Lonely Planet The Pacific Northwest’s Best Trips by Lonely Planet

Author:Lonely Planet
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781788689694
Publisher: Lonely Planet
Published: 2020-04-14T16:00:00+00:00

SHORT CUT TO MITCHELL

Taking Hwy 207 from Service Creek 30 miles to Mitchell will shave about 50 miles off your route. It also saves you from having to backtrack east along Hwy 26, although you’ll miss some exceptional scenery along the John Day River.

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TRIP HIGHLIGHT

7 John Day Fossil Beds Sheep Rock Unit

The rust-colored walls of the river canyon narrow and then open up again before reaching the spectacular John Day Fossil Beds Sheep Rock Unit. Continue 3 miles south to the Thomas Condon Paleontology Center (541-987-2333; www.nps.gov/joda; 32651 Hwy 19, Kimberly; 9am-5pm Jun-Aug, 10am-5pm Mar-May & Sep-Oct, 10am-5pm Tue-Sat Nov-Feb). This is where everything comes together. With giant murals and exhibits of fossilized skulls, skeletons, leaves, nuts and branches, the center brings the region’s history to life.

After filling your head with paleontology, drive across the highway to the historic Cant Ranch House (www.nps.gov/joda; summer only) for a picnic or snack on the wooden tables overlooking the John Day River. Then backtrack the 3 miles (north) to the Blue Basin Area parking lot at the Sheep Rock Unit. Hike the 0.6-mile Island in Time Trail and the 3-mile Blue Basin Overlook Trail. The former passes replicas of large mammal fossils and ends in a massive amphitheater of towering greenish pinnacles, while the latter leads around and above the amphitheater.

The Drive » From Hwy 19 turn west onto Hwy 26, from where it’s 36 miles to Mitchell. At 25 miles check out the tree on the north side of the road covered with shoes. It’s been there as long as anyone can remember – string a pair up for good luck. From Mitchell it’s another 10 miles to the Painted Hills Unit.

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TRIP HIGHLIGHT

8 John Day Fossil Beds Painted Hills Unit

This is a detour off the official byway but it’s arguably the most striking unit of the John Day Fossil Beds, so you won’t want to miss it. The goal is to see the low-slung, colorfully banded Painted Hills (www.nps.gov/joda; Burnt Ranch Rd) at sunset, when the evening light emphasizes the ochres, blacks, beiges and yellows of the eroded hillsides; an honorable reason to stay overnight in Mitchell. At the site, choose from four trails including the 0.5-mile Painted Hills Overlook and Trail (the most picturesque of the area) and the Painted Cove Trail, which takes you via boardwalk around a hill (five to 10 minutes) to see the area’s popcorn-textured clay stone up close.

The Drive » Backtrack east along Hwy 26 and pass the Hwy 19 junction to Picture Gorge, a canyon hemmed in by stone pillars known as Picture Gorge Basalts. Two miles along is the Mascall Formation Overlook, where you’ll get spectacular views of the John Day River, Strawberry Mountains, Picture Gorge and Mascall and Rattlesnake Formations. It’s another 36 miles to John Day.

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