John Day Fossil Beds National Monument Painted Hills
The John Day Fossil Bed is a very cool Monument located in central Oregon. John Day is a bit unique in that it is spread out and separated into several different units that are different from each other. The Painted Hills unit is pretty spectacular with views that challenge Painted Desert National Park, just on a tad smaller scale.
The Hike
There are several hikes in the Painted Hills unit of John Day but I am just going to focus on the Overlook trail. First and most importantly, if you decide to hike here, make sure you stay on the trails. This landscape is very fragile and there is a campaign to “Don’t Hurt the Dirt” that you can learn more about before visiting.
With this in mind, we decided to stick to the Overlook trail to be safe. The Overlook Trail is only about a half mile from the parking lot on a paved pathway that is easy to follow. There is a gentle vertical grade up but most people should be ok with it. There really isn’t much to the hike to talk about, which is good because it gives more time to focus on the Views!
The Views
Painted hills are one of my favorite things to hike around. They are so stunning and can also change so much based on light that seeing them more than once is worth it! Since the hike is so short, it is easy to keep your eyes glued to these hills for the entire half mile. For the most part, the hills are a rich band of red that runs through an alabaster white on the upper levels.
From the Overlook, the hills surround you. Almost a full 360 degrees of painted hills to enjoy. What I really like about these painted hills are that they are not all the same size but the red shading shows up at the same level throughout giving a really nice contrast of size and scale.
While some of the other trails may give some closer views, I don’t think it gets much better than the view from the overlook. From the wider distance, the red and white contrast so well against the darker mountains in the distance and the green grasses and bushes. Plus, the overlook gives you a chance to just stand and enjoy the entirety of the hills.
Wrapping up the John Day Painted Hills
While the John Day Painted hills aren’t much of a hike, the beauty of the landscapes made it a really amazing spot to stop. I am very glad that we took the time to come over here after visiting more of the John Day Monument. The coloring of the hills is really cool and just the size of seeing it all from the overlook was worth the trip.
If you want to spend more time, you can definitely try some of the other hikes as long as you stay on the trails. Another thing to keep in mind is that there is no water or shade at this location. It can get pretty hot in central Oregon so if you are going to try a longer hike make sure to be prepared.
If you are visiting the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument and have time to drive over to the Painted Hills section, I definitely recommend coming for a little bit and enjoying the views.
Finding the Painted Hills
The John Day Painted Hills Unit is located at 37375 Bear Creek Rd, Mitchell, OR 97750. The parking lot for the Overlook is just off of Bear Creek Road and has room for about a dozen cars. There is a vault toilet at the information center near where you enter on Bear Creek.
Video of the John Day Painted Hills Overlook Hike
I have put this time-lapse video together of the John Day Painted Hills Overlook hike so other hikers can get a feel of what the hike is like. If you enjoy this video make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel. It is free to subscribe and you will get the latest outdoor content.
Gallery of the John Day Painted Hills
