the hills. It is named for the bighorn sheep that once populated the hillsides. We were fortunate to actually see one standing along the side of the road.

Here you’ll find the Thomas Condon Visitor Center which was unfortunately closed due to the current US Government shutdown. So, unfortunately, we could not see the fossils found in this area.

Thomas Condon was an Irish geologist who arrived in the area in the mid 1860s to study and dig for fossils. His discoveries created wide-spread interest, and soon scientists from Yale, Princeton and the Smithsonian Institute arrived and found a plentitude of specimens. In my humble opinion, it seems like the area should be named after Condon rather than John Day who was a hunter and trapper for the Pacific Fur Company in the early 1800s. Condon had a larger connection with the area, but that’s just my opinion. Click here if you’re interested in learning more about John Day.

Sheep Rock is known for its intense, green strata in the hillsides.

Our next stop was the Clarno Unit, named after Andrew Clarno, an early settler in the area. He married Eleanor Jones in Iowa in the early 1840s, and they later homesteaded in Oregon. Their closest neighbor was 20 miles (30.1 km) away. We saw many ruins of homesteads in the area and commented about how isolated the settlers must have felt.

The Clarno Unit is the most remote area of the monument and is known for craggy, rugged hills and soaring pinacles.

The Cant Family home is another interesting place to visit in the monument. James and Elizabeth Cant were Scottish immigrants who settled in the area in the early 1900s. Apparently the area’s dry climate provided ideal grazing land for their sheep and cattle. The house was purchased by the National Park Service in the 1970s and now serves as park headquarters.

We saw lots of ruins of homesteads and buildings as we traveled through the area.

We saw lots of deer as well, interestingly, they were mostly in urban areas.

The John Day Fossil Beds National Monument is located in a remote part of the state, so accommodations are few and far between. We stayed in Prineville, which left a lot to be desired, but at least provided a few amenities. Be prepared to do a lot of driving if you visit.

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to the different units in the monument and highly suggest a visit there if you’re in Oregon. Spring and autumn are the best times to visit, as summer temperatures are sweltering and the winter months are freezing.

What do you think of this part of Oregon? As always, I would love to hear from you so leave a comment if you’d like.

Wishing you grand adventures,

Tricia