Plan Your Visit

Free
No entrance pass required

An entrance pass is not required to access John Day Fossil Beds National Monument.

Other National Park Service sites may require an entrance pass or fee. Depending on your trip plans, an interagency pass may save you money.

2024 Free Entrance Days in the National Parks

Come experience the national parks! All National Park Service sites that charge an entrance fee will offer free admission to everyone (other fees, including timed entry or reservation fees, may apply). Mark your calendar for these entrance fee-free dates:

 

Trip Planning:

One Park, Three Units

John Day Fossil Beds National Monument consists of three units: Clarno, Painted Hills, and Sheep Rock. These three locations are dispersed through east-central Oregon. Because of the winding roads, visiting all three units is difficult to do in a single day, but is possible with an early start. The amount of time available and your route of travel taken are often the determining factors on which units you're able to visit.

Distances & Drive Time Between Units

Sheep Rock to Painted Hills - 45 miles (1 hour)
Painted Hills Unit to Clarno Unit - 75 miles (1.5 hours)
Clarno Unit to Sheep Rock Unit - 81 miles (2 hours)

 

Plan Your Visit

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    A boardwalk path winds through red hills.
    Things to Do

    Discover things to do in the park such as seeing fossils in the visitor center, hiking, biking, fishing, and more.

    A sign with maps that says Clarno Unit at the top.
    Directions

    Find out how to get to the three different units of the park.

    A pointed hill in shadow with pink and orange clouds of sunset above.
    Eating and Sleeping

    There is nowhere to eat or stay the night inside the park. Find out where restaurants, lodging, and camping can be found nearby.

    Clarno is the best place for fossils in situ.
    Clarno Unit

    The Clarno Unit has the oldest exposed layers of the park, and the only unit with fossils along the trail. Remember, no collecting fossils.

    Painted Hills Unit consists of fossilized soils from wet forests no longer found in eastern Oregon.
    Painted Hills Unit

    The colorful stripes and gentle ripples of the Painted Hills makes it one of the most popular destinations in the park.

    Eroded claystone reveals the past with blue, tan, pink, and brown rock layers.
    Sheep Rock Unit

    Home to the Thomas Condon Visitor Center and the Cant Ranch Museum, the Sheep Rock Unit also has many trails and scenic views.

    Last updated: September 17, 2024

    Contact Info

    Mailing Address:

    32651 Highway 19
    Kimberly, OR 97848

    Phone:

    541 987-2333

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