New Track Posted

On the eve of the new year, Backpacker.com has posted the GPS track from one of my summer hikes - Blue Basin in the John Day Fossil Beds Nat'l Monument, in central Oregon. When we visited the Fossil Beds in early July, we were actually discouraged by the ranger from hiking this trail on that particular day - it was hot! We were told the basin was referred to as a "clay oven," with temps reaching up to 20º higher than the surrounding area - and it was 107º that day! We waited a couple days and the temps dropped a good 20º, making the hike much more doable. Still, watch out for rattlesnakes!

The 4-mile hike is fairly easy, starting at the Overlook trailhead and working clockwise to the rim, then down for a stroll thru the Island in Time. The canyon/basin is an otherworldly blue/green volcanic tuff, sculpted by water and wind. Inside the canyon are fossil displays of late eocene and early miocene-era mammals. Either before or after the hike, be sure to check out the displays at the Thomas Condon Paleontology Center. See my image gallery here.