The volcanic rock formation of Smith Rock State park is a huge attraction for rock climbers. We don’t do that crazy sport, but never-the-less, we had to take a day trip here (an easy 35 from Palisades Cove) to see what all the fuss is about.

Smith Rock State Park

The drive to Smith Rock ends up in a neighborhood of ranches with horses and crops. We saw some beautiful fences and houses. There are thousands of climbing trails from beginner to expert with a climbing business right outside the park that offers equipment and instruction. The Crooked River provides some green space as it meanders through the park. There are multi-use trails that offer scenic views.

When the Smith Rock canyon was created, a volcano blew rock all over the area. We see these pieces piled up against trees and used for fencing. The canyon itself came from a thick layer of ash that hardened into Smith Rock Tuff, with wind and water creating the multicolored rock formations we now see. Slower moving basalt from other volcanic eruptions formed the river’s current course. We see the basalt on the walls across from the river as we hike. Those same walls are at our Cove Palisades campground. Columnar basalt is very striking – looks sort of like a fort wall.

River Trail

Smith Rock is a very popular park, but has lots of parking. We found a spot for Usain and turned on the A/C for the cats. It’s in the 80s and no shade for a long vehicle. From the parking area, most trails lead down “the chute” as it is known to a bridge that crosses the Crooked River. We started on the River Trail, and found some step areas that lead up to climbing trails. Pausing in one spot, we watched two young men get started up. It is certainly fun to watch these amazingly fit people climb.

Wildlife spotted

There are many critters to be seen here. We saw several different types of birds, including raptors, vultures, swallows, merganser ducks, and a great blue heron. We also saw a beaver swim by along the shore right after I stepped back from the river rocks in the picture above.

Monkey Face on Mesa Verde Trail

The River Trail ends where the Summit Trail begins; at that point we headed up on the Mesa Verde Trail to loop back to the River Trail. The First Kiss beginners climbing area is currently closed due to falcon nesting. We were able to see some climbers near Monkey Face, which is a weird column of rock sticking up away from the cliffs. From certain angles, it looks like a monkey’s face. We also had sweeping views of the cliffs and ranches across the Crooked River.

Peter Ogden State Scenic Viewpoint

The Peter Ogden State Scenic Viewpoint is an example of a beautiful spot that we didn’t know about until we drove by it on the way to Smith Rock. We made a note to stop here on the way back through. The Crooked River carved this narrow 500-foot deep gorge that takes you by surprise as you drive over it. There are three bