Smith Rock State Park
Smith Rock State Park is recognized as one of the 7 Wonders of Oregon. Renowned as the birthplace of American sport climbing, offering over 1,800 climbing routes and an extensive trail system for hikers, mountain bikers, and horseback riders. The park serves as a vital habitat for wildlife such as golden eagles and prairie falcons. It is a stunning nature park that needs to be seen to be believed.
Hours of Operation
Smith Rock State Park is generally open from dawn until dusk year-round. For the purposes of the park's day-use area, "dawn to dusk" is defined as 30 minutes prior to sunrise and 30 minutes after sunset.
Admission
The day-use parking fee for Smith Rock State Park is $5 per day.
Here are additional details regarding parking permits and passes:
Purchasing Permits: You can purchase a 1-day permit on-site.
Annual Passes: Annual permits are also available for those who visit frequently. Oregon State Parks offers 12-month and 24-month annual passes.
Camping Inclusion: If you are staying at the Bivouac (Bivy) campground, the $12 per person, per night camping fee includes access to the park, meaning a separate day-use permit is not required for campers.
Equipment
Sunscreen
Comfortable hiking boots or shoes
Dress for the weather
Important Notes
Smith Rock State Park is a protected area for raptors, like Golden Eagles. Do NOT harass or bother their nests or the birds.
Drones are forbidden during raptor nesting periods, January 1 through July 31. Park rangers may restrict drone use at any time, during permitted months, for any reason.
Dogs are permitted “ON leash” within the grounds. Leashes should be no more than 6 feet long. Someone must maintain control of any dog at all times. Any harassment of park wildlife will result in expulsion and possible fines or criminal charges. Clean up after your pet.
For additional information on photography, videography, camping, and climbing, please visit smithrock.com.
Approach
From Redmond, Oregon: Follow US-97 north to C Ave in Terrebonne. Turn right onto C Ave, then turn right onto 16th St. Turn left onto NE Smith Rock Way, then turn left onto NE 1st St/Lambert Rd. Follow Lambert Rd for 2 miles. Turn left onto NE Crooked River Dr. Follow NE Crooked River Dr. into the park.
From Prineville, Oregon: Follow OR-370 west to Lone Pine Rd. Turn right onto Lone Pine Rd and follow for 1.3 miles. Turn left onto NW Smith Rock Way and follow for 2.1 miles. Then turn right onto NE 33rd St. In less than a half mile, turn left onto NE Wilcox Ave. In half a mile, turn right onto NE Crooked River Dr. Follow NE Crooked River Dr. into the park.
Climbing Areas
There are eleven designated rock climbing locations within the park. We don’t rock climb, so we did not investigate further. However, most of the people we saw walking to the bivouac camping area were loaded with ropes and climbing gear. It appears to be quite a popular location for this activity.
Hiking Trails
Download the Hiking Trail Map
Several hiking trails exist in this state park. One is relatively easy; the rest have significant vertical climbs. The trail down to and along the river is the easier trail outside of a few short trails along the rim near the parking lot. This was the hike we made, just to get a feel for the park and for the wonderful views from within the valley.
Canyon Trail: This was the trail we took down into the canyon. There is a shortcut using The Chute Trail if you don’t mind a steep decline or incline. We used The Chute during our descent, but followed the longer, but less vertical, Canyon Trail out. Once we were in the canyon, we crossed the bridge over the river and hiked a short distance along the River Trail. The river is a slow-moving, vegetation-lined river that cuts a gorgeous contrast against the yellow and orange rock walls that surround it. The area is incredibly picturesque. No matter where you are in the park, you have an incredible view. It is a wildly scenic location given the surrounding desert landscape.
We debated trying some other trails, but had other concerns on our mind. We had arrived in the park in the afternoon, expecting to be able to car camp. However, we quickly learned this was not an option. We had no tent to bivouac, and had no desire to tempt the elements by sleeping under the stars, especially since it had already rained twice this day. With nightfall imminent and with no secured camping location, I had to find something fast.
Camping
In my search for a camping spot for the night, I found a small campground a mere 8 miles away. Skull Hollow Campground is northeast of Smith Rock. It is not the most picturesque campground we’ve been to, but it was clean, well-managed, and perfect for us to grab one night of sleep in our SUV. There are 70 camping spots in this campground. Many can accommodate medium to small RVs, but there are no power or water hookups here. Three sites are pull-through, the rest are back-in sites, five of which are double sites. It is a first-come, first-served campground.
To purchase a camping spot, collect a reservation envelope from the Welcome sign area. Take the envelope to an empty camping spot. Empty spots will have no tag attached to the post with the campsite number on it. Fill out the form on the envelope, and tear off the portion designated and attach it to your campsite post. Then place the money for the site into the envelope and return the envelope to the fee deposit box at the Welcome sign.
The fees are as follows:
Overnight Use:
Single Site: $20 per night
Double Site: $40 per night
Additional Vehicle Fee: $7 per vehicle per night
Day Use:
$7 per vehicle per day
There are dispersed campsites nearby that we didn’t know about. You can find a map of these locations here. Camping outside of these designated areas is not permitted.
Summary
Smith Rock State Park was a wonderful surprise stop on our trip. Initially, we planned on camping here before we realized that was not an option for our situation. The views from the rim are beautiful. The winding river and green vegetation pop in stark contrast against the surrounding yellow and orange rock cliffs and desert surroundings. Hiking down into the canyon provides a completely different perspective. The cliffs surround you like looming giants, and remind you of how small you are in the world. The entire area is picture-perfect, a landscape photographer’s dream. If you are heading into that area, make this stop a priority for at least a full day, if not two.
The surrounding area is gorgeous and has a lot of other fun activities, such as:
Petersen Rock Garden and Museum
High Desert Museum
Lava Butte Lookout
Newberry National Volcanic Monument
Lava River Cave
