
Hiking & Scenic Views
Painted Hills
Why Nearbyly picked this
- Notable enough to have its own Wikipedia/Wikidata entry.
Nearbyly Score
Average / useful
Medium confidence
Why this score
- • Hidden gem
- • Notable enough to be documented
Nearbyly's own recommendation score, calculated from published place data — how worthwhile a place looks as a discovery, not how popular it is.
Quick facts
- Category
- Hiking & Scenic Views
Ratings & reviews
From the Nearbyly community
Sign in to rate and review this place.
Sign inNearbyly Guide
One-minute overview
AI-generated summary based on available public information.
Ask Nearbyly AI
About this place
geologic site in Oregon, United States
The Painted Hills is a geologic site in Wheeler County, Oregon that is one of the three units of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument along with Sheep Rock and Clarno. It totals 3,132 acres (12.67 km2) and is located 9 miles (14 km) northwest of Mitchell, Oregon. The Painted Hills are listed as one of the Seven Wonders of Oregon. The layers of color for which the site is named can be traced back to cycling periods of wet and dry climate conditions associated with the transition from the Eocene epoch to the cooler, more temperate Oligocene epoch. The different layers of colors are due to the soil being composed of a combination of mudstone, siltstone, shale and lignite.
Read on WikipediaLocation
Painted Cove Trail, Wheeler County, Oregon
Coordinates: 44.66139, -120.27306
Photos

My adventure
Your journal
Explorer+Research this place
Searching for “Painted Hills Oregon, United States”
Place data from Wikidata. Report incorrect information