Red Hill Trail — Attraction in Prineville

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 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.

The appearance of the park varies greatly with the lighting and seasons. However, the late afternoon is predominately the best time of day to visit as the day’s light has calmed, which helps to strengthen the visual coloring of the hills. A popular time of year to visit is between April and May, when rivers of small yellow flowers run down within the cracks of the Painted Hills creating strong leading lines and colorful contrast. This is often a busier time as countless landscape photographers and artists make the journey to capture the...

Many who visit the Painted Hills stop at the main overlook, however if you continue up the road there are a couple other very short but worthwhile trails. Red Hill is the last of them - nice parking area, though fairly small, and no facilities. The trail is short and affords about a 270 degree view of the formation. The skies are super dark out there, which means stars, and...

This is a gorgeous short hike of a quarter mile to a richly colored red hill that is a do not miss when you visit the Painted Hills Unit of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument near...