The Long Way
Wheeler County
A cowboy on a horse herds cattle across a grassy hill landscape.
Plate I. Rider and cattle along Journey Through Time Scenic Byway. From traveloregon.com
A landscape view of colorful striped hills under a clear blue sky.
Plate II. Painted Hills along Journey Through Time Scenic Byway. From traveloregon.com
A high-angle landscape view of colorful banded hills and mountains under a partly cloudy sky.
Plate III. Painted Hills, Journey Through Time Scenic Byway. From traveloregon.com
Journey Through Time Scenic Byway.
Plate IV. Journey Through Time Scenic Byway. Photograph by Chris Light, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Journey Through Time Scenic Byway

Fossil, Wheeler County, Oregon. Scenic byway; Year-round.

Details

Map. Fossil, Wheeler County, Oregon. Larger map
Where
Fossil, Wheeler County, OR. No street address stated. Directions
Getting there
The byway begins at Biggs, along the Columbia River, and curves up US-97 between the canyons of two more major Oregon rivers: the Deschutes and the John Day.
Access
Driving time: 8-10 hours.
Website
traveloregon.com

The marks of time are stamped across the landscape on this 286-mile/460-kilometer route through prehistoric fossil beds, mining boomtowns and surprising sights like the Painted Hills.

Notable Events

  1. 1996The 286-mile Journey Through Time Scenic Byway, a new cultural heritage route and state scenic byway running from Maryhill Museum of Art to Shaniko and easterly to Baker City, was celebrated in towns along the route. shermancountyoregon.com
  2. 2013A new scenic loop added in 2013 lets travelers circle through Mitchell and the nearby Painted Hills Unit of the John Day Fossil Beds. oregonpaleolandscenter.com

Sources

  1. traveloregon.com/things-to-do/trip-ideas/scenic-drives/journey-through-time-scenic-byway
  2. shermancountyoregon.com/sherman-county/sherman-county-timelines/sherman-county-historical-society-timeline
  3. tripcheck.com/Pages/Scenic-Byways-Journey-Through-Time