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    Painted Hills Unit, John Day Fossil Beds

    4.6 (44 reviews)
    Open 6:00 am - 6:00 AM (Next day)

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    Hills

    I loved these! THE FOSSIL UNIT CLOSES AT 4 SO GET THERE EARLY!! Had a wonderful picnic area and a cute little gift shop! BRING YOUR OWN FOOD! Lots of hiking trails but you can just drive also!

    Samantha E.

    This has so far been my least favorite place I've visited in Oregon. One thing to know ahead of time is everyone pictures are defiantly edited it's not a bright as people make it look. It also doesn't take much time to go to all the trails. If you're in that area I would recommend Smith Rock over the painted hills or even crooked river bridge both are way more beautiful

    Lori H.

    An absolute must see! So many colorful rock formations for viewing. There are multiple trails available. I'd suggest stopping at the Thomas Condon Paleontology Center to get a trail guide so you're aware of the trails and which "unit" they reside. It also gives an overview of the trail length and a view description. There are restrooms available at the picnic area to the left as you drive into the Painted Hills Overlook Trail. Would highly recommend!

    Painted Hills
    Kristy W.

    This is a road trip worth taking the painted hills are breath taking. The trails are easy and dog friendly

    5/29/21 - careful if you're on a motorcycle through here. Thickly packed gravel road to the top but worth it to capture this beauty.
    Amie B.

    Highly recommended! It's such a gorgeous area! The stripes on the hills represent weather during that time period. The red stripe was during a warm and wetter time and the yellow a drier one! The ride to the top was a bit harrowing on a motorcycle as the road is a thick layer of gravel -- ride safe if you're on a bike! It is so worth it though just to get a sight of all this beauty. There is a restroom area to your left before you make your way to the road heading to the overlook. Otherwise, there are outhouses at the top. On the drive over, i recommend keeping your eyes peeled for deer crossing. The car in front of me hit one and it wasn't a pretty sight! I had another one cross in front of me. Luckily I saw it in time. Othwr than that... enjoy!

    Painted Hills
    Gerlie P.

    If you're visiting Central Oregon, don't forget to stop by the Painted Hills. It's definitely a site to see. The colors that streak the clay are so beautiful and unique. There's about 5 trails you can go on; the Painted Cove Trail, allows you to be up close and personal with the colorful clay hills on a mini-boardwalk; the Painted Hills overlook, is a 100 feet of climb but has the best spots for photographs; Carrol Rim Trail, great place to watch the sunset that features panoramic views; Red Scar Knoll Trail, another trail that gets you a closer view of what makes the hills painted; and Leaf Hill trail, where it's said to have fossils (w/c aren't visible now). FYI: All trails are about 1/4 to 1.6 miles. They're pretty short hikes with plenty of parking. The road is not paved so you'll get to experience a little off roading (nothing a little car wash can't fix after). Any who, this is a fun little activity you can enjoy with your family. Have fun, and safe travels!

    Emma M.

    Beautiful place! We arrived just as a storm was passing through and we were a bit miserable with the high winds. After the gusts died and the torrential downpour ceased the sun cracked the clouds and the hills lit up. They were beautiful. Not as vibrant as some of the photoshopped pictures lead you to believe, but they are colorful. It's a bit of a drive, but worth it. You can't walk on them, but there was footprint proof some people do, but rangers do patrol the area. There is a groomed path going up one way to a lookout and a boardwalk in the other direction. There are plaques that give you an idea of what these beautiful hills are made up of and how they were formed. There are restrooms back toward the entrance with an info center and rest area for a picnic lunch if that's your thing.

    Painted Hills Overlook Trail (1/2 mile up/back) Entrance - Painted Hills in the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument
    Michael S.

    God is quite the artist! The Oregon hills she painted with colorful stripes or dusted in red rust are an alluring chromatic landscape preserved as a free section of the John Day Fossil Beds national monument. The Painted Hills are remote (about 9 miles from the 130-person town of Mitchell, Oregon). Plan to bring your own water, food, fuel, and supplies. Visitors navigate the small park along a gravel road connecting a series of short "hiking" trails. The Carroll Rim Trail (1.6 miles roundtrip and 400 feet elevation) to a panorama view of the Painted Hills was the only trail worthy of being called a hike. The views from the top are impressive, but not as inspirational for me as the Painted Cove Trail (0.25 mi. r/t), Painted Hills Overlook Trail (0.5 mi r/t), or Red Hill (Red Scar Knoll) Trail (0.25 mi. r/t). Near the entrance to the park is small grassy zone with picnic tables and the park's only rustic restrooms (like enclosed port-a-potties). Otherwise, there was no cell coverage, rangers, or park facilities. The Painted Hills park may not be a spot for multiple visits, but the red, tan, orange, and black stripes forged millions of years ago in the hills of Oregon are a free, peaceful, and dusty chance to be alone in nature to witness the beauty and stillness of God's artistry.

