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Painted Hills Overlook Trailhead

Colorful Clay Hills Offer a Glimpse into the Past

Trailhead on Painted Hills Overlook Trail in John Day Fossil Beds NM, Columbia Plateau near Mitchell, OR

Oregon’s Painted Hills were formed over about 1 or 2 million years. Layers of volcanic ash, deposited in a wet climate, formed yellow clay, red laterite tropical soils, and black bands from soil containing manganese-enriched nodules. The overlook gives views of some of the more spectacularly colored hills. A short hiking trail leads south, and warning signs ask visitors to stay on the trail. It may seem odd, but the ancient clay hills are in some ways quite fragile. Because the clay supports almost no plant life, footprints scar the hills and can last for years.

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Blue Mountains Forests

John Day/Clarno Uplands