Painted Hills

Short trails and overlooks take you past hills striped in red, tan, orange and black claystone.

37375 Bear Creek Rd · Mitchell, OR

About Painted Hills

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

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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
No admission fee
Small Eastern Oregon town nine miles from the Painted Hills unit of John Day Fossil Beds National Monument.
Transit: reachable by public transit
8.0 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing
Sports & Outdoors
Outdoor Adventure
John Day Fossil Beds National Monument
No admission fee
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
Sports & Outdoors
Prineville Reservoir State Park
Check prices
High desert state park centered on a 3,000-acre reservoir in Central Oregon, known for camping, boating, fishing, and night-sky viewing.
38 mi awayMore like this
Sports & Outdoors
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.
Transit: reachable by public transit
47 mi awaySwitch it up: Stay
Sightseeing
Peter Skene Ogden State Scenic Viewpoint
Check prices
Canyon-rim lookout over tall basalt cliffs and the Crooked River gorge, open for day use all year.
49 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing