John Day Fossil Beds National Monument
National Monument · OR
1 noticefrom the National Park Service
Information · No Water Available at the Clarno Unit
There is currently no water available at the Clarno Unit of the park. Please plan accordingly and bring water when visiting.
Large rhino-like brontotheres roam a semitropical forest. Dog-sized, three-toed horses dart between the trees. The cat-like nimravid and bear dogs stalk their prey. The climate cools and forests alter to dryer grasslands. Saber tooth cats and camels get replaced by mountain lions and deer. Paleontologists learn more about the ancient animals and environment with every new fossil they discover.
- NPS site
- nps.gov/joda
- Location
- John Day Fossil Beds National Monument (44.626, -119.881)
Track your visit to John Day Fossil Beds National Monument
NP Tracker keeps a record of every National Park Service unit you visit — all 430-plus of them. Log visits with dates and photos, collect passport stamps, plan trips, and watch your map fill in. It's free.
Passport stamp locations
- Historic Cant Ranch Museum
- Thomas Condon Visitor Center
Hours
Outdoor Recreation Areastoday: All Day
- Sat Oct 3All Day
- Sun Oct 4All Day
- Mon Oct 5All Day
- Tue Oct 6All Day
- Wed Oct 7All Day
- Thu Oct 8All Day
- Fri Oct 9All Day
All outdoor recreation opportunities in the park are open daily, including all overlooks and hiking trails at the park’s three units: Sheep Rock, Painted Hills, and Clarno.
Hours are retrieved from the National Park Service and can change without notice — check the official site before you go.
Visitor centers
2
- Historic Cant Ranch Museumclosed todayDirections
- Thomas Condon Visitor Centertoday: 10:00AM - 4:00PMDirections
Self-guided tours
2
Cant Ranch Walking Tour30–60 minutes · 7 stops
This is a story of rugged ranching life from the late 1800s through the 1900s. Seasonal ranch rhythms contrast against changing lives and times. Two families, the Officers and the Cants, made a life here. Follow the guide and step back into a world of hard work and challenges. Numbers on the map correspond to stops along your walk. Information in the guide will be found next to the corresponding number. Using this guide, it should take about 45 minutes to an hour to explore the Cant Ranch.
Clarno Unit - Arch Trail Guided Hike30–60 minutes · 5 stops
Imagine yourself in a semi-tropical environment like Florida or Mexico. Palms, swamps, and even crocodiles once covered the landscape, which are now fossils preserved in the Palisades and fallen rocks around you. Fossil leaf imprints of tropical-loving flora imprinted in the boulders tell a story about the ancient environment. Discovering these fossils shaped the way scientists and visitors alike understand and appreciate Oregon’s past. What are you hoping to discover during your visit to the Clarno Unit?
Entrance fees
No entrance fee.