Priest Hole
Loop to Priest Hole closed until May 2025. See Notes & Options tab for optional route.
Highlights & Remarkable Spots
John Day Fossil Beds : Painted Hills / ~ Start of Route
The John Day Fossil Beds are made up three separate units: Clarno, Painted Hills, and Sheep Rock. The Painted Hills is the most visited. The red and tan colors of the Painted Hills are composed of fossil soils from deciduous forests over 33 million years ago. These soils are very fragile (so please be sure to stay on the trails and Don’t Hurt the Dirt!) There are five small trails (0.25 miles to 1.3 miles) to hike and see more viewpoints of the surrounding area. Different times of the day and seasons can bring out different tones in the soils but the afternoons are best lit for photography as well as wildflowers in the Spring. [National Park Service]
Sutton Mountain Wilderness / To your left throughout the ride
This ride encircles the 4,700-foot Sutton Mountain which, like the Painted Hills, boasts paleasols that are “formed by layers of ash, lava and volcanic mud trapping ancient plants and animals, inadvertently preserving them for millennia. Over time, erosion has revealed these ancient fossils and sediments, creating a beautiful geologic story dating back as far as 40 million years.” [Bend Bulletin]
Sutton Mountain is home to bountiful wildflowers in the spring (including the threatened arrowleaf thelypody and Peck’s milkvetch species) and vibrant herds of pronghorn, elk, and mule deer.
In November 2021, Oregon Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden introduced the Sutton Mountain Preservation Act that would establish a new Sutton Mountain National Monument to conserve these public lands. Their innovative bill would capitalize on the public’s 29-year investment and stewardship of iconic Sutton Mountain since it came into public ownership in 1992. [Oregon Natural Desert Association]
Descending the Canyon / ~ Mile 16.5
Descending the paved road through the canyon makes the previous climb so worth it!
Twickenham / ~ Mile 24
The locality was originally named Contention after a quarrel between two of its prominent residents. The Contention post office opened in 1886. A daughter of one of the residents involved in the quarrel suggested that the name Twickenham, after the London suburb in England, would be more dignified than Contention. As it happened, the Contention post office closed in 1895, and a Twickenham post office opened in 1896 in the same general vicinity. It closed in 1917. [Wikipedia]
John Day River / Miles 23 to 35
The river basin drains nearly 8,100 square miles of central and northeast Oregon. Absent of dams for 281 miles, the John Day is one of the longest free-flowing rivers in the continental United States and the longest undammed tributary of the Columbia. Elevations range from 265 feet at the confluence with the Columbia River to over 9,000 feet at the headwaters in the Strawberry Mountain Range.
Priest Hole Recreation Site / ~ Mile 32
The Priest Hole Recreation Site is open year-round for swimming, fishing, camping, and hiking. There is an outhouse available for restrooms. [Bureau of Land Management]
When We Like to Ride This
Spring and Fall. (May and early June is best for flowers.)
Terrain & Riding
Beautiful hills that explode with color. Ranchlands. Vista views of the John Day River.
The ride is deceptively more difficult than most anticipate. The first 25 miles go by quickly, but a majority of those miles are on pavement. From mile 25, it is mostly gravel and dirt roads where the riding is more demanding with pitches up to 10%. The last 5 miles look flat but are not, there is a slight incline of 1 to 2%. This section can be the crux of the day for some!
The Start
Painted Hills picnic area. Pit toilets, no water.
Food & Water
- None.
Route Notes
We recommend a red blinky light for the paved sections.
Expect free ranging cattle. When passing them: (a) determine if there is a bull within the herd, if so keep your distance and use caution, (b) pass as a group, slow up your speed, and keep to the opposite side of the road. The goal is not to increase the stress of the animals and their young, something which is detrimental to their development.
Route Options
Shorter Option
At ~ mile 31 (at top of hill) continue straight, do not drop down into Priest Hole. 37 miles / 3000 feet of gain versus 42 miles / 3500 feet of gain.
Love Where You Ride! Learn More
This ride highlights the Painted Hills unit of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, one of the richest fossil beds on earth, covering more than 20,000 square miles (think rectangle of 200 miles by 100 miles). To learn more about the 750 different plant and animal fossils, what makes the painted hills striped yellow and red, and the big animals of years gone by with names like Entelodonts, Indarctos, and Thunderbeasts we encourage you to watch the the video below and/or stop by the visitor center near Dayville (Lat/Long: 44.552167, -119.646004).
Videos
The Ride! Priest Hole
A quick 2-minute video of what to expect on your ride!
John Day Fossil Beds -Wow!
Have you ever wondered what Central Oregon once was? Tropical Forests. Exploding volcanoes. Mudslides. Gigantic animals with names like Thunderbeast and Entelodonts. In this 20-minute video learn about this and a whole lot more!
Keep it Local! Learn More
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