Located in Wheeler County, Oregon, Painted Hills is a mountain peak at about 671 m (2,201 ft) above sea level. It sits roughly 60 km (37 mi) NE of Prineville.
The Painted Hills is a geologic site in Wheeler County, Oregon that is one of the three units of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument along with Sheep Rock and Clarno. It totals 3,132 acres (12.67 km2) and is located 9 miles (14 km) northwest of Mitchell, Oregon. The Painted Hills are listed as one of the Seven Wonders of Oregon. The layers of color for which the site is named can be traced back to cycling periods of wet and dry climate conditions associated with the transition from the Eocene epoch to the cooler, more temperate Oligocene epoch. The different layers of colors are due to the soil being composed of a combination of mudstone, siltstone, shale and lignite.From the Wikipedia article “Painted Hills”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Painted Hills the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 55° (NE) at the June solstice and 123° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 305° (NW) in June to 237° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 69° in summer but only 22° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:05 AM | 90° E | 7:14 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:16 AM | 55° NE | 8:51 PM | 305° NW | 69° | 15h 34m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:49 AM | 89° E | 7:00 PM | 271° W | 46° | 12h 11m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:36 AM | 123° ESE | 4:24 PM | 237° WSW | 22° | 8h 48m |
Azimuth is measured clockwise from true north (90° = east, 270° = west). Computed for 2026; values change by less than a degree from year to year.
Golden hour & blue hour by month
Summits catch first and last light — alpenglow can turn rock pink or orange minutes before sunrise and after sunset while valleys stay in shadow.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:03 AM | 7:35 AM | 8:21 AM | 4:01 PM | 4:47 PM | 5:19 PM | 9h 12m |
| February | 6:32 AM | 7:02 AM | 7:43 AM | 4:49 PM | 5:30 PM | 6:00 PM | 10h 28m |
| March | 6:45 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:53 AM | 6:29 PM | 7:07 PM | 7:36 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:47 AM | 6:17 AM | 6:57 AM | 7:07 PM | 7:46 PM | 8:16 PM | 13h 29m |
| May | 5:00 AM | 5:34 AM | 6:16 AM | 7:41 PM | 8:23 PM | 8:57 PM | 14h 49m |
| June | 4:39 AM | 5:16 AM | 6:01 AM | 8:04 PM | 8:49 PM | 9:26 PM | 15h 33m |
| July | 4:55 AM | 5:31 AM | 6:14 AM | 8:01 PM | 8:45 PM | 9:20 PM | 15h 14m |
| August | 5:33 AM | 6:04 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:28 PM | 8:09 PM | 8:40 PM | 14h 04m |
| September | 6:11 AM | 6:41 AM | 7:19 AM | 6:35 PM | 7:14 PM | 7:43 PM | 12h 33m |
| October | 6:48 AM | 7:17 AM | 7:57 AM | 5:38 PM | 6:18 PM | 6:47 PM | 11h 01m |
| November | 6:27 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:43 AM | 3:50 PM | 4:34 PM | 5:06 PM | 9h 36m |
| December | 6:59 AM | 7:32 AM | 8:20 AM | 3:34 PM | 4:22 PM | 4:56 PM | 8h 50m |
Local time (America/Los Angeles), including daylight saving time. Golden hour runs from about −4° to +6° solar altitude, so the morning golden hour begins during blue hour, before sunrise.
Milky Way & night sky
From Painted Hills, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through September. June gives the longest window (about 3.3 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 16° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 2 (typical truly dark site), which is excellent for astrophotography.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| March | 5:05 AM – 5:25 AM | 0.3 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:03 AM – 4:23 AM | 1.3 | 16° | SSE → S |
| May | 1:01 AM – 3:21 AM | 2.3 | 16° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:20 PM – 2:40 AM | 3.3 | 16° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:04 PM – 1:24 AM | 2.3 | 16° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:03 PM – 11:23 PM | 1.3 | 15° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 8:54 PM – 9:24 PM | 0.5 | 12° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -20° | — |
Window when the galactic core is at least 10° high during astronomical darkness on the 15th of each month. Pick nights within a few days of the new moon. Plan exact nights with the Milky Way planner.
Estimated sky darkness: 2 Bortle 2 — Typical truly dark site. The summer Milky Way shows rich structure; clouds look like black holes in the stars. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.87 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 6.0+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show July as the clearest month (about 24% average cloud cover) and January as the cloudiest (73%). July is the warmest month and December the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.
Average cloud cover (%)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °F | 62 | 63 | 75 | 83 | 93 | 98 | 104 | 101 | 99 | 89 | 71 | 57 |
| Low °F | -11 | 1 | 8 | 22 | 25 | 31 | 38 | 37 | 28 | 15 | -2 | -8 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.9 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 1.4 | 1.9 | 2.6 |
Monthly climatology for the surrounding 1° grid cell from NASA POWER (MERRA-2). Mountain sites can be colder and cloudier than the cell average.
Photography tips for this mountain peak
- Long lenses compress ridgelines; shoot the peak from several miles away to make it look massive.
- Afternoon thunderstorms are common in summer at high elevations — plan summit hikes for early morning.
- Snow on the summit holds detail best when you expose for the highlights and lift shadows later.
- Alpenglow lasts only a few minutes; set up and focus beforehand.
- Clouds around the summit add drama — a clear blue sky is often the least interesting condition.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
Season: Early summer keeps snow on the peaks with green valleys below; autumn adds aspen or larch color in many ranges.
Suggested gear: Telephoto lens, Lightweight tripod, Warm layers, Microspikes in shoulder seasons. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Painted Hills, closest first.
Campgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Ochoco Divide Group Site20 km (12 mi) · reservable
- Walton Lake26 km (16 mi) · reservable
- John Day River Basin Developed Campgrounds26 km (16 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Painted Hills?
What time is golden hour at Painted Hills?
Where does the sun rise and set at Painted Hills?
Can you see the Milky Way from Painted Hills?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Painted Hills?
How far is Painted Hills from Prineville?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, USGS GNIS / GeoNames, Wikipedia. Sun, moon and Milky Way times are computed by LWPhoto Atlas for 2026. Climate: NASA POWER. Sky darkness is a population-based estimate (Walker's law), not a measurement. See data sources & licenses.