Smith Rock State Park

The park itself is beautiful, however it is small in size. My review is biased because when I visited they had closed the bridge across the river for construction so I was unable to cross the river and do any of the hikes on the other side. The majority of the trails are there so there were only a couple of kilometres I could actually walk as most was off limits. What I did see was amazing! The chute in particular is incredible with the scenic postcard view as you walk down. Going to either side of the park offers unique views and no crowds as it is off the beaten path enough. I was there when the park opened on a weekday and there was no problem parking or running into people. The trails were pretty empty, but partly due to the closures.

What an absolutely amazing area! The scenery is stunning and the trails are very well maintained. It is dog friendly, just remember to keep them on a leash and pick up after them. If you are in central Oregon, you should definitely come and explore Smith Rock!!!

Such an awesome place!! I saw it on a list of state parks and noticed it was close to where I was staying while visiting Bend. It was very warm in early October but I was able to get a hike in before it got too hot. The scenery is amazing and it wasn’t very crowded on a weekday. I did see a rattlesnake, so be careful!

Smith Rock State Park is full of stunning and majestic views! I hiked Misery Ridge to Summit Loop and loved every step. Both trails include intense elevation gains. Pack water and poles for the back side descent by Monkey Face which can slippery with loose rock and dirt. Enjoy!

A truly beautiful state park with majestic views. The Misery Trail showed Most Difficult/Strenuous but it wasn’t too bad if you took your time and admired your surroundings. I packed crampons in the winter for some ice-y spots to maneuver through in the winter. When we were there, Visitor Center only open on the weekends.

A must visit for everyone ! We went on a snowy day so could not hike . However went up to “Asterisk Observatory “ in Google and parked at the end of the road. Note you will need to pay the park fees there as well. It was out of the world ! Very scenic !

We were very surprised to discover how much was at this park. It is a rock climbers paradise. We did a walk along the rim across the river. It gave us a great view without having to hike down the steep path to the base of the rocks. Take your binoculars and you can spot the people climbing the rock faces.

Smith Rock never fails to amaze me! Misery Ridge is a challenging hike every time, but the stunning views make every step worth it. I've seen so much wildlife, such as snakes - mostly garters and gophers, egrets, otters, geese and ducks galore. Watching climbers hang from the cliff sides is always fun, the slack liners between cliffs is absolutely exhilarating! If you're not interested in steep climbs, save the chute trail back up, the river trail provides plenty of beauty and wildlife.