{"id":"nps-joda","slug":"john-day-fossil-beds-national-monument","name":"John Day Fossil Beds National Monument","designation":"National Monument","category":"national-monument","categoryLabel":"National Monument","agency":{"code":"NPS","name":"National Park Service","department":"U.S. Department of the Interior","url":"https://www.nps.gov"},"managedBy":[{"code":"NPS","name":"National Park Service","department":"U.S. Department of the Interior","url":"https://www.nps.gov","unitCode":"JODA","designation":"National Monument","sourceId":"nps-joda"}],"states":["OR"],"stateNames":["Oregon"],"location":{"lat":44.62566508,"lon":-119.8811491},"bbox":[-120.4482,44.4984,-119.6127,44.9402],"acres":{"value":14032,"kind":"gis-estimate","source":"Computed from the simplified boundary","note":"Approximate. The managing agency publishes official acreage."},"firstProtected":null,"established":null,"administrations":[],"designationHistory":[],"summary":"Large rhino-like brontotheres roam a semitropical forest. Dog-sized, three-toed horses dart between the trees. The cat-like nimravid and bear dogs stalk their prey. The climate cools and forests alter to dryer grasslands. Saber tooth cats and camels get replaced by mountain lions and deer. Paleontologists learn more about the ancient animals and environment with every new fossil they discover.","summarySource":"National Park Service","guide":{},"trConnection":null,"trConnections":[],"trTypes":[],"links":{"official":"https://www.nps.gov/joda/index.htm","social":{},"recreationGov":null,"alltrails":null,"alltrailsExplore":"https://www.alltrails.com/explore?b_tl_lat=44.9402&b_tl_lng=-120.4482&b_br_lat=44.4984&b_br_lng=-119.6127","recreationGovSearch":"https://www.recreation.gov/search?q=John%20Day%20Fossil%20Beds%20National%20Monument","directions":"http://www.nps.gov/joda/planyourvisit/directions.htm"},"images":[{"url":"https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/structured_data/3C848785-1DD8-B71B-0B846784B96C76EE.jpg","title":"Painted Hills","alt":"Painted Hills","caption":"The Painted Hills on a stormy winter day.","credit":"NPS Photo / Scott Ritner","source":"NPS"},{"url":"https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/structured_data/3C8488CD-1DD8-B71B-0B29E5280AE3C784.jpg","title":"Clarno","alt":"Clarno","caption":"The Clarno Palisades are remains of ancient volcanic mudslides.","credit":"NPS Photo","source":"NPS"},{"url":"https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/structured_data/3C848BB2-1DD8-B71B-0B434648CF84C5DE.jpg","title":"Paleontologist at work","alt":"Paleontologist at work","caption":"The Thomas Condon Paleontology Center is both a visitor center and research center.","credit":"NPS Photo","source":"NPS"},{"url":"https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/structured_data/6593D65B-C84F-49D1-833D0F4F38BF288D.jpg","title":"Historic James Cant Ranch Homestead","alt":"White house surrounded by green with concrete path leading to the front","caption":"Cant Ranch house","credit":"NPS photo","source":"NPS"},{"url":"https://www.nps.gov/common/uploads/structured_data/36CBD01D-D6DA-164D-F767964B009FF642.jpg","title":"Cathedral Rock","alt":"Tall sandy cliff face overlooking a small, shallow river","caption":"Cathedral Rock overlooking the John River","credit":"NPS Photo","source":"NPS"}],"activities":["Hiking","Front-Country Hiking","Junior Ranger Program","Park Film","Museum Exhibits","Bookstore and Park Store"],"topics":["Science, Technology and Innovation","Fossils and Paleontology","Geology","River and Riparian","Trails","Unique Species"],"fees":[],"passes":[],"hours":[{"name":"Outdoor Recreation Areas","description":"All outdoor recreation opportunities in the park are open daily, including all overlooks and hiking trails at the park’s three units: Sheep Rock, Painted Hills, and Clarno.","standardHours":{"wednesday":"All Day","monday":"All Day","thursday":"All Day","sunday":"All Day","tuesday":"All Day","friday":"All Day","saturday":"All Day"},"exceptions":[]}],"directions":"John Day Fossil Beds encompasses 14,000 acres in three geographically separated units in Oregon: Sheep Rock Unit, Painted Hills Unit, and Clarno Unit. The Sheep Rock Unit is located between the towns of Dayville and Kimberly. The Painted Hills Unit is located 9 miles northwest of of the town of Mitchell. The Clarno Unit is located on Highway 218 twenty miles west of the town of Fossil.","weatherInfo":"Weather conditions at John Day Fossil Beds National Monument are highly variable in this semi-arid desert landscape. Summer highs can climb into the 110's. Winters tend to be fairly mild, with occassional snow and ice and lows occasionally dipping into the single digits.","contacts":{"phone":"5419872333","email":"joda_interpretation@nps.gov"},"visitorCenters":[{"name":"Thomas Condon Visitor Center","description":"Located in the Sheep Rock Unit, the Thomas Condon Visitor Center is a National Park Service research facility containing an outstanding paleontology lab dedicated to the John Day Fossil Beds. Picture windows let you view the working laboratory and collections room with over 60,000 specimens. In the fossil museum gallery, you can walk through nearly 50-million years of the Age of Mammals. Hundreds of fossil specimens are displayed, along with eight large murals depicting plants and animals of the time.","url":"https://www.nps.gov/joda/planyourvisit/tcpv.htm","lat":44.5528073661,"lon":-119.6463446618},{"name":"Historic Cant Ranch Museum","description":"Enjoy the exhibits on the ground floor of the Historic Cant Ranch Museum located in the Sheep Rock Unit. It features artifacts from some of the Native Americans who inhabited the region and stories from homesteaders describing early ranch life. Learn about James and Elizabeth Cant's experience immigrating to John Day Basin from Scotland in the early 1900s, raising a family, and living off the land until their deaths in the early 1970s.","url":"https://www.nps.gov/joda/learn/historyculture/cant-ranch.htm","lat":44.5551398592,"lon":-119.644747376}],"campgrounds":[],"thingsToDo":[],"nearby":[{"slug":"ochoco-national-forest","km":39},{"slug":"malheur-national-forest","km":91},{"slug":"crooked-river-national-grassland","km":104},{"slug":"whitman-national-forest","km":130},{"slug":"mckay-creek-national-wildlife-refuge","km":137},{"slug":"umatilla-national-wildlife-refuge","km":141}],"hasBoundary":true,"boundarySource":{"name":"NPS Land Resources Division","url":"https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/Reference/Profile/2224545"},"sources":[{"name":"NPS Data API","url":"https://developer.nps.gov/api/v1/parks?parkCode=joda"},{"name":"NPS Land Resources Division boundaries","url":"https://services1.arcgis.com/fBc8EJBxQRMcHlei/arcgis/rest/services/NPS_Land_Resources_Division_Boundary_and_Tract_Data_Service/FeatureServer/2"}],"editorialStatus":"draft","synced":"2026-11-09T02:12:45.615Z","alerts":[{"source":"NPS","kind":"Information","title":"Park Phones are Down","text":"The park's phones are currently not working to call in. If you have questions, please email us at JODA_Interpretation@nps.gov. If it is an emergency dial 911.","url":null,"updated":"2026-10-26 00:00:00.0","id":"nps-5076D403-4863-408E-9018-C45A90032BC0"},{"source":"NPS","kind":"Information","title":"No Water Available at the Clarno Unit","text":"There is currently no water available at the Clarno Unit of the park. Please plan accordingly and bring water when visiting.","url":null,"updated":"2026-08-22 00:00:00.0","id":"nps-F7443CF9-B864-4D74-99D8-9BFCF2D2ECA3"}],"url":"https://directory.labs.trlibrary.com/sites/john-day-fossil-beds-national-monument/","boundaryUrl":"https://directory.labs.trlibrary.com/boundaries/john-day-fossil-beds-national-monument.geojson"}