John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, John Day

Interesting place to visit. Its quite spread out with 3 different units, miles apart. The main visitor center is really nice and the Painted Hills is the best bit to visit. The hiking around here is good and there are some interesting areas with different minerals making the landscape multi-colour

Quite the drive but well worth it! Pictures cannot fully capture the beauty of the Painted Hills and surrounding landscapes. Definitely visit the Painted Hills as close to sunset as possible. The lighting at that time really makes the hills pop with color. We did go in the morning at first and it was a little shadowed and were so glad we came back late afternoon for another peak. We couldn’t stay until sunset as the drive back to Bend where we were staying was hours away. The Thomas Condon Paleontology Center was a very interesting fossil museum with a small gift shop inside; great views of Sheep Rock Unit; a nice full toilet bathroom. Definitely do not climb on the hills; you could see shoe prints of someone who did and it just ruins the beauty of this area…leave no trace. If you can, try to take one of the hikes for views hard to beat! Before you begin your trip, make sure you have a full tank of gas and pack a lunch and bring snacks!