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Painted Hills, Mitchell, OR

Photo: MrX, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

Sport & OutdoorOutdoor AdventureFree

Painted Hills

37375 Bear Creek Rd · Mitchell, OR

Why you should go…

The Painted Hills are one of three units of John Day Fossil Beds National Monument, about 10 miles northwest of Mitchell. Bands of red, tan, orange and black run across the hills and record a sequence of past climate change. Five short trails range from the quarter-mile Painted Cove Trail to the 1.6-mile Carroll Rim Trail. The National Park Service says the colors show most vividly in late afternoon light, and you must stay on the trails.

  • #national monument
  • #painted hills
  • #hiking trails
  • #geology
  • #scenic overlook

Good to know

General sport & outdoor guidance

Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.

  • Weather calls the shots

    Check the forecast the morning of and keep an indoor backup in your pocket for the day it turns.

  • Shoes, water, sun cover

    The three things that decide whether you last the whole outing or cut it short after an hour.

  • Parking and launches fill early

    On a nice weekend, lots and trailheads are often full by mid-morning.

  • Daylight shrinks in shoulder season

    Spring and fall visits need an earlier start than the same trip in July.

What's around here?

The closest stops to Painted Hills, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Sightseeing
    Local Gem

    Mitchell

    Free

    Small Eastern Oregon town nine miles from the Painted Hills unit of John Day Fossil Beds National Monument.

    8.0 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Outdoor Adventure

    John Day Fossil Beds National Monument

    Free

    Walk short trails past colorful striped claystone hills and see fossils of ancient mammals and plants at the visitor center.

    31 mi awayMore like this

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Outdoor Adventure

    Smith Rock State Park

    Under $25

    Hike or climb among welded tuff spires and 600-foot cliffs above a bend of the Crooked River.

    47 mi awayMore like this

  • Stay
    Outdoor Adventure

    Cove Palisades Resort & Marina

    $50+

    Marina resort on Lake Billy Chinook with cabin and houseboat rentals, boat rentals and a lakeside store.

    47 mi awaySwitch it up: Stay

  • Tours
    Outdoor Adventure

    Deschutes River Adventures

    $50+

    Guided and self-guided whitewater rafting trips on the Deschutes River near Maupin, Oregon.

    54 mi awaySwitch it up: Tours

  • Tours
    Outdoor Adventure

    River Drifters

    $50+

    Guided whitewater rafting trips on the Deschutes, Rogue and Owyhee rivers out of Maupin, Oregon.

    54 mi awaySwitch it up: Tours