Sunlit, ochre-striped hills roll across the foreground, their smooth, layered bands curving toward a dark ridge in the distance. A cloudy sky hangs overhead, with warm golden-hour light catching patches of the badlands and making the muted reds and tans glow.

Painted Hills

Mitchell, OR

Rolling hills striped in red, gold, black, and ochre, the layers of ancient floodplains laid bare in a remote unit of John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. The colors shift with moisture and light, deepening after rain and flaring at sunset. Short boardwalk trails keep visitors off the fragile claystone while giving a full view of the bands.

Photography Guide

Best Time: golden hour
Crowds: Quiet
Shot Types: landscapetelephotoabstract
Best Seasons: springfall

Practical Tips

Late afternoon light brings out the reds; the colors are richest for a day or two after rain. The nearest services are in Mitchell, and cell coverage is minimal. Never step off the trails; footprints in the claystone persist for years.

Is it a good day to go?

7-day outlook

Mild, dry days with light winds are the most comfortable for a visit.

Forecast by Open-Meteo. Verdicts weigh the forecast against the conditions that suit this spot.

Gallery

Nearby Places

Parks & Wilderness

Terrebonne, OR

Smith Rock State Park

Sheer walls of orange and tan volcanic tuff rise 600 feet above a bend in the Crooked River, with the snowy Cascade volcanoes lined up on the western horizon. The Misery Ridge loop climbs to a view over Monkey Face spire and the river's horseshoe, and the canyon floor trail keeps the walls overhead. It is the birthplace of American sport climbing and one of Oregon's most photographed landscapes.

sunrisespring · fall

Volcanoes

Bend, OR

Big Obsidian Flow

The Big Obsidian Flow is the youngest lava flow in Oregon, erupting approximately 1,300 years ago within the Newberry Volcano caldera. The flow covers over one square mile and consists of jet-black obsidian and grey pumice. A one-mile interpretive trail with metal stairways traverses the flow.

afternoonsummer · fall

Newberry Volcanic Monument - Paulina Falls

Waterfalls

Bend, OR

Newberry Volcanic Monument - Paulina Falls

Paulina Falls is a pair of waterfalls that drop approximately 80 feet from Paulina Lake over the caldera rim of Newberry Volcano. The twin falls are separated by a rocky outcrop and are most impressive during spring snowmelt. Newberry Volcano is one of the largest shield volcanoes in the contiguous United States.

morningspring · summer