Hiking the Misery Ridge Trail at Smith Rock State Park

My sister (who is one of my all-time favorite traveling companions!) and I went on an EPIC trip to Oregon last summer.  We flew into Portland and traveled approximately 540 miles on a road trip across the state! During our time there we got to see 4 of the 7 “Wonders of Oregon”.  Smith Rock is one of those Wonders.

Smith Rock State Park is located about 35 miles north of Bend.  It offers miles of hiking and mountain biking, as well as some pretty intense rock climbing! While there were several trails for us to choose from, we decided to hike Misery Ridge Trail!  It was a steep hike but had awesome views! We came back to the parking area via the Crooked River trail.  We covered a lot of ground and saw what I would consider the best sights the Park has to offer!

Directions:

It’s been a year since I’ve been here, so here’s a link for directions from Bend.  It was well marked since the State Park is the reason a lot of people stop in Terrebonne.

Things to Consider:

• This area of Oregon is a lot hotter than other parts, and there is not a lot of shade on these trails.  Make sure you plan for the heat in the summer months.  Take hats, shades, and lots of water!
• Head in really early or really late to miss the peak afternoon rush!
• During the summertime in Oregon, the sun goes down MUCH LATER than in the southern US.  It wasn’t really getting dark until after 10 pm.  If you head in around 3:30 or 4, you’ll miss some of the crowd, and you’ll still have hours of daylight left!
• Get a trail map at the pay stations! The trails are really well marked, and for all of you planning maniacs out there a map helps you navigate the way you want to go!
• I’m not a rock climber, but for those of you that are this is a prime spot! I saw people even climbing up the Monkey Face!
• If you are visiting the park for day use, parking is $5 per vehicle.  Because we went in the middle of tourist season, parking was a little crowded, so plan to get here early to ensure a good spot! (Check out their website for additional info)

I would suggest getting a map of the many trails you can choose from at the pay stations.  Because we are badasses 😉 we decided that the only trail we could start with was the Misery Ridge Trail, as I stated previously. (After all, our motto is “You’re not hardcore unless you live hardcore!)

The Misery Ridge trail will take you up to one of the highest points in the park (if not the highest).  It’s a 3.8 mile trail with a 1000ft elevation gain, and the name “Misery” was very appropriate! This trail was not near as crowded as some of the other trails we saw…not for any reason, I’m sure!

The view from the summit of Misery Ridge trail is worth the pain! You are greeted with sweeping views on all sides, and a chest-bump-worthy feeling of accomplishment for having made it to the top. We had very clear views of some of the famous mountain peaks in the surrounding area, the Three Sisters and Mount Jefferson amongst them!

After admiring the views, we headed down the other side with plans to meet up with the Crooked River trail (again, those trail maps were very useful!). The River trail follows the Crooked River and will take you back to your starting point. You’ll notice on your descent that there is a huge pillar of rock that is called “Monkey Face”.  Once you have descended and are on the lower trail, make sure to look back to see the pillar – it actually does resemble the face of a monkey when viewed from this angle!

Follow the Crooked River back to your starting point, and enjoy the beautiful scenery!

Well, I hope I’ve encouraged you to visit one of the 7 wonders of Oregon, and to hike Misery Ridge Trail! This was a really cool stop and definitely one I would suggest to anyone in the area!!

Don’t forget to leave me a comment! Have you been up here?? Was there another trail you went on?? Did you rock climb??

I wanna know!

Till next time!