Fossil Oregon Map

About Fossil, Oregon

Fossil is a locality in Wheeler County, Oregon, United States. It is a small community with a population of 447. The population density is 220.1 people per km². Fossil is located at 44.9982°N, 120.2161°W. It observes the Pacific Time (America/Los_Angeles) timezone. Fossil is an incorporated locality. ZIP code: 97830.

Fossil emerges from the high, arid landscape where the persistent waters of Butte Creek carve a narrow, winding corridor through the earth. It lies 57.0 miles north-northeast of Prineville, OR (from Prineville, OR: bearing 32°T), and is situated 51.4 miles east-northeast of Madras. The terrain surrounding Fossil is defined by the stark, weathered slopes of Coates Canyon, which frame the horizon in shades of ochre and burnt umber. Beyond these immediate heights, the distant, hazy silhouette of the Cascade Range anchors the western sky, providing a cool visual contrast to the sun-baked plains that stretch toward the horizon. The quality of light here possesses a particular clarity, turning the golden grasses of late afternoon into a shimmering, brittle expanse that seems to hold the quiet intensity of the high desert.

Fossil maintains a legacy deeply connected to the prehistoric remnants buried within its soil, a history that colors the local economy and defines the character of its residents. While modern life moves with a steady, deliberate pace, the proximity of Hoover Creek Reservoir offers a rare stillness in the landscape, reflecting the expansive sky above. Travelers often venture toward the nearby Dyer Wayside to observe the natural environment, or traverse the distant Lords Trail for a closer engagement with the rugged, unadorned beauty of the region. Life in Fossil remains tethered to the rhythm of the seasons, where the land yields its ancient secrets to those who look closely at the strata of the earth, proving that the most profound stories are often found in the quietest corners of the map.

About This Fossil Map Page

This page provides an embedded street and satellite map of Fossil, Oregon. Coordinates: 44.998186, -120.216137. Live weather conditions are sourced directly from the National Weather Service. Real-time local and world news feeds keep the page current.

Detailed location data for Fossil includes the ZIP code (97830), telephone area code (541), county seat of Wheeler County (Fossil), and school district assignment (Fossil School District 21J).

Location data is drawn from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) and cross-verified against 2020 US Census records by coordinate proximity. Population figures are sourced from the 2020 US Census.