Smith Rock’s best hike has zero shade for 3.6 miles, so July mornings are the only smart time to go

Smith Rock State Park has exactly one trail everyone means when they say “the hike” — the Misery Ridge and River Trail loop. It’s 3.6 miles, climbs 915 feet of exposed switchbacks in the first mile alone, and delivers the single best view in the park. There’s also not one tree along the entire route, and in July, that detail changes everything.

This is the birthplace of American sport climbing and one of Travel Oregon’s official Seven Wonders of Oregon, so the scenery has a lot to live up to. It does. Rated hard and taking most hikers two to two and a half hours, it’s worth every minute — just not at every hour.

The climb, then the payoff

You start at the main lot with the Crooked River curling below, cross a footbridge, and go straight up the back side of Misery Ridge. Stone stairs help in the steepest stretches, and climbers working the walls to your left are a solid excuse to stop and “check the view” for a second.

The climbing ends at the ridge top, where a wide rocky platform is basically begging you to sit down. From there, walk southwest along the rim as Monkey Face — a roughly 350-foot spire that’s one of the most photographed rock formations in the state — rises up ahead. Switchbacks drop you down behind it before the trail flattens out along the river for the walk back.

No shade, and it shows by mid-morning

Here’s the part that catches people off guard: there is no shade anywhere on this loop — not on the climb, not on the ridge, not on the river stretch back. High desert rock starts radiating heat fast once the sun’s up, and a hike that feels completely reasonable at 7 a.m. turns into a different animal by 10.

Start at sunrise. You’ll dodge the worst of the heat and the crowds — this is the busiest trail in the park by a wide margin — in one move. Bring more water than feels necessary, and if you’re prone to overheating, this isn’t the trail to test that on; there’s nowhere to retreat to once you’re committed to the climb.

Getting there and what it costs

Smith Rock sits just outside Terrebonne, about 26 miles and 30 to 40 minutes northeast of Bend. Day-use parking runs $10 per vehicle for Oregon residents and $12 for everyone else, paid at fee stations near the entrance. Making more than a few trips this year? The annual permit is $60 for residents and $75 for non-residents.

Our complete guide to Smith Rock State Park covers the park’s other trails and climbing areas if you want to make a full day of it, and we’ve also broken down every variation of the Misery Ridge Trail if the loop above isn’t ambitious enough for you.

Skip the sunset version of this hike in summer — that rock holds heat long after the sun drops. Sunrise is the move. Have you done the full loop, or just the climb to the top of the ridge?

Trip tips: grab a rental car to get out here from Bend, book a hotel in Redmond or Bend if you’re staying over, or skip both and roll in with a camper van instead.

Rules and fees change — always confirm current requirements before you go.

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