John Day Fossil Beds National Monument · Oregon

Island in Time Trail

0.6 mi of trail, end to end · about 250 ft of climbing · 2,146 ft–2,403 ft · gravel surface · trail class Developed · hiking

Picnic areas

Along the way Blue Basin Picnic Area

Island in Time Trail the Park Service's write-up

20-60 Minutes · dogs allowed

Start Sheep Rock Unit

This 1.3 mi (2.1 km) trail follows the canyon floor and ascends 200 ft (60 m) in elevation through blue-green badlands. Exhibits and fossil replicas along the trail tell the story of the fossil landscape.

Dog owners please note: There are over a dozen metal bridges on this trail. All have rough footplates that many dogs refused to cross. You may need to carry your dogs across the bridges.

No collecting is allowed and off-trail hiking is strictly prohibited. Please stay on trail.

Accessibility This 1.3 mi. (2.1 km) roundtrip gravel and claystone trail has 13 bridges with metal grates. The trail has an average width of 57 inches with a minimum width of 18 inches. After 600 feet, there is a large rock in the center of the trail. There are benches along the trail with minimum shade. Potential hazards: Muddy after rain and snow, rocks, metal bridges

This hike on nps.gov

On the parks map

About this trail's facts

The lines are the National Park Service's public trails layer, the trailheads and the waterfalls, views, peaks and historic places along them the Service's public points of interest, read 2026-10-16 and simplified for the map; the length is the line's, end to end. The write-ups are the Service's own "things to do" text, unedited. Heights come from USGS 3DEP through Terrain Tiles on AWS (Mapzen/Tilezen), read along each line and rounded; a short trail on steep ground can be off by a few tens of feet. Closures change: check the park's own site before you go.