The oldest, most remote fossil beds are in magnificent palisade formations at the base of the John Day River's canyon. There are three, quarter- to half-mile (round-trip) interpretive trails, including one that passes through large boulders containing the fossils of an ancient forest and another that leads to an arch and some petrified logs. All trails lead from the base of the palisades. The Clarno Unit is 20 miles west of Fossil on Hwy 218.

The 40-million-year-old Clarno Unit exposes mudflows that washed over an Eocene-era forest and eroded into white cliffs topped with spires and turrets of stone.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Oregon Paleo Lands Institute

11.07 MILES

A small educational facility which offers local information and a small geography display room. It's open by appointment only outside of summer.

2. Fossil Museum

11.25 MILES

This tiny museum is in the center of the town of Fossil and has a vintage photo collection, artifacts from town history, and a display about a nearby…

3. Painted Hills Unit

19.16 MILES

Because no cap rock protects them, the Painted Hills have eroded into low-slung, colorfully banded hills that were originally formed about 30 million…