Fossil, OR

Fossil is a tiny high desert town in central Oregon where visitors come to hunt for ancient fossils in the surrounding badlands. Highway 218 runs right through town, connecting north to Highway 19 and Interstate 84, or south to Highway 26 near Mitchell. The three-hour drive from Portland follows I-84 east to Arlington, then Highway 19 south through dramatic canyon country. The old Wheeler High School now serves as a museum displaying remarkable plant and fish fossils from when this arid landscape was once a prehistoric lake.