Painted Hills

For the Painted Hill in Riverside County, California , see Desert Hot Springs .

class=notpageimage| Location in Oregon

Before we even begin, let’s clear up any potential confusion, shall we? If you’re looking for some other, presumably less significant, ‘Painted Hill’ in Riverside County, California , you’re in the wrong place. Try Desert Hot Springs for that. This, however, is the Painted Hills. This particular geological spectacle is, rather predictably, situated in Oregon . It’s not exactly hidden, but then, few things truly worth noticing are.

This rather striking geological site, prosaically known as the Painted Hills, resides in Wheeler County, Oregon . It’s one of three distinct units that comprise the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument – the others being the less flamboyantly named Sheep Rock and Clarno. The entire unit sprawls across a not-insignificant 3,132 acres (or 12.67 square kilometers, if you prefer the metric system, which you probably should). You’ll find it approximately 9 miles (a brisk 14 kilometers) northwest of the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it settlement of Mitchell, Oregon . Apparently, its visual appeal is so profound that it’s been designated one of the ‘Seven Wonders of Oregon,’ a title I’m sure it accepts with the same indifferent grandeur it applies to everything else. The very layers of color that lend this place its moniker are, predictably, not some artistic flourish but a direct result of ancient, oscillating climatic conditions. Specifically, these vibrant strata mark the rather dramatic shift from the warm, humid Eocene epoch to the decidedly cooler, more temperate climes of the Oligocene epoch. These variegated hues, which people seem to find so captivating, are merely the consequence of soils formed from a rather unglamorous cocktail of mudstone , siltstone , shale , and the carbonaceous remnants of ancient plant life known as lignite .

Geology

Formation

The formation of these hills, a process spanning millions of years – roughly 35 million years, to be precise – commenced with a rather spectacular, if distant, event. Vast quantities of pumice and fine volcanic ash, ejected with considerable force from eruptions within the Cascade Mountains far to the west, were carried by atmospheric currents a staggering 100 miles eastward. They then settled, unceremoniously, over what would eventually become this colorful landscape. Once deposited, this fresh layer of ash, along with other assorted sediments, began an intricate dance with the local environment. Natural processes, as they tend to do, took over: the relentless flow of water redistributed particles, the persistent growth of ancient plants intertwined with the nascent soil, and the ceaseless movement of various long-extinct animals churned and mixed the surface. This prolonged exposure to the elements, particularly oxygen in the atmosphere, led to the gradual oxidation of the ash on the surface, initiating the chemical reactions that would later define the hills’ palette. As geological time marched on, subsequent layers of ash and other detritus accumulated, burying the earlier deposits. Under immense pressure and through the slow process of cementation, this buried ash transformed into what we now recognize as soil. Further eons of weathering and erosion sculpted the exterior, gradually wearing these once-soft deposits into a more resilient clay. Today, the dominant material forming these iconic features is primarily composed of robust layers of hard claystone , a testament to the enduring power of geological transformation.

Layers

Now, about these celebrated colors. They aren’t merely painted on, as the name might misleadingly suggest to the less discerning observer. Instead, they are the immutable record of a complex chemical tapestry, woven from a specific combination of elements that arrived courtesy of that initial volcanic ash fall. We’re talking about substances like Aluminum , Silicon , Iron , Magnesium , Manganese , Sodium , Calcium , Phosphorus , Titanium , Potassium , and of course, the ubiquitous Oxygen and Hydrogen , among a host of others. This primordial ash, initially rather unremarkable in its light, almost monochrome hue, underwent a profound metamorphosis. It mingled with existing soils and other environmental elements, slowly transforming into the various minerals responsible for the hills’ striking reds, yellows, and blacks. It’s a rather elegant demonstration of how time and chemistry can turn something mundane into something… well, something people travel to look at.

The very visible, almost deliberate, alternation of red and tan layers across the hills is a geological diary, meticulously recording shifts in ancient climate conditions. For a period stretching roughly between 34 and 28 million years ago, this region experienced a rhythmic oscillation between epochs of warmth and significant rainfall, and periods that were markedly cooler and drier. This was, as previously noted, the grand transition when the mild, persistently humid conditions of the Eocene epoch reluctantly ceded control to the advancing Oligocene , transforming a once-tropical environment into something altogether more temperate, both cooler and considerably drier. The vivid red soils, for instance, are the fossilized remnants of extensive floodplain deposits laid down during those more tropical, wetter intervals. Chemically speaking, these crimson strata are rich in laterites , which are essentially soils heavily endowed with iron and aluminum . It’s the sheer abundance of iron and oxygen , specifically in the form of iron oxide – yes, what we commonly call rust – that imbues these layers with their characteristic, unmistakable rust-colored brilliance. Conversely, the interspersed yellow layers represent the geological signature of those subsequent drier and cooler periods. Their particular shade of ochre is attributed to the presence of iron and magnesium oxides , offering a subtle but distinct contrast to their fiery red counterparts.

