Keep the Painted Hills Beautiful!Don't Hurt the Dirt! Take the Don't Hurt the Dirt pledge today and then tag #DontHurtTheDirt.Prepare for Your VisitOf all the three units of the park, the Painted Hills Units is the most visited. It is usually the most crowded on the weekends towards the evening. Consider this when planning your visit and have a backup plan if Painted Hills is too crowded. For information on hiking trails at Painted Hills, visit the Painted Hills Unit Trails page. Pack it in and Pack it OutThere will be very limited garbage services available so please take everything with you that you brought to Painted Hills. 
NPS Photo Colorful LayersThe Painted Hills Unit is located about 10 miles northwest of the town of Mitchell, Oregon. Distinguished by varied stripes of red, tan, orange, and black, this area preserves a sequence of past climate change. The Painted Hills Unit also contains a diverse assemblage of leaf fossils aging 39-30 million years old called the Bridge Creek Flora, and a small outcropping of rock containing animal fossils from 30-27 million years ago. 
NPS Photos Fossil Layers of the Painted Hills Unit
Bridge Creek (33 Ma)A wide variety of plant material has been preserved in fine grain lake sediment including the Metasequoia, Oregon's state fossil. 
Turtle Cove (29 Ma)Turtle Cove is the thickest and most productive fossil-bearing layer within the John Day Fossil Beds, yet few leaf fossils were preserved. Other Places to Visit in the Monument
Clarno UnitThe Clarno Unit has the oldest exposed layers of the park, and the only unit with fossils along the trail. Remember, no collecting fossils. 
Sheep Rock UnitHome to the Thomas Condon Visitor Center and the Cant Ranch Museum, the Sheep Rock Unit also has many trails and scenic views. 
Thomas Condon Visitor CenterThe Thomas Condon Visitor Center displays fossils from the entirety of the John Day Fossil Beds. |
Last updated: January 27, 2023