John Day River Roadtrip: June 27-29, 2025

Join Alison on a weekend road trip through some of Oregon's most scenic landscapes: the Clarno and John Day Formations. These geological remnants of ancient volcanic worlds yield plentiful agates, japers, petrified wood, and other plant fossils. Come hike among ancient volcanoes and colorful badlands, and wade in the river at the end of each day.

The group will meet in Shaniko, Oregon around lunchtime on Friday, June 27th and caravan from there. We will disband near Kimberly, Oregon, mid-afternoon on Sunday, June 29th. We'll cover about 155 miles of driving along the way.

Anticipate a few hours of driving each day. The majority of driving will be on paved roads, however we will be taking some side excursions onto dirt roads, as well, seeing all the best sites along Oregon Highway 218. The group will visit the high mountaintops of Horseheaven, the colorful badlands and striking lahars at Clarno, the famous fossil digging site in (aptly named) Fossil, the river canyon at Kimberly, and end at the otherwordly badlands just south of there.

This trip is a *road trip* so we'll camp at different locations along the John Day River each night. Alison's team will prepare delicious camp dinners for the group, and participants will need to bring their own breakfasts, lunches, and snacks.

Notes:

- Trip participants should be adults 18 and over who enjoy river swimming, road trip driving, spending a day on their feet out in the elements, can scramble up steep slopes, and are down to dry camp through all kinds of weather. Trip runs rain or shine!

- All genders and vehicle types welcome, however low-clearance cars (Fit/Prius) will be need to be left at the heads of dirt roads. (We'll carpool out and back.) No pets.

- Possible weather forecast: average daily highs of 75°F and nightly lows of 43°F. The chance that it could rain on this trip is 25%. The chance it could snow is 5%.

- This is a region rich in paleontology and several sets of prohibitions exist regarding rockhounding in order to protect fossil resources. (We'll see lots of fossils on this trip!) We'll be allowed to collect and keep rocks from two locations: Horseheaven and Fossil. Pebble puppies take note--rockhounding is prohibited at our riverside camp spots. I know! :-( But we're still going to have a great time.

Cancellation policy: A full refund will be given if a participant cancels 30 days or more before the start date of the trip. Cancellation made after the 30 day window will be given full credit towards a future trip, but no monetary refunds will be made. *Please consider this before signing up.*

Alison reserves the right to postpone and cancel trips if hazards such as wildfire, smoke, or flooding jeopardize group safety. In this scenario, all trip members will be given full credit towards a future trip. However, no refunds will be given.

Alison is a licensed and bonded Outfitter Guide in the state of Oregon. Permits are acquired through the Bureau of Land Management - Prineville Office and and National Park Service with the John Day Fossil Beds National Monuments. Rock collection limits set by federal agencies and laws regarding artifacts are strictly adhered to.