Grant County

Be on alert for the plentiful natural beauty along the John Day River. This winding river runs through Grant County and has more miles of Wild and Scenic River designations than any other river in the United States of America. Grant County also boasts over 150,000 acres of federally designated wilderness areas—not including portions of national forestland. You’ll find a little bit of everything in Grant County—grasslands, high desert, rolling hills, and valleys, too. Looking for an out-of-the-way place to set down your roots? Grant County is ideal for the adventurer in all of us. Canyon City was established during a gold rush, Mount Vernon was named after a settler’s black stallion, and John Day was established as a trading post in the 1860s. Today, visitors to the John Day Fossil beds are thrilled to explore land that used to be inhabited by saber-toothed cats, giant sloths, and tiny horses. But if you’re looking to live here, don’t worry. The saber-toothed cats are only remembered through fossils.