National Monument · Oregon

John Day Fossil Beds National Monument

The candy-striped Painted Hills

TypeNational Monument
StateOregon
Best seasonSpring & fall
Don’t missThe Painted Hills

Three units of central Oregon high desert holding 40 million years of fossils — and the surreal, banded Painted Hills that glow at golden hour. One of the most photogenic landscapes in the Northwest.

What to see

  • Painted Hills
  • Blue Basin
  • Sheep Rock
  • Thomas Condon center
  • Clarno palisades

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