Sunset at the Painted Hills is a must-see Oregon experience

Sunsets at the coast are nice, but for one of the most colorful dusk experiences in Oregon you’ll need to head into the heart of the high desert.

The Painted Hills, which are just one piece of the sprawling John Day Fossil Beds, are plenty colorful in their own right. Seen in the fading light of day, they’re even more beautiful than usual.

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Made up of red, yellow and black layers of claystone soil (each color representing different climates or mineral deposits), the landscape is the main attraction in the Painted Hills Unit of the Fossil Beds, one of three units that comprise the national monument in central Oregon’s Wheeler County.

Visitors can see the Painted Hills from the many viewpoints at the Painted Hills Overlook, or from any number of small roadside pull-outs along the gravel road in. Each spot offers slightly different angles on the hills, which can bring out dramatic colors during golden hour at the end of the day.

Where the hills are in full sunlight, they seem to glow in hues of radiant gold and reddish-orange. When the sun hides behind a layer of clouds, those colors can turn to sandy brown and auburn, seen through the silver-green of the surrounding sagebrush. In the full shade of dusk, cooler hues emerge: blues, purples and greens that make it seem somehow even more otherworldly.

Different times of the year can bring out different features entirely. In late spring, wildflowers bloom from the arid soil. In winter, you may find the Painted Hills covered in snow. Time your visit with the lunar cycle and you might be able to watch a supermoon rise over the horizon.

This wonder is worth visiting any time of day, but go at sunset and you’ll be treated to one of the very best views in Oregon.

— Jamie Hale

503-294-4077; jhale@oregonian.com; @HaleJamesB