Smith Rock State Park - Terrebonne, OR
You've probably heard of the "7 Wonders of the World," but have you heard of the 7 WONDERS OF OREGON? One of those 7 Wonders of Oregon is SMITH ROCK located in Terrebonne, Oregon.
Smith Rock is located just outside Redmond, Oregon. For us, we drove from Sunriver to check out this wonder and it took about 50 minutes and worth the drive.
Smith Rock is a state park. There is a campground and also a day use area. There is a charge ($5) for the day use area and machines are easily accessible to pay, but you will need to do so with a credit card. Once you pay, you get a ticket which you place on your dashboard and then you are ready to get on your way.
Smith Rock is located just outside Redmond, Oregon. For us, we drove from Sunriver to check out this wonder and it took about 50 minutes and worth the drive.
Smith Rock is a state park. There is a campground and also a day use area. There is a charge ($5) for the day use area and machines are easily accessible to pay, but you will need to do so with a credit card. Once you pay, you get a ticket which you place on your dashboard and then you are ready to get on your way.
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This park is most commonly used for hiking and mountain climbing. You can actually climb all the way to the top, or take one of the shorter trails. There is a MAP that you can print off before you leave, take a photo of once you are there, scan a QR code to open it on your phone, or go into the visitor's center and buy a map for $1. I suggest getting a map one way or another, as the trails are labeled, but some interconnect and the map just makes it easier.
The hike down from the parking lot wasn't the easiest. It's covered in pretty slippery dirt and gravel. So, take your time. Once down to the bridge, the path was the same, but more level, making it easy. Once across the bridge, you have a choice of where to go. We saw several people and even families with older kids decide to basically head straight and go right up the Misery Ridge Trail. This trail takes you up to the top. We could see people up there and the views must have been spectacular. But for us, we knew that we were not wanting that level of hike. |
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When we went, we chose to take a shorter hike and did the River Trail. This is a 2.2 mile trail that takes you across a bridge and down the Crooked River. We tried to get their early in the day because we knew temperatures were going to be hot that day. But what we didn't anticipate is them getting as hot as they did as soon as they did. By 9 a.m. it was over 80 degrees and majority of this hike was in the sun. Needless to say, we were cooking! We got a bit down the path and decided to backtrack and head back. So, if you go in the summer, make sure to wear sunscreen, bring hats, dress cool, and bring plenty of water for everyone to drink. We had to stop regularly to take water breaks.
All the hikes provide surreal views of Smith Rock. The whole time my husband and I stared in awe and kept saying that we couldn't believe this is in Oregon and being life-long Oregonians we had never seen it before. It was breathtaking. My husband even said he thought it was cooler than JOSHUA TREE. I wouldn't go that far, as I love the otherworldly feel of Joshua Tree, but it was right up there providing stunning scenery.
All the hikes provide surreal views of Smith Rock. The whole time my husband and I stared in awe and kept saying that we couldn't believe this is in Oregon and being life-long Oregonians we had never seen it before. It was breathtaking. My husband even said he thought it was cooler than JOSHUA TREE. I wouldn't go that far, as I love the otherworldly feel of Joshua Tree, but it was right up there providing stunning scenery.
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As we walked along the river, we saw fish, a blue heron, river otters, and a variety of other birds. We also saw people rock climbing all over on both sides of the river. There was even a cave to the right of the bridge after you cross the my kids loved exploring. It also provided them a little bit of cool shade to rest for a bit.
Once we realized that we were far too hot to continue on the River Trail, we decided to turn around. We saw almost everyone doing this. The way back was fine until after you cross the bridge. Once you cross back over the bridge, the path is a steep hike upwards. And after being super hot already, this was a bit rough. We ended up going a ways, stopping, taking a break, and then continuing on. So just remember that after you hike around, you've got a grueling hike up to you car on the way back.
Once we realized that we were far too hot to continue on the River Trail, we decided to turn around. We saw almost everyone doing this. The way back was fine until after you cross the bridge. Once you cross back over the bridge, the path is a steep hike upwards. And after being super hot already, this was a bit rough. We ended up going a ways, stopping, taking a break, and then continuing on. So just remember that after you hike around, you've got a grueling hike up to you car on the way back.
Another option would be to stop and have a picnic. On the one side of the bridge, there was a green fielded area with a few picnic tables in the shade. We saw a few groups of people stopped here taking a break.
We saw several picnic tables located at the top near the visitor's center and parking lot, too. That would be an epic place to have a picnic getting views of Smith Rock, the Crooked River, and The Three Sisters in the background.
We had waited until the end of our week to go visit Smith Rock. My kids aren't fans of hikes, but I love them. So we made sure to fit in all of their activities first and then did this on our last day. To say they weren't excited was an understatement. But after we finished our hike, they both said they thought it was amazing. Their only complaint was how hot it was, and I agree. Despite the heat, it was worth it to get to see one of the 7 Wonders of Oregon.
We saw several picnic tables located at the top near the visitor's center and parking lot, too. That would be an epic place to have a picnic getting views of Smith Rock, the Crooked River, and The Three Sisters in the background.
We had waited until the end of our week to go visit Smith Rock. My kids aren't fans of hikes, but I love them. So we made sure to fit in all of their activities first and then did this on our last day. To say they weren't excited was an understatement. But after we finished our hike, they both said they thought it was amazing. Their only complaint was how hot it was, and I agree. Despite the heat, it was worth it to get to see one of the 7 Wonders of Oregon.