    Frances L.

    Google maps led us to the back entrance so we didn't really get to see the hills, but we did see tons of fossils and spectacular views of the cliff faces. Lots of trails and history markers as you walk. We will be back to see the rest

    Painted hills
    Andrea O.

    Fascinating time travel through the multi color rock layers in these wonderful Oregon hills. The main site is quite interesting and beautiful by itself, but then you can drive to nearby spots (red hill, painted cove, leaf fossil hill) that are very interesting too. Depending on where you're based it can be quite a drive, especially if you do a daily trip. There's not much around it. We were based in the Smith Rock area (15/20 mins north of Redmond) and it was a 1.5 hrs boring drive.

    Jessy M.

    Beautiful place. I have lived in Oregon my whole life and never been until now. Absolutely gorgeous. Pictures don't do it justice, it was super sunny and bright. Loved the few short hikes. Definitely worth a visit to see at least once, I am sure there is more we didn't explore or even know about. You have to go see it for yourself. We did see lots of places to camp along the way too. The road through the painted hills is all gravel and we went early morning at left at 12pm and it was definitely getting busy. Covid precautions in place and all trails meant for one way now, made it hard for us to get the pic on the bridge as I couldn't keep walking and we went just for the pic, but I had a mask and didn't pass people. Just felt like a jerk, but due to medical issues I couldn't follow the one way and do the whole trail on that one.

    SO NICE
    Tiffany H.

    A must visit if you're ever in this area! My friends and I watched the total eclipse nearby, and we were told to check out this beautiful piece of scenery. The hills are such a gorgeous red brown color, and they kind of look like toes. LOL but it's really amazing how there are fossils here! There is a short pleasant hike to get to the overlook!

    What an absolutely beautiful place!
    Kevin B.

    Painted Hills is one of the most amazing places we've ever seen and it feels like you're in a different world when you're here. The natural landscapes are breathtakingly beautiful and it's an absolute joy to explore this area. We visited during a heat wave in 2017 and it was 115 degrees in the area, but that didn't stop us from enjoying every minute here. I recommend bringing plenty of water and make sure that your car has a full tank of gas, just because it's remote and a desert. I highly, highly recommend Painted Hills and it's still one of the most amazing placed we've ever visited!

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    BEAUTIFUL! I can't put into words how beautiful the exhibit was. In particular, the painted hills and the blue basin were truly wondrous.

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    Page 1 of 2

    Ask the Community - Painted Hills Unit, John Day Fossil Beds

    Review Highlights - Painted Hills Unit, John Day Fossil Beds

    The Painted Hills Unit of the John Day National Monument was indeed a very scenic and beautiful sight seeing stop as we were in the Bend, Oregon area.

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    Ochoco National Forest

    Ochoco National Forest

    4.0(3 reviews)
    59.8 km

    Very nice lake, RV camping…read more 6 miles out of town, in the high desert of Central Oregon.

    Oregon Eclipse Gathering was held at Big Summit Prairie, which is located in Ochoco. The prairie is…read morehuge - it held 7 stages of music, as well as spaces for talks, classes, vendors and food stands. The lake takes up a significant space as well and it's quite the hike to walk around it. We camped for 7 days in mid-August. We were lucky and assigned a camping space with minimal shrubs and rocks. As a result, we slept fine with just double-layered tarp under our tent and a sleeping pad inside. Be prepared. With high elevations, it gets very windy. A few neighboring canopies were picked up by the wind and at least one in our area was destroyed. Be sure to bring something to weigh it down. The wind will also cause dust to pick up significantly. I wore a dust mask for most of my time here and others had on bandanas. If you'll be up at random hours like we were, it's important to know that the temperature change is drastic. The temperature started to warm up quickly around 7 am and drop quickly around 6 pm. During the day, we wore bathing suits, lathered on sunscreen, stayed under our shade structures and hydrated well. At night, we would be in beanies, layers of fleece and wool socks. I would also suggest proper footwear, as there are small dried shrubs, rocks and gravel everywhere. I wouldn't recommend bringing any shoes with zippers, as the dust gets stuck in it and it gets difficult to zip up. Though we didn't experience it, there are supposed to be ticks in the area. In any case, I'd recommend bringing bug spray, as there are mosquitos - each member of our party was bitten at least once. I can't rough it this hard, so camping here isn't for me. But if you're up for a challenge against rapidly changing temperatures, dusty air and rocks all over the ground, this is all you!

    Photos
    Ochoco National Forest
    Ochoco National Forest
    Ochoco National Forest - Sun stage at Oregon Eclipse Gathering - pebbles were placed on the ground under the structure, which kept the dust at a minimum

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    Sun stage at Oregon Eclipse Gathering - pebbles were placed on the ground under the structure, which kept the dust at a minimum

    Sheep Rock - Blue Basin - Island in Time Trail.

    Sheep Rock

    4.5(8 reviews)
    41.4 km

    I've stopped here a few times over the decades. Handy access right off the highway. Usually not a…read morelot of people here especially on a weekday. Some good photography opportunities and a lot of historical artifacts. There is an interesting information center and historical display up on the hill on the other side of the highway. Worth a stop if you've never been there before. There are hiking trails that go off a ways that I have never gone on but the mile or so round trip from the historic house is interesting enough. They do have staff there and offer tours of the grounds although I have never taken advantage of them.

    The Sheep Rock Unit of the John Day Fossil Beds was a fabulous day trip! We were with a toddler and…read morea baby (in a BOB stroller), so we did all of the hikes except the longer two in the Blue Basin area. We started off in the Foree area and worked our way south. Also, the hikes got continuously more disappointing in this direction. I do not recommend the River Trail, as there is no view of the river (not maintained?), and I also did not enjoy the Thomas Condon Overlook Trail as it had almost the same view as the Sheep Rock Overlook Trail. I definitely recommend picking up a passport to the National Parks as well as getting your cancellation stamp for all 3 John Day Fossil Bed Units at the Visitor center. Though it isn't marked on the map, there are a couple of picnic tables at the visitor center as well. The Cant house was OK, but don't be too sad if you miss it due to the limited hours. Only the downstairs is open for viewing, and there are only three small rooms of exhibits. I loved the Flood of Fire and Story in Stone hikes!

    Photos
    Sheep Rock - Blue Basin.

    Blue Basin.

    Sheep Rock - Blue Basin Overlook Trail

    Blue Basin Overlook Trail

    Sheep Rock - Blue Basin area

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    Blue Basin area

    PS Ogden State Scenic Viewpoint - 2nd suspension bridge - photogenic sunset

    PS Ogden State Scenic Viewpoint

    5.0(1 review)
    84.8 km

    Alright, wow, well....here I am writing about this PS Ogden State Scenic Viewpoint!…read more Actually, this place is really just a rest stop along the side of the road along US 97 as you're heading south towards Redmond, Oregon. I'm very surprised not 1 person on Yelp has written a review about this rest area!?!? It deserves it's recognition. PS Ogden I mean, for myself, was one of the MOST SCENIC REST STOPS I have randomly ever come across! And that's it....I simply needed to use the restroom, get out of my car and stretch my legs from my cross country road trip. Little did I realize that in the back section of the rest stop was a worthwhile and terrific overlook at not just 1....but 2 different statuesque suspension bridges!!!! How cool! I find suspension bridges to be extremely photogenic....so when after using the bathroom and just spontaneously venturing around the quaint area, I came upon these 2 bridges. And another fortunate perspective for me...was that I came here during late afternoon over the summer time and witnessed a beautiful sunset in either direction gazing out upon both bridges. And of course....I grabbed some terrific photographs not just of the high, free standing bridges....but of their colorful surrounding terrains. I kept repeating to myself....who would have thought that a simple rest stop with bathrooms, picnic tables and green grass would feature such humbling viewpoints?! Well, this was a very nice surprise and now I'm just here writing to let people know that if they're near Redmond, Oregon and headed to Smith Rock State Park, or near Bend, Oregon or venturing south towards Crater Lake National Park....I absolutely recommend stopping at this, PS Ogden Viewpoint to appreciate an overlook not with 1, but 2 fantastic suspension bridges in 2 opposite directions! Yes, so I'm absolutely a fan of this rest stop and in terms of all the rest stops in all the places I've visited in the United States....PS Ogden certainly ranks up there as one of the best!

    Photos
    PS Ogden State Scenic Viewpoint - 1st suspension bridge

    1st suspension bridge

    PS Ogden State Scenic Viewpoint - Here - make a turn into this rest area. Park and walk past the restrooms and you'll find the overlook.

    Here - make a turn into this rest area. Park and walk past the restrooms and you'll find the overlook.

    PS Ogden State Scenic Viewpoint

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    Painted Hills Unit, John Day Fossil Beds - parks - Updated May 2026

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