THE PAINTED HILLS AT THE JOHN DAY FOSSIL BEDS - FUN WITH KIDS
If you are looking for an awesome Oregon family experience then you must check out the Painted Hills at the John Day Fossil Beds. It's an especially great outdoor adventure for the littlest kids in your crew because most of the trails are fairly short.
As you drive into the Painted Hills Fossil Beds there is a small rest area where you can refresh and use the restroom. They have a large grassy area for picnics and even a few picnic tables, as well as a kiosk with maps of the area. There were a lot of cars when we were there so we just ate our lunch at the back of our SUV.
Once we got refreshed, we parked at the Painted Hills Overlook and then decided to start off with the longest of the hikes that we had planned for the day, the Carroll Rim Trail.
CARROLL RIM TRAIL
1.6 miles out and back
We were so glad we started with the Carroll Rim Trail because it is completely out in the open with no shade whatsoever and the day was forecasted to be pretty warm. You only gain 400 feet in elevation and it's all at the start of your hike. You will see a viewpoint to your right giving you views of …..When you get back to the main trail and continue on there's a viewpoint on the left where you get a panoramic view of the Painted Hills. We could have continued on up the trail but ended up turning back so we could move on to our next destination.
PAINTED HILLS OVERLOOK TRAIL
.5 miles out and back
This is the main area where you get to see the sweeping views of the Painted Hills. There's interpretive signs at the beginning giving you information about the formation of the hills, and all of the information about the flora and fauna. The trail is completely flat so obviously an easy one for tiny tots. We were there in late June and got lucky enough to see wildflowers blooming!
PAINTED COVE TRAIL
.25 mile loop trail
When we think of trails in the Painted Hills this is the one we think of besides the viewpoint. There is a boardwalk much of the way with interpretive signs along the way. Our kids liked reading the signs, learning about the geology of the area and the color were amazing. There is a small trail leading up the hill to give you a vantage point, but you had to come back the same way you went up.
There are two more trails in the Painted Hills, but we hadn’t realized how large the John Day Fossil Beds are. PLUS, in addition to The Painted Hills, there are two other units; the Clarno and the Sheep Rock units. We planned for just one day, so after hiking the three trails at the Painted Hills we headed to explore the Clarno Unit which is one hour and thirty-eight minutes north followed by a hike in the Sheep Rock unit which was another hour plus away. The drive is pretty and well worth it, reminding us a bit of Bryce Canyon in Utah. Stay tuned for those stories coming soon! Have you been to the John Day Fossil Beds? What’s your favorite unit to visit?
