Address: 32651 OR-19, Kimberly, OR 97848, USA
Phone: +15419872333
Sunday: 9AM–5PM
Monday: 9AM–5PM
Tuesday: 9AM–5PM
Wednesday: 9AM–5PM
Thursday: 9AM–5PM
Friday: 9AM–5PM
Saturday: 9AM–5PM
Ms. Denise Brown
It took us 6hrs to get here since it is somewhat out of the way. We drove mostly nonstop. I would recommend that you plan to stay in the area 3+ days to fully appreciate all the natural beauty.
Mehrdad Azadan
I drove 800 Miles to see the Painted Hills and it was well worth it. The colors are amazing and I got lucky with the cloud formation against the blue sky on tip and the red at the bottom which resulted in wonderful photos. There are 3 different sections in John Day Fossil Bed National Monument; Painted Hills is by far the best of the 3. Plan to spend at least 4 hours at Painted Hills, and that is if you take quick photos and move on to the next spot. If you plan to hike the rim to the overlook, then add another hour at least. There are some restrooms in the area but no food or water. Plan to have your lunch at one of the many sites with awesome views right in front of you. The main parking at the overlook area may be filled at times. A park ranger will tell you to drive on and see other sites so when you return to the main parking, hopefully space is available. Anyway, do not worry, there are plenty spots to drive to and take great pictures.
Andy Smith
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
Erica Meyer
We visited all three locations. This is the order we went. Clarno Unit : Short hike with views of fossiled logs, plants and wildlife. There is an enormous bee(?) hive at the top that was not causing us trouble due to the rain but this might be an issue during warmer times. Not our favorite of the three. Sheep Rock Unit : I wish the video offered at the Paleontology Center was offered at both Clarno and Painted Hills as it told us indepth on what we were looking at. The geology exhibit was fascinating, my favorite part. A little salty that some of the displays have been 'removed for research' since 2004. Caro ranch was alright, but we are more into rocks than history. Painted Hills Unit : Pretty! Even more facinating with the knowledge of the video. A few short hikes here. While the park was cool, it felt like a repeat to all national parks that I've been to in Utah. Another draw back is just the location in general, it was hard to find food and gas.
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Sheep Rock Unit, Dayville, OR: Fish House Inn, South Fk RV Park, Kimberly, OR: Big Bend, Lone Pine, Lands Inn Spray, OR: The Old Mill, Spray Riverfront Park Clarno Unit, Fossil, OR: Muleshoe, Service Creek, Big Sarvice Corral, Shelton Wayside, Bear Hollow, Priest Hole, Burnt Ranch, Wheeler County Fairgrounds RV Park & Campground Painted Hills Unit, Mitchell, OR: Mitchell City Park, Hidden Springs
Possibly near Mitchell there is.
The visitor center is open every day from 9-5 in the summer and 10-5 the rest of the year. The individual units (Sheep Rock, Painted Hills, and Clarno) are all open from dawn to dusk for hiking. If you want to be there after dusk it requires a permit.
We were there on a Wednesday and was closed. Sign said open Friday to Sunday. This was 3 weeks ago though
Yes. We stopped at a few stops and most if not all had at least some path that was accessible with a wheelchair. Some of the outlooks were more or less parking areas to admire the views.
Removing fossils and even stones from the park is illegal. It is more thsn just a local or state crime. It is a federal crime, punishable by prison and financial penalty. Try the fossil beds in Kemmerer, Wyo, when they reopen.
There is a very nice visitor center in Sheep Rock. There is a lot of hand on learning there. As well as a unbelievable site of the mountains
No. Taking the fossils or rocks of any kind from a national park is illegal. Please do not do that.
The hikes aren't too hard. There is only one that is Really high up but it's pretty safe.
Sutton Mountain Wilderness Area has some hiking opportunities in that range. Also, Blue Basin has a short and long hike that are both spectacular, although the long hike may be less than 5 miles. Check in at the Thomas Condon Paleo Center and they can give you information on some great hikes inside the monuments. For more information about hiking Sutton Mountain, check in with ONDA.
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