Painted Hills Overlook

Opinions

• Michael Skourtes

  Dec, 11 2017
  ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
  The Painted Hills unit is open year-round with easy access for all visitors. There are a handful of well-marked trails to guide you through the park. As the area is fairly open and level, these are considered more of a moderate walk than a hike. The Painted Hills Overlook Trail is ½ mile, and provides views of the most popular viewing point. At another section of the unit is the Painted Cove Trail at ¼ mile in length. Much of this trail is on a boardwalk which offers an extremely close-up view of the Painted Coves and their entire burnt red and orange glow.
  
  Visible from the Painted Coves is a view of a picturesque reservoir that is inaccessible as it is private land. The Leaf Hill Trail at ¼ mile takes you to the location of significant scientific studies in the 1920s and 1990s where thousands of leaf fossils were found and preserved. The recently developed Red Hill Trail at ¼ mile is located at the far western edge of the unit and was created as a short walk to a colorful lookout. A slightly longer hike is the Carroll Rim Trail at 1 ½ miles. This trail takes you three hundred feet in elevation to an overlook atop the Painted Hills.
  
  The trails in the area are short and purposeful, in order to keep visitors away from the delicate hills. The “paintings” are so incredibly delicate that a man-made foot track can scar the hills for many years. Therefore, extreme caution is advised and full respect for the landscape is essential.

Photos of Painted Hills Overlook

The nearest organizations

• Picnic Area

  Establishment

  Mitchell, Mitchell, OR 97750

  +1 541-987-2333

  nps.gov
• Leaf Hill Trail

  Establishment

  Leaf Hill Trail, Mitchell, OR 97750
• Painted Hills Reservoir

  Establishment

  Mitchell, Mitchell, OR 97750
• WBR Bridge Creek Ranch Shop

  Establishment

  37882 Burnt Ranch Road, Mitchell, OR 97750

  +1 541-462-3334
• Carol Rim Viewpoint

  Establishment

  Carroll Rim Trail, Mitchell, OR 97750
• Red Hill Trail

  Establishment

  Red Hill Trail, Mitchell, OR 97750