This park offers a panorama of unexpected beauty - colorful 700' walls rising directly above the meandering Crooked River. There is something for everyone in this park: photography, rock-climbing, hiking, picnicking, mountain biking, horse trails, camping and lots of wildlife. Smith Rock is one of Oregon's premier state parks. The easy trails are on the bluff or down and along the river. We chose the Misery Ridge/Monkey Face trail. It is ranked Moderate/Difficult - of course! It is definitely one of the most scenic hikes we've ever taken. The first 3/4 of a mile is straight up and yes - it's appropriately named "Misery Ridge". Once atop you will catch the first glimpse of the monkey's head. Then the trail turns right for a steep 1/2 mile descent. You really need to be careful because the trail is loose small rock - very slippery. The remaining 2 miles is an easy cruise around all the rocks. You will be sure to see climbers on a lot of the rockfaces.
Be sure to click on the link to our photo album to see lots more great pics of this park. We could go on and on - but it was a terrific 1/2 day hike!
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