Sutton Mountain
Nestled in the John Day River Basin near the Painted Hills National Monument, lies thousands of acres of unfragmented rolling country.
- Sutton Mountain, in the heart of John Day country.
Photo: Tyler Roemer
The Sutton Mountain, Pat's Cabin, Painted Hills and Dead Dog proposed Wilderness Areas surround the Painted Hills Unit of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. All of these area would result in the designation of four new wilderness areas (58,257 acres), and the consolidation of public and private land through 6 equal-value legislated land exchanges. This proposal has been vetted with dozens of local landowners, residents and business owners in Wheeler County, who are supportive of new wilderness and the consolidation of public lands. The National Park Service John Day Fossil Beds, the whitewater rafting and boating community, the Redmond Chapter of Oregon Hunters Association, and other hunting, angling, rafting and conservation groups support this proposal.