Alt Text Map of John Day Fossil Beds National Monument in Oregon. Three units are shown as small bright green shapes above the Ochoco Mountains and east of the Cascade Range. Mountainous areas are pale mint green and surrounding areas are bone white. Rivers are blue. Extended Description Oregon takes up most of the area, from Portland on the west to Baker City on the east and Bend to the south. A triangular sliver of southern Washington runs across the top, and its border follows the jagged path of the Columbia River. The three park sites, the Clarno Unit, Painted Hills Unit, and Sheep Rock Unit, are clustered mostly around the center. The map can be divided roughly into thirds by the mountains. This description will start with the mountains and rivers from west to east and then will follow the roads in each section that weave across the map and around the park sites. Mountains and Rivers The Cascade Range takes up about a third of the map from the left. The Ochoco Mountains begin about halfway across the map, swooping east-west across the middle, and the Blue Mountains swing up in the third section. The park’s three units are in this middle section. About a third of the way across the map, the Deschutes River runs perpendicularly from the Columbia down off the bottom of the map. Nearly halfway across the map, the John Day River runs from the Columbia River and zigzags south, curving around the Clarno Unit, above Painted Hills Unit, and through Sheep Rock Unit, before continuing east and trailing off below the Blue Mountains. Roads in the First Section Four roads cross horizontally through the Cascade Range. From Portland, Interstate 84 follows the curves of the Columbia River until it crosses Interstate 82 two thirds of the way across and curves down around Pendleton, La Grande, and Baker City before leading off the right edge of the map, toward Boise. Also from Portland, US Highway 26 runs across and then dips down near the Deschutes River, continuing diagonally south to Prineville, then crossing up through the Ochoco Mountains, below the Painted Hills Unit near State Route 207. It continues east below the Sheep Rock Unit and the John Day River, crossing the lower part of the Blue Mountains and trailing off the lower right edge of the map toward Boise. Text next to US Highway 20’s emergence on the lower left reads “To Albany.” US Highway 20 cuts across the map’s bottom left corner, through the Cascade Range, crossing the Deschutes River and Bend and then going off the map toward Burns. Text next to State Route 242’s emergence reads “To Eugene.” This road crosses US Highway 20 at Sisters, after which it is known as State Route 126. State Route 126 continues east past Redmond and Prineville, at which point it joins with US Highway 26. State Route 35 connects to US Highway 26 in the Cascade Range from Hood River on I-84. US Highway 197 goes from I-84 south through Maupin, crossing the Deschutes River and continuing south toward Madras where it is known as US Highway 97, then crosses through Redmond and Bend off the bottom of the map, toward Crater Lake National Park. State Route 216 links US Highway 26 to 197 at Maupin. Roads in the Second Section From Yakima, Washington, US Highway 97 goes south, crossing the Columbia and continuing south about halfway down the map to Shaniko, where it joins with 197. Near that junction, just below Shaniko, State Route 218 goes from Antelope to Fossil, whose halfway point is the John Day River. The Clarno Unit sits on the river's east side on 218. Just below the Columbia, State Route 206 branches from 97 and goes southeast, crossing the John Day River and continuing east through Condon and then Heppner. From I-84 at Arlington, State Route 19 goes south through Condon and Fossil, and then goes east along the John Day River, curving around to Spray and Kimberly and running down through the Sheep Rock Unit and stopping at US Highway 26. Where State Route 19 hits the John Day River, State Route 207 continues south toward Mitchell and US Highway 26, above which is the Painted Hills Unit. Further east on I-84, State Route 74 goes southeast toward Heppner, then continues east to Nye at US Highway 395. I-82 goes north from I-84 toward Pasco, Washington, while 84 continues east. Near this juncture, State Route 207 goes southwest toward Heppner, then continues south toward State Route 19 near Kimberly. From Kimberly, State Route 402 continues east toward the Blue Mountains. Roads in the Third Section From I-84 in Pendleton, US Highway 395 hooks southwest to Nye, then continues south toward Long Creek, along the west side of the Blue Mountains, joining US Highway 26 at Mount Vernon along the John Day River, then continuing south from John Day off the bottom of the map toward Burns, Oregon. Scooping up through the Blue Mountains, 26 meets with State Route 7, which continues east toward Baker City, linking up with I-84. On the other side of Pendleton and I-84, State Route 11 ventures north off the top of the map toward Walla Walla. About halfway up that leg, State Route 204 crosses east, then curves down to State Route 82, which continues off the map’s right side toward Enterprise. From 204, State Route 82 continues southwest to La Grande at I-84. Near that point, State Route 244 goes west and links up with US Highway 395, roughly halfway between Nye and Long Creek. Legend A scale at the bottom of the map shows distances of 10 and 20 miles and 10 and 20 kilometers.