The Blue Basin is part of the Sheep Rock Unit–one of the three units of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument in Eastern Oregon. It’s an incredibly cool place to visit because of the landscape’s distinctive blue hue that spans across the rock layers. This contrasts with the warm reds, yellows, and orange formations you’ll see at other units like the Painted Hills Unit in the John Day Fossil Beds. All the sites in the Sheep Rock unit are worth seeing but the Blue Basin is a sure highlight.
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How do I get to the John Day Fossil Beds?
The John Day Fossil Bed’s are located in three sites (Sheep Rock, Painted Hills, & Clarno) around the towns of Dayville, Mitchell, and Fossil respectively. The Sheep Rock Unit is 234 miles (4.5hrs) from Portland, OR & 232 miles (5hrs) from Salem.
Overview: Sheep Rock Unit – John Day Fossil Beds
The Sheep Rock Unit has six parts:
- Mascall Overlook – This viewpoint surveys the canyon and John Day valley to the north toward Picture Gorge. No hiking required here, you can drive up to it and park.
- Sheep Rock – This is the rock formation that gives the unit its name and stands an impressive 3360ft tall.
- Thomas Condon Paleontology Center – In the shadow of Sheep Rock, directly across the road. You can take a look at the fossils found in the John Day fossil beds and the Blue Basin Oregon.
- Historic Cant Ranch – A part of the human history of the area the Cant Ranch features a glimpse into the past and life on the Oregon frontier.
- Blue Basin– The blue-green claystones here are really cool. There are also lots of fossils that have been found in the sedimentary rock layers.
- Foree – A sweeping view of the valley with 2 very short and well maintained hikes. They end with a sweeping view of the valley and green rocks they contain animal remains as old as 30 million years.
(These are in order going south to north for easy trip planning.)
1. Mascall Overlook
This overlook was easy peasy. It features a wide view of Sheep rock in the distance with the lower valley, Rock Creek, and Picture Gorge in the foreground. It also has restrooms if you need to stop before moving on.
15 million years ago, the climate cooled and grasslands replaced receding
hardwood forests. It would have had beardogs (Tephrocyon) in this open meadow. You would also have seen long-legged, hoofed animals including horses, camels, and giraffe-deer swiftly crossed grasslands to evade predators.
Dinosaurs & Fossils found at Mascall Overlook
- Mylagaulus (rodent)
- Tephrocyon (bear-dog)
- Dromomeryx (giraffe-deer, hooved animal)
- Merychippus (three-toed horse)
- Gomphotherium (trunked, four tusked elephant relative)
- Parahippus (three toed horse)
- Archaeohippus (three toed horse)
- Taxodium (Swamp cypress)
- Aphelops (rhino)
- Miolabis (camel)
- Pseudaelurus (panther relative, tree climbing cat)
- Amphicyon (bear-dog)
- Mixed forest (Celtis, Liquidambar, Quercus, Ulmus, Acer, Fagus, etc.)
- Leptarctus (weasel)
- Clemmys (turtle)
- Falcon, unidentified
- Dipoides (beaver relative)
Sheep Rock: Picture Gorge
Picture Gorge is crafted from the erosion of basalt rock and is quite striking to drive through. It’s the kind of place where you just keep looking up and around.
The Columbia River Basalt flows engulfed much of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho 17-15 million years ago. The picture Gorge basalts are part of those flows that occurred between 16.5 to 15.6 million years ago. 61 different flows of basalt have been counted in and around the Gorge–occurring every 15,000 years on average. Imagine what that did to plants and animals living here then.
2. Sheep Rock
The Sheep Rock Unit is located between the communities of Kimberly and Dayville, Oregon, on Highway 19. Non-fossil bearing rocks that are prominent date back as far as 95 million years. Plant and animal fossils have been discovered in a range of geological strata spanning from 33 to 7 million years ago.
The trails for this unit can be found at the nearby Thomas Condon Paleontology Center and the James Cant Historic Ranch.
3. Thomas Condon Paleontology Center
This is a great place to learn about all the units in John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, not just Sheep Rock. I find museums somewhat boring sometimes but this one was very fun. They have videos to teach you about the geology & animals that use to live here.
You can also watch scientists extract fossils at the Thomas Condon Paleontology Center fossil lab. Definitely a neat experience, especially for kids.
4. The Historic Cant Ranch
The Cant Ranch is a sort of HQ for the John Day Fossil Bed today but it wasn’t always. The ranch was purchased by a Scottish couple named James and Elizabeth Cant in 1910 and their family ran it until the 1970s. It’s the site of two trails in the Sheep Rock Unit.
- River Trail (0.6 miles round trip) The River Trail is a walking path that follows the From the Cant Ranch parking area, this packed gravel and generally level trail goes to the John Day River.
- Sheep Rock Overlook Trail (0.5 miles round trip) This route begins at the Cant House’s front gate and finishes at an overlook with a spectacular view of the valley and river.
5. Blue Basin (my fav in the John Day Fossil Beds)
This place is so unique. The surroundings are filled with a mix of blues and greens as far as the eye can see. It has two trails. If you take the Island in Time Trail it will lead you to the heart of the Blue Basin. The Blue Basin Overlook trail is more rigorous and gives you a bird’s eye view of the area.
- Island in Time (1.3 miles round trip) – Flat, easy (recommended)
- Blue Basin Overlook (3.25-mile loop) – Lots of elevation, hard
Side note for Dog owners: You can bring your dog to the Island in Time trail but this hike has some metal bridges (6-10 ft long) that have perforated holes in them. The park service states that some dogs refuse to walk across. So, you might have to carry your dog across the ~10 bridges if they are finicky but it wasn’t a problem for us.
The Island in Time trail has a gravel road that leads to an amphitheater made out of the John Day Formation’s blue-green claystone. The volcanic ash, which has since converted to stone, is rich in vertebrate fossils and gives it the blue hue. Along the walk, there are interpretive markers and fossil reproductions.
6. Foree
This is the northernmost site in the Sheep Rock Unit. It contains two small trails that are both easy. Perfect for the family and dog friendly also.
- Flood of Fire (0.4 miles round trip) This gravel route climbs a short slope to a viewpoint with views of the John Day River Valley and a colorful rock structure that looks like Cathedral Rock.
- Story in Stone (0.3 miles round trip) A little basin of blue-green claystone is skirted by this route. Fossils of creatures that lived 25 to 30 million years ago may be found in the formation. This partially paved path is mainly flat.
Other Units in John Day Fossil Beds National Monument
The other units are the Painted Hills and the Clarno Unit. Both are also worth visiting if you have the time. It’s likely you would be able to do all three units of the John Day fossil beds in a weekend. If you are interested in other hikes & activities in eastern Oregon or in John Day Oregon check these out.
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Related Posts” About the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument (U.S National Park)
The Painted Hills: One of Oregon’s 7 Wonders
The Painted Hills change color with the seasons, making them a popular destination for tourists and photographers. It’s one of the reasons they have made the list for the 7 wonders of Oregon.
Fossil Oregon and the Clarno Unit
All kinds of dinosaurs roamed Fossil, Oregon and the Clarno unit nearly 54-40 million years ago in the lush semi-tropical rainforest environment. Evidence of the plants and animals is still visible in Clarno where you can take a stroll backward in time and catch a scenic view of the landscape and Clarno Arch.
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