And for those who prefer their palettes on the darker side, the deep, almost somber black soil you observe is nothing less than lignite . This is essentially compressed, ancient vegetative matter – the fossilized remains of lush plant life that once thrived along the expansive floodplains of millennia past. The more subdued grey tones, by contrast, are composed of a trio of sedimentary rocks: mudstone , siltstone , and shale . Should you notice any particularly stark, dark marks or streaks across the hills, those are typically attributed to the presence of manganese oxide , adding another layer of visual complexity to this already intricate geological canvas. It’s all rather predictable, once you understand the chemistry, isn’t it?

Fossils

You might expect a place called ‘Fossil Beds National Monument’ to be overflowing with ancient remains, but in the Painted Hills unit specifically, finding fossils is, frankly, a bit of a rarity. The initial volcanic ash deposits, rather than being a consistent, preserving blanket, arrived with an unfortunate irregularity. This created less than ideal conditions for fossilization , meaning most organic matter had the rather unhelpful tendency to simply decay before it could be immortalized. However, for those with an exceptional amount of patience and perhaps a touch of masochism, it is occasionally possible to uncover delicate leaf fossils. These are typically found within the remnants of ancient lake beds scattered throughout the hills. These fossilized leaf impressions, when discovered, are rather illuminating. They frequently reveal the past existence of plants and trees such as towering redwood species, fragrant cinnamon trees, the ubiquitous fig , and various types of alder . Such flora unequivocally points to the warmer, far more humid climate that characterized the early stages of these hills’ formation – a stark contrast to the conditions that eventually took over.

Despite the general scarcity of plant fossils, the broader John Day Fossil Beds National Monument — and indeed, the larger Painted Hills unit within it — holds a particular significance for vertebrate paleontologists. Here, one can find a surprisingly rich abundance of fossilized remains belonging to early iterations of horses, camels, and even rhinoceroses. Apparently, these ancient megafauna found the area quite suitable for existing, dying, and then being preserved for future scientific scrutiny. It’s almost as if they knew they were contributing to something important, though I doubt their primary concern was the advancement of paleontological research.

Recreation

As if their mere existence wasn’t enough, the Painted Hills, for reasons that escape my immediate understanding of ‘wonder,’ are, as mentioned, officially designated one of the Seven Wonders of Oregon . The site itself is, regrettably, open year-round, offering access to all who feel compelled to visit. However, and this is where my patience thins, the very act of ‘recreation’ by humans tends to take a rather predictable toll on this ancient landscape. Those who insist on stepping off the clearly delineated trails manage to disrupt the naturally occurring, delicate mineral layers, effectively damaging the very visible features they came to admire. It’s a classic human paradox, isn’t it? To mitigate this self-inflicted harm, there are, naturally, several rather well-marked trails provided for visitors. One would think the concept of ‘staying on the path’ would be self-evident, but apparently, people need to be ’encouraged’ to take pledges such as the rather infantile ‘Don’t Hurt the Dirt’ and the slightly more mature, yet equally ignored, ‘Leave No Trace’. It’s a wonder anything survives us.

For those who appreciate the subtle nuances of geological aesthetics, it’s worth noting that the hills are not a static painting. On any given day, the interplay of weather and the precise amount of moisture present within the hills can induce noticeable variations in their celebrated colors. When damp, the way light interacts with the mineral surfaces shifts, causing the shades to deepen, brighten, or subtly alter their hue. It’s a fleeting display of natural artistry, perhaps one of the few things here that doesn’t actively disappoint.

And for those who prefer their natural wonders with a side of statistics, the annual visitor count at the Painted Hills saw a rather significant surge in 2015, climbing from a respectable 45,849 to a rather overwhelming 74,873. More people, more potential for ‘hurting the dirt,’ I suppose.

On a less destructive note, a rather spectacular celestial event occurred on August 21, 2017, when the Great American Eclipse had the good grace to pass directly over the park. This afforded visitors a precious window of just over 2 minutes and 4 seconds of total solar obscuration. A rare moment, perhaps, when the hills were momentarily overshadowed by something truly cosmic.

Gallery

Painted Hills in the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument . This is a panorama stitched from five images.

Bands of laterite give Painted Hills in the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument near Mitchell, Oregon their colorful appearance.