Road Trip to the Painted Hills, Oregon
Road Trip to the Painted Hills, Oregon
This road trip just happened to coincide with the recent heat wave, making it hard to take longer hikes. We visited the ghost town of Shaniko on our way to Bend, Oregon.
SketchTravel Painted Hills
June 27, 2021
shaniko and the painted hills
Next day we visited the Painted Hills, geological sites within the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. Amazing otherworldly hills striped with rich colors – reds, yellows, blacks and grays. They were created from floodplain sediment deposits over millions of years. Then up the canyon past Sheep Rock, where the geological forms from erosion are spectacular.
to sheep rock and the town of mitchell
In between these two areas we stopped in the tiny town of Mitchell for a cold IPA and lunch at a brewery there – a welcome break from the record heat.
Smith rock state park
Smith Rock was just a point of interest on our drive home. But it turned out to be spectacular as well. Dramatic jagged rock cliffs with a river winding through the valley, and full of trails. We dropped down to the river and followed the trail for awhile, but didn't want to overdo it in the 105 degree heat.
