We were very glad our travel plans included a visit to Smith Rock State Park in the Oregon High Desert 30 miles north of Bend. Our thanks go to Debbie and John of From She To Me for recommending it!

The park consists of over 650 acres, averaging ~3,000 feet in elevation, and provides for all types of outdoor activities, including hiking, horseback riding, Mountain biking, fishing, camping, running and especially climbing. With regard to the latter, the basalt and tuffs cliffs attract all levels of rock climbers. In fact, we saw several climbing groups above us on our hike, including a young man attempting (and making!) his first summit.

Our Route: We only had an afternoon so we decided to hike the Rim Rock Trail from the parking lot to the Canyon Trail, down The Chute (a very steep descent), across the river to the River Trail on the other side. Once there, we walked about 2 miles along the Crooked River enjoying the sounds of the river flowing, listening to the birds singing, feeling the gentle, cooling breeze on our cheeks and marveling at the beauty around us. It’s not an overstatement to say that these were special moments that brought us joy.

We knew we had to backtrack so we returned on the River Trail to where it crosses the river. On our way down the very steep “The Chute”, we had noticed a number of people frequently stopping and resting on the way up. So instead of taking The Chute back up to the rim, we chose the longer and more gradually inclined Canyon Trail back to the Rim Rock Trail. When we reached the parking lot, we had hiked over 5 miles. The walking sticks were a big help.

The water provided lots of opportunity to see wildlife on our walk, most especially birds. We saw several species of birds including a Bullock’s Oriole which was new to us.

Depending on where one is on the trails, the rock spire known as “Monkey Face“, looks like a primate face. From our vantage point by the river quite a distance away, we saw Snoopy. Slide the slider and see what you think…

We visited on the Thursday before the 4th of July so it was busy but we were able to park in the general-use parking area. There are only 4 spots for longer vehicles so it was helpful to be in a short Class B/B+ vehicle. We arrived mid-morning but if we had been much later, we may not have found a spot, so arrive early.

The park provides first-come, first-served campsites for tents only at $12/night. However, the Redmond/Central Oregon KOA is conveniently only 14 miles away.