Overrated? Not Eastern Oregon's Painted Hills

MITCHELL, ORE. — It’s difficult to say why, but I always suspected Eastern Oregon’s Painted Hills were overrated.

There are a handful of places in Oregon that look great in photographs but are pretty dull to actually visit — often because there’s little to do except stand at a viewpoint — and I’d heard the Painted Hills was one of those places.

Last week I decided to put that assumption to the test with a trip to the most famous unit of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument to determine once and for all whether this patch of high desert is more than just a single pretty picture.

I wasn’t the only one with curiosity.

Visitors to Eastern Oregon�s Painted Hills up 61 percent

Visitors to the Painted Hills have skyrocketed ever since the state’s tourism bureau, Travel Oregon, named the location one of the “Seven Wonders of Oregon.”

The marketing campaign drove a 61 percent increase in tourism during the last two years, bringing a small but much-needed economic boon to the rural town of Mitchell just 15 minutes away.

“It has been amazing for the town — every business has seen an increase,” said Skeeter Reed, owner of the Oregon Hotel in Mitchell. “The number of people staying at the hotel doubled this year, and they came from all over — Japan, China, Germany and the Philippines.

“People from the Willamette Valley show up and say, ‘Wow, this is beautiful. We never knew this was even out here!’”

That all sounds promising. But does the trip actually live up to the hype?

I drove out of Salem in the darkness last week to find out.

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THE TRIP

Oregon’s landscape transforms at least three times on a drive from the Willamette Valley to the Painted Hills.

The green forest and snow-capped Cascade Range gives way to sagebrush prairie, ponderosa forest and, finally, the shadow of high-desert canyons twisting above the John Day River.

In four hours, you can see more landscape diversity than in four days of traveling through the Midwest.

The drive came to an end at Bridge Creek, where I turned left and followed signs into the national monument and at a sign that said “Viewpoint Trail.”

The moment of truth had arrived.

After stepping out of the car, I was greeted by a spectacular sight. The twisting waves of red, gold and black were far better in person than in pictures.

The half-mile hike gave plenty of time to admire what really is a uniquely beautiful sight. Signs along the trail explained how historic changes in the environment, and elements such as iron and manganese, created the ribbons of color.

Yet here came the expected problem: As slow as I walked, and as many pictures as I took, the hike ended in about 45 minutes. Now what?

The good news is that the Painted Hills actually are home to five different trails, exploring a collection of landscape highlights.

There are, it turns out, more than just painted hills. There’s a painted cove and painted knoll, which looks a bit like a magician’s multicolored hat.

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The best overall hike isn’t even the main overlook trail. The Carroll Rim Trail climbs a craggy ridge and provides overhead views of the Painted Hills and a panoramic sweep of the rolling desert.

The time of year for my visit — early November — also worked out. Crowds were tiny, and the air was clear, cool and fresh with the smell of juniper.

While exploring the trails, I joined hikers Rachel Housley of Medford and Michelle Webb of Bend.

Housley had visited the Painted Hills twice before and said November’s weather was about perfect.

“It was 100-plus degrees when I came here before, and the parking areas were pretty full,” Housley said. “But this is perfect.”

Exploring all five trails took most of the afternoon. It wasn’t a huge workout, but the trails were all interesting in their own way, and you spend enough time contemplating each area that it’s not easy to get bored.

(See info box below for breakdown of each hike).

Overall, the trip to the Painted Hills was better than expected and certainly worth the trip. The sights are so beautiful, and the landscape so unique, that it’s one of those places every Oregonian should visit at least once.

It is not, as I might have believed from afar, overrated.

OVERNIGHT IN MITCHELL

The closest accommodations to the Painted Hills are in the cozy town of Mitchell, a quintessentially Eastern Oregon town of 130. There’s a grocery store, restaurants and a fun little park downtown.

I spent the night at the Oregon Hotel — a historic spot originally built in the 1800s (it was rebuilt after a fire in 1904). Old-timey but clean and well-kept, the rooms are amazingly cheap. Pay $20 per night for a bunk, $59/$69 for a room and $105 for your own private apartment with a kitchenette.

Not every hotel and restaurant stays open in the off-season, so make sure to call in advance to book a room.

REST OF THE NATIONAL MONUMENT

An afternoon at the Painted Hills should take up most of the afternoon. However, don’t forget about the other two units in the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument.

Drive 45 miles east to the Sheep Rock Unit and Blue Basin, the location of the national monument’s visitor’s center. Or, head 59 miles north to the Clarno unit.

Trying to do all three units in one day requires a lot of driving, so I’d recommend splitting it up.

Zach Urness has been an outdoors writer, photographer and videographer in Oregon for eight years. He is the author of the book “Hiking Southern Oregon” and can be reached at zurness@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6801. Find him on Facebook at Zach’s Oregon Outdoors or @ZachsORoutdoors on Twitter.

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TRAILS

Carroll Rim Trail (1.6 mile round trip): The best overall hike features panoramic views of the Painted Hills, Sutton Mountain and canyons as far as the eye can see. It’s also a great place to watch a high desert sunset. The trail is a bit steep, with about 400 feet of climb up a series of switchbacks. There is a small parking area at the trailhead.

Painted Hills Overlook Trail (½ mile round trip): The classic trail of the Painted Hills follows a ridge just above the multicolored mounds, offering many places for photographers to set up shop. Signs inform visitors of what they’re looking at, and the trail ends at the best overall viewpoint after about 100 feet of climb.

Painted Cove Trail (¼ mile loop): It’s not legal to climb all over the Painted Hills, and it’s difficult to even get that close. That’s why this is such a cool trail. It gets you up close and personal with the colorful clay hills on a short boardwalk trail.  

Red Scar Knoll Trail (¼ mile round trip): The multicolored knoll in question looks a bit like a magician’s hat, or the world’s largest ant colony rising out of the ground. This out-and-back trail gives you another close look at what makes the Painted Hills painted.

Leaf Hill Trail (¼ mile loop): The Leaf Hill area has been the site of extensive paleontological research. No fossils can be seen today along the trail, but an interpretive exhibit shows examples of a few leaves that have been found there.