Oregon’s 30-million-year-old volcanic walls turned rock climbing upside down

It’s one of Oregon’s seven wonders

You don’t expect the desert when you think of Oregon.

But about 25 minutes north of Bend, the green forests give way to sage, dust and golden cliffs that rise hundreds of feet above the Crooked River.

Smith Rock State Park covers more than 650 acres of central Oregon’s high desert, and it looks nothing like the rest of the state.

Rocky spires and canyon walls replace the trees, and the river carves through it all 600 feet below the ridgeline.

Travel Oregon put it alongside Crater Lake on its list of seven wonders, and that kind of company tells you something.

A volcanic collapse 30 million years in the making

The whole place started with a disaster. About 30 million years ago, the Crooked River caldera collapsed in one of the largest volcanic events ever contained within Oregon.

Massive amounts of ash and debris filled the caldera and hardened into welded tuff, the tan-colored rock that now makes up walls and spires reaching up to 550 feet tall.

Then, about half a million years ago, basalt lava from nearby volcanoes covered parts of the older tuff. The Crooked River did the rest, cutting through those layers to carve the canyon you walk through today.

Where sport climbing in America got its start

Smith Rock changed the way Americans climb. In the 1980s, Alan Watts started bolting routes into the tuff walls here, pioneering a new style of sport climbing that spread across the country.

The park now holds more than 1,800 climbing routes, from beginner-level walls to some of the hardest lines in the world.

In 1986, a route called “To Bolt or Not to Be” became the first climb in the U.S. rated 5.14a. Climbers still fly in from around the world year-round to test themselves on these walls.

Earn the view on Misery Ridge Trail

The name doesn’t lie. Misery Ridge climbs 800 feet through switchbacks and stone steps to a summit at 3,360 feet, and your legs will feel every one of them.

But from the top, you can see the Crooked River winding far below and the Cascade Range stretched across the horizon, including Mount Jefferson, the Three Sisters, Broken Top and Mount Bachelor.

The full loop runs about 3.6 miles and connects to the River Trail along the canyon floor, so you can come down the easy way.

Monkey Face stares back at you from 350 feet up

One rock spire stands apart from the rest. Monkey Face is a 350-foot column of welded tuff, and from certain angles, you can make out a clear brow, nose and mouth near the top.

Climbers treat it as a rite of passage, crawling into the opening that forms the monkey’s mouth once they reach the summit. If you don’t climb, you can see it from the Misery Ridge summit or the River Trail below.

On a good day, you might spot slackliners rigging lines near the top, which makes for a show all on its own.

Walk the canyon floor on the River Trail

Not every trail here punishes your knees. The River Trail follows the Crooked River for about 2.2 miles and stays mostly flat the whole way.

You walk beneath cliff faces that tower overhead while climbers work their way up the walls above you.

The Crooked River runs calmly through here, reflecting the golden rock on both sides.

The trail connects to the Misery Ridge Trail and the Mesa Verde Trail, so you can link it into a longer loop or just take it easy and stick to the river.

The Summit Trail Loop gives you the full 7.5 miles

If you want the full picture, the Summit Trail Loop covers about 7.5 miles and hits every kind of terrain the park holds.

The route follows the river, climbs up Burma Road to the highest viewpoint in the park, and loops back through the canyon.

From that high point, you get wide views of the Cascades, the high desert, and the full sweep of the Crooked River gorge.

The back side of the loop draws fewer people than Misery Ridge, and the trail is also open to mountain bikers and trail runners.

Golden eagles and peregrine falcons nest on the cliffs

Look up while you hike. Golden eagles have nested on the cliffs of the Monument area for centuries, building large nests high on the rock walls.

Bald eagles also nest in the park, and you can sometimes spot them from the Canyon Trail. Peregrine falcons, the fastest animals on earth, claim the towers and ledges for their own nesting sites.

To protect these raptors and their young, the park closes some climbing areas seasonally from around mid-January through August. You’ll see the posted signs along the trails.

Otters, deer and rattlesnakes share the canyon

The birds aren’t the only residents. Mule deer move through the park in the early morning and evening, and river otters and beavers work the Crooked River frontage.

Canyon wrens and white-throated swifts fill the air with sound, and geese and ducks nest along the river in spring.

One word of caution on warm days: rattlesnakes live here and sometimes sun themselves on or near the trails. Watch where you step, especially when the rocks hold heat.

Every skill level has a trail to match

More than a dozen marked trails cross the park’s 650 acres, and they cover a wide range of ability. The Canyon Trail is a mild 1.5-mile path from the Welcome Center to the river, with lookout points along the way.

The Rim Rock Trail runs a short, mostly flat stretch along the edge of the bluff with canyon views below.

If you bring a horse, certain trails allow riding. Anglers can fish designated stretches of the Crooked River for rainbow trout, brook trout, and mountain whitefish.

Sunrise turns the canyon walls to gold

Photographers know this place well. At sunrise, warm light hits the tuff cliffs and reflects off the Crooked River, throwing color and shadow across the canyon.

The Misery Ridge summit gives you wide panoramas of the river, the rock walls and the snow-capped Cascades in the distance. At sunset, the spires glow orange and red against the high desert sky.

Clear skies and an open desert setting also make the park a solid spot for stargazing after dark, far from city lights.

Bend and the high desert are right next door

Smith Rock sits in one of the sunniest corners of Oregon.

The park is about a 25-minute drive from Redmond and under 40 minutes from Bend, which gives you plenty of options for food and lodging.

Nearby, the Newberry National Volcanic Monument holds lava caves and crater lakes worth a side trip. The Deschutes River runs just to the west, popular for paddleboarding and kayaking.

Scenic bikeways connect towns like Sisters and Madras with views of mountains and open rangeland the whole way.

Hit the trails at Smith Rock State Park in Oregon

You’ll find Smith Rock State Park at 9241 NE Crooked River Dr. in Terrebonne, Ore., about 25 miles north of Bend. The park stays open daily from dawn to dusk.

Parking costs $5 per vehicle, or you can pick up an annual Oregon State Parks pass. Walk-in tent camping is available at the Bivouac campground on a first-come, first-served basis.

Stick to marked trails while you’re there to protect the fragile desert soil and native plants that hold this landscape together.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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