About Clarno Unit – John Day Fossil Beds National Monument

Clarno Unit – John Day Fossil Beds National Monument

Recognition Programs

The Clarno Unit is located 18 miles west of the town of Fossil and is part of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument.

The Palisades are the most prominent landform. 44 million years ago a series of volcanic mudflows, swept up and preserved a diverse assortment of plants and animals that inhabited a near-tropical forest. Tiny four-toed horses, huge rhino-like brontotheres, crocodilians, and meat-eating creodonts that once roamed ancient jungles are now found in the rocks of the Clarno Unit, as well as an incredibly diverse range of plant life. Leaves, fruits, nuts, seeds, and petrified wood from 173 species of trees, vines, shrubs, and other plants have been found here thus far.

The modern vegetation is typical of Central Oregon's near-desert environment with a variety of grasses, sagebrush and juniper.

Recognition Programs

Reviews & Ratings

Read TripAdvisor Reviews

  • TripAdvisor Rating
    June 23, 2025
    Jeremy Z

    Clarno Unit Doesn't Get Enough Love

    We visited the Clarno Unit the day after we visited the Painted Hills and Sheep Rock Units of John Day Fossil Beds NM. Certainly, this is the furthest off the beaten path of all three units, and it is definitely not as scenic as the other two units. But it still exceeded our expectations. We were able to hike all three short trails in this unit in the park in just over an hour. Along the Trail of Fossils, we found numerous leaf fossils. You do have to keep an eye out for them as they can be hard to find, but they are still really impressive. The short steep hike up to Clarno Arch was excellent and the views from the top of the trail were just as great as the arch itself. The Geologic Time Trail was just ok. It's literally right next to the road so that kind of ruined it for us. Though by the picnic area, you do get some great views of the Clarno Palisades. With only a one day visit to the monument, I would focus on the Sheep Rock and Painted Hills units. But don't miss the Clarno unit of the park if you have any extra time.

  • TripAdvisor Rating
    June 22, 2025
    wallflowerone

    Meh…signs are washed out

    We did the fossil trail but didn’t find it exciting fossil wise. Some of the signs were so badly washed out you couldn’t read them. We also did the painted hills and found that very pretty.

  • TripAdvisor Rating
    December 25, 2022
    Bill M

    Hike to the neck-craning Arch

    The Clarno Unit of John Day Fossil Beds National Monument is worth a stop if you have an hour or so to go on the steep, short but scenic Arch Trail. The neck-craning view of the Arch at the end of the trail is the pay off. But, the rest of the hike is also enjoyable from the scenic view of the hills. The Trail of Fossils is also nice but rocky; a leaf fossil is the highlight of this trail. Clarno Unit is certainly worth a stop in the National Monument.

  • TripAdvisor Rating
    October 2, 2022
    DDMMM

    Our Last Stop in John Day

    It was late afternoon by the time we pulled into the Clarno unit of John Day, having spent most of the day in the other two units (Painted Hills and Sheep Rock). The Clarno unit is definitely the smallest and least impressive of the three, with only a small parking area from where you can take on the 3 listed hikes. They all share the same beginning though, so it could be considered a single out and back trail. The first segment is the Geologic Time Trail, a short path with interpretive panels designed to take you back in time. Though elevated and somewhat set back from the road, you're still very aware that you're walking next to the highway! At the end of the first segment, the trail splits between the Arch Trail and the Trail of Fossils (short 1/4 mile loop). We took the Arch Trail which is a pretty steep climb up to a surprisingly cool view of an arch at the top of the rock cliff. Trail is pretty narrow and steep, definitely different from the other two trails. The 3rd trail, the Trail of Fossils, is a short loop around some rocks where you're able to identify fossils, apparently the best place in all of John Day to see fossils up close. It was hard for us to find any fossils though, so have to say it was disappointing. But I'd recommend stopping here just to take the Arch Trail hike.

  • TripAdvisor Rating
    November 13, 2020
    V8929GOamym

    Clarno Unit

    Arch hike was great! Look at the large boulder at the base of the mountain for leaf fossils. Definitely worth hiking up to the base of the palisades.

Hide Ratings & Reviews