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John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, John Day

4.8
#26 of 256 in Nature in Oregon
National Park · Nature / Park
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John Day Fossil Beds National Monument reviews

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TripAdvisor traveler rating 4.5
461 reviews
Google
4.8
TripAdvisor
  • The John Day Fossil Beds National Monument comprises three geographical separate units - The Sheeprock unit has the monument Visitor Center and the Thomas Condon Paleontology Center (with a working... 
    The John Day Fossil Beds National Monument comprises three geographical separate units - The Sheeprock unit has the monument Visitor Center and the Thomas Condon Paleontology Center (with a working...  more »
  • Beautiful scenery and a great museum/visitors center. Really friendly staff and wonderful exhibits. We’ll worth the stop! 
    Beautiful scenery and a great museum/visitors center. Really friendly staff and wonderful exhibits. We’ll worth the stop!  more »
Google
  • 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!

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