Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

There’s nothing in Oregon like Blue Basin.

Tucked away up on the far north side of the Sheep Rock Unit in central Oregon’s John Day Fossil Beds, the blue-hued canyon is practically the definition of “otherworldly,” holding the power to transport any visitor to another place and time.

As you hike the Island in Time trail into the canyon, or the longer Blue Basin Overlook trail up and around it, the color of the place is immediately captivating. The cerulean claystone ranges from bright blue to seafoam green depending on the sun, and no photo can truly do it justice.

The trails are relatively short, but interpretive displays that dot the path are well worth the added time. Because while Blue Basin is fascinating on the surface, what lies underneath adds a whole other dimension.

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

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Some 44 million years ago, the land that is now central Oregon was a lush subtropical paradise. More than 175 species of nut and fruit trees thrived in the wet and warm climate, food for dozens of species of ancient insects, birds, amphibians and mammals. There were tiny three-toed horses, armor-plated crocodiles, the first known land tortoises, and big cats that weren’t actually cats at all.

Over the ensuing ages, plants and animals continued to evolve as the planet’s climate changed. Seasonal flooding of the area washed dead animals into a natural quarry, attracting both scavengers and predators, creating a kind of mass grave of ancient fossils. Ash and pumice from the developing Cascade Mountains flooded the forests as well, further preserving the bones.

READ MORE: 8 things to see at the John Day Fossil Beds



As the Earth cooled, the subtropical forest became more seasonal, now filled with deciduous hardwood forests. Those forests later gave way to grasslands and sagebrush steppe, home to gophers, camels, elephants, giant sloths and saber tooth cats. A beautiful diversity of life flourished until about 7 million years ago, when a volcano near present-day Burns erupted in cataclysmic fashion, covering some 13,000 square miles with hot ash and gas, destroying everything in its path.

The lush prehistoric ecosystem was no more, but fossils of its inhabitants remained, waiting for paleontologists to uncover them.

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

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In the 19th century, as white settlers began to flood into Oregon, Irish immigrant Thomas Condon began digging up fossils, gaining recognition for several incredible discoveries made in the fossil beds. He was later named Oregon’s first state geologist, and is the namesake of the paleontology center just south of Blue Basin, where many fascinating fossils from are on display.

The trails at Blue Basin also feature fossils and casts of some of these ancient animals, many found just beneath the surface of the blue-green rock. The fossils add another layer of otherworldliness to a landscape already alien: It’s hard enough to comprehend the Blue Basin as it is today, let alone trying to see it as a subtropical forest full of life.

The fact that Blue Basin doesn't get more attention is a testament to the awe of its neighboring wonder, the Painted Hills. But the two sights – along with several others in the fossil beds – are best seen together, allowing the incredible natural wonder to overwhelm the senses, to transport us to another place entirely, and to humble us meager humans before the incomprehensible enormity of life and time on Earth.



--Jamie Hale | jhale@oregonian.com | @HaleJamesB

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

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