Painted Hills
Good to know
- Best time to go
- April to May; rain within 24 hours intensifies color
- Budget
- $
- Accessibility
- wheelchair-accessible
- Coordinates
- Open in maps
The Painted Hills unit of John Day Fossil Beds National Monument in central Oregon exposes deeply banded geological formations in layered shades of red, gold, black, and khaki, representing 33 million years of volcanic and fluvial deposition. The colors are most saturated when the clay-rich surface is wet after rain, and the low-angle light of golden hour intensifies the contrast between the bands. Short accessible boardwalk trails traverse the bases of the hills without disturbing the fragile surface.