John Day Fossil Beds National Monument · Oregon

Painted Cove Nature Trail

0.3 mi of trail, end to end · Painted Cove Trail: 0.25 mi round trip in the Service's write-up · about 20 ft of climbing · 40 ft of descent · 1,917 ft–1,955 ft · gravel, wood surface · trail class Developed · hiking

Trailhead Painted Cove Nature Trailhead 1,915 ft Drive there

Painted Cove Trail 0.25 mi round trip · the Park Service's write-up

10-30 Minutes · dogs allowed

Start Painted Hills Unit

The Painted Cove Trail is 0.25 mi (0.4 km) roundtrip. The Painted Cove is an amazing color palette of vibrant rocks. A portion of this trail features a level boardwalk to cross over sensitive soils.

Please stay on the designated trail.

Accessibility The Painted Cove Trail is 0.25 miles around. This dirt trail has an average width of 72.2 inches with a minimum width of 39 inches. There is a boardwalk at the trailhead that is wheelchair accessible. There are five exposed wooden steps 6 inches high following the boardwalk. There is a bench near the end of the trail loop. Potential hazards: exposed wooden steps, rocks, muddy after rain and snow, boardwalk slippery after rain and snow

This hike on nps.gov

On the parks map

About this trail's facts

The lines are the National Park Service's public trails layer, the trailheads and the waterfalls, views, peaks and historic places along them the Service's public points of interest, read 2026-10-16 and simplified for the map; the length is the line's, end to end. The write-ups are the Service's own "things to do" text, unedited. Heights come from USGS 3DEP through Terrain Tiles on AWS (Mapzen/Tilezen), read along each line and rounded; a short trail on steep ground can be off by a few tens of feet. Closures change: check the park's own site before you go.