Painted Hills Drive

 Painted Hills Drive

When I am in a mood, I love to go for a drive. Today was one of those days. There was a bunch of drama within my friend group, and I don't deal with drama well. I bit my tongue, went for a drive, and showed up to spend time with my friends and ignored the drama. 

When the world throws you drama, go on an adventure! I had never been to the painted hills so I decided to go for a drive. There was snow in the forecast, so I decided to take the safest route, because I was driving the Zoom Zoom (mazda 3). Which made the drive 4 hours. I had all day and I didnt really care if I made it back late, so off I went. 

Driving out the Gorge, is always a great drive and today was no different. This route took me out some of the large farms, smaller gorges, lots of windmills, and some really great scenery that was worth every bit of the drive. 

For those coming out from the Portland area, its recommended to come out through Shaniko, Antelope and fossil and see the ghost towns along the way. I would highly recommend it if you haven't. We've spent a lot of time in the Shaniko area and its worth the visit. 

I was intrigued by some of the quaint little towns that I passed through, lots of charm, and worth a visit. 

The Painted Hills were pretty, but the area was much smaller than I had anticipated. I thought I would be seeing miles and miles of painted hills, but the area could be viewed by car in 30 minutes. If you had some time to hike all the little trails it would definitely take some time to view, but I didn't feel like the trails were going to offer more views other than what I could see in the car, and I wasn't dressed for hiking. The weather was a little chilly, and windy, but still worth the trip. 

On the way home, I barely missed the snow. It started to snow in Mitchell as soon as I left the Painted Hills, I felt like I timed it perfectly to get to go see the hills before having to head back. 

If you are planning on adding the Painted Hills to a trip already out in this area, I would highly recommend. If you are needing a day drive and want somewhere to go I would do this trip. Just be prepared that its not all that big. Some other great sites to check out in the area if you want to make a trip a weekend trip in the area include the John Day Fossil Beds, The Red Hill Trail, the Painted Cove Trail, and the Pat's Cabin Wilderness area.