Thomas Condon Paleontology Center

Top choice


This excellent paleontology center is 2 miles north of Hwy 26 at Sheep Rock Unit. The well-presented displays include a three-toed horse and petrified dung-beetle balls, along with many other fossils, geologic-history exhibits, and vivid murals illustrating plant and animal life during various periods. There's a lab with a large window where you can watch researchers cleaning up discoveries, and an 18-minute film summarizing the area's paleo-history.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Cant Ranch House

0.16 MILES

The Cant Ranch House is near the paleontology center. Once upon a time a mail-order house built by a Scottish immigrant family, it offers a peek into…

2. Sheep Rock Unit

0.8 MILES

Featuring the most walks and hikes of the three John Day fossil-bed units, Sheep Rock is also closest to the paleontology center. Above loom majestic,…