CLARNO

    
View of the Palisades from the picnic area Clarno nut beds
   
The Clarno Unit is 1,969 acres in size and is located 18 miles west of the town of Fossil. It features hiking trails, exhibits, and a picnic area; The modern vegetation here is typical of Central Oregon's near-desert environment with a variety of grasses, sagebrush and juniper.
The cliffs of the Palisades are the most prominent landform in the Clarno Unit. The Palisades were formed 44 million years ago by a series of volcanic mudflows called lahars . The Palisades, preserved a great diversity of fossils in an environment very different from that of today. At that time, volcanoes towered over a landscape covered by near-tropical forest fed by approximately 100 inches of rain per year. Tiny four-toed horses, huge rhino-like brontotheres, crocodilians, and meat-eating creodonts roamed the ancient jungles.
   
View looking up through the Clarno arch
View of the beginning of the Clarno arch trail
   

map of unit

SHEEP ROCK UNIT I Blue Basin I PAINTED HILLS UNIT I Painted Cove I CLARNO UNIT