The Painted Hills Unit of John Day Fossil Beds National Monumnent is located in Central Oregon approximately 70 miles east of Redmond, Oregon, and 9 miles northwest of Mitchell, Oregon. Multicolored hills, soaring cliffs and beautiful basins are due to tectonic forces and constant erosion taking place in the Bridge Creek Flora unit of the John Day Formation (approximately 32-35 million years old). Painted Hills named after the colorful layers of its hills corresponding to various geological eras, formed when the area was an ancient river floodplain.