Painted Hills Overlook
From Oregon Hikers Field Guide
- Hikes to this location:
- Painted Hills-Carroll Rim Hike (TH | <— —> | LOG)
- Weather forecast: NWS/NOAA
- Maps: Oregon Hikers Maps Google Maps
- Latitude, Longitude: 44.64575, -120.26493
- Elevation: 2175 feet
Description
The overlook is up an old vehicle road on a low ridge. To the east and below is the colorful basin of the Painted Hills below the long rim of Sutton Mountain across Bridge Creek. To the west are juniper/sagebrush slopes with a few painted hills.
Originally volcanic ash from eruptions in the Cascades, the colorful deposits here turned into soils supporting forests that, between 34 and 28 million years ago, cycled from warm, wet periods (the red lateritic layers composed of iron oxide) to dry, cooler periods (yellow clays composed of magnesium and iron oxides). The black patches or stains are manganese oxide.
Stay on the trails. It is forbidden to walk on the Painted Hills themselves!
More Links
- Painted Hills Overlook Trail (National Park Service)
- Your Guide to Exploring the Painted Hills – Oregon’s Most Alien Landscape (Oregon Is for Adventure)
Contributors
- Stevefromdodge (creator)