What To Do Near John Day Fossil Beds National Monument
Although the National Monument is obviously the main attraction, there are so many other things to see and do in this area of Oregon. What there aren’t a lot of? Gas stations. So make sure you gas up any chance you get and before setting off on the day’s adventures. Also, don’t necessarily plan on eating out - restaurants are as few and far between as gas stations, so expect to make some of your own meals. We, for one, enjoyed some delicious campfire meals prepared in our outdoor kitchen, but if cooking and eating in the fresh air isn’t your thing, you may want to book a place to stay where you will have access to a kitchen.
The National Monument
John Day Fossil Beds is obviously the reason to come to this area, but it is only the start of what there is to explore. However, this is likely the spot you’ll be planning your trip around. As discussed in my previous post (which was, like, months ago because life is a bit hectic and I’m tired), the monument is spread across three diverse units, so at a minimum plan to spend at least two days exploring the area, more if you’re wanting to do much hiking.
The most (relatively) developed of the units, Sheep Rock is where you can find the Thomas Condon Paleontology and Visitor Center along with the Historic Cant Ranch. There are also numerous hiking trails. Due to Covid, all indoor activities were suspended, so we elected to enjoy the scenic drive through the spectacular rock formations on our way to Fossil.
This unit was our main destination for the day and you can hardly blame us - this is the spot where you can see actual fossils. There is a family friendly hike that takes you up the rock formations and past the remains of a fossilized semi-tropical rainforest, which is exactly as cool as it sounds. The history of this place is literally written on the walls and it is astounding. Despite being the most difficult unit to reach, I would definitely recommend making the effort to get here.
By far, this is the most famous area of the monument, and for good reason. This also means it is the most crowded, but there were hardly any visitors the day we were there in late September. If photography is your goal, generally the last afternoon is the best time to visit, but even on a cloudy morning, the hills were unbelievably beautiful. The 5 hiking trails here could easily be done in a morning. This may be one of the most well known of the units, but I absolutely think all of them are worth exploring.
Hiking
Okay, I’ve already sort of talked about hiking. I mean, if you go to Oregon and don’t do at least one hike, did you really go to Oregon? The NM websites linked above outline the hikes in the monument. For all others, I again defer to the 100 Hikes series - worth every penny I have ever spent on them and with all the information you need regardless of skill level.
Biking
This will surprise exactly no one, but biking isn’t exactly my thing. But if it is yours, this is an excellent area to explore. The 174 (or so) mile Old West Scenic Bikeway circumvents this area, beginning and ending in the town of John Day. If that’s not enough, there are hundreds of miles of other bike trails in the area. If I was into biking, this would be an area that I would desire to experience in this way, but I’ll stick to my own two feet for now, thank you very much.
Fossil Digging
One may think that this is an ideal activity for children, but let me tell you, “children” of aaaaalll ages will love this activity. Seriously, digging for fossils is such an interesting thing to do, even if the actual activity is mostly digging in the dirt and looking at rocks. I will save you a little disappointment and prepare you that you will be digging for plant fossils. I will admit it was a little bit of a letdown to learn we would not, in fact, be digging for dinosaur fossils. But it is still pretty cool to come home with some ancient plant fossils in hand. We dug behind the high school baseball field in Fossil, Oregon, a spot that is easy to access at any time. They only ask for a small donation to dig here, just don’t forget your shovel and maybe a small hammer to help break up rocks (yes, we drove all the way across Oregon with a shovel bungee corded to the top of our car).
This gorgeous river is a tributary of the Columbia River and is one of the longest undammed rivers in the US. You can enjoy the view year round, but recreation opportunities vary by season and range from white water rafting to fishing.
Kam Wah Chung State Heritage Site
Located in the town of John Day, this museum and history site chronicles the history of Chinese immigrants in this area of Oregon. Unfortunately, this was closed during our trip, but I hope to visit the site when we are in the area again. It is typically open May - October and the required guided tours are free, but advanced bookings are encouraged as the small tours often fill up.
As with much of the west, the railroad played a vital role in the history of this area of Oregon. The Sumpter Valley railroad offers a glimpse of this history. This spot is best visited on your way to John Day from further east (as we did) or done as a day trip, perhaps from John Day (the city) or Prairie City. There are regularly scheduled train trips as well as seasonal special events. Although train rides were unavailable during our trip, we did walk around the closed train station. Yet another thing on our “next time” list.
While you’re checking out the railroad, make time to stop by the Sumpter Valley Dredge. One of a trio of dredges used in the first half of the 20th century to dredge gold from the nearby river, it is a fascinating spot to visit. Although the visitors center was closed, we could still walk through the dredge and there were a handful of educational signs that shared more about the history of gold mining in the area. We also walked the nearby trails, where piles of rocks evidenced where the dredge had been decades before.
Where to Eat
Did I mention not to depend on restaurants in this part of Oregon? Although we mostly prepared our own meals, we had an excellent meal at the Dayville Cafe. If you stop here, you must get a slice of one of their delicious, homemade pies. Pretty sure it’s a rule. In fact, many meals come with a slice. Forget vegetables, give me all the pie. We also had a solid breakfast at the homey Bridge Creek Cafe in Mitchell. Short story - if you forget to bring groceries, you won’t have a lot of options, but the options that are available are far from disappointing.
There is so much to see and do in this unique area of Oregon and we certainly could have spent even more time there. If you’re wanting to know our exact itinerary: We drove from the Wallowas to our Airbnb in Dayville, arriving in the evening. Because we, you know, were traveling with a young child, we built in some stops along the way. We took kind of a round about way, stopping at Anthony Lakes (an absolutely gorgeous spot we stumbled upon just in time for a picnic lunch), taking a detour to check out the ghost town of Granite, which in September was more of a hunting town than a ghost town, and exploring the Sumpter Valley Dredge. The following day, we drove through the beautiful Sheep Rock Unit as we headed toward Fossil where we, unsurprisingly, dug for fossils before spending the afternoon hiking in the Clarno Unit and marveling at the actual fossils we could see encapsulated in the ancient rocks. After a long day, the homemade meals and most especially the excellent pie served by the Dayville Cafe were just perfect. The next morning, we set out on the final leg of our journey, but not before stopping at one of the most spectacular places in Oregon - the Painted Hills. Our final night we spent in La Pine in order to have dinner at the iconic Cowboy Dinner Tree, something every Oregonian should do at least once.
We had an amazing first family vacation. I don’t think I would change anything about it. In the middle of a difficult and unusual year, this week away with my favorite humans was a breath of fresh air. Up next, I’ll wrap things up with a budget post. Any questions about how to plan your own vacation to this part of Oregon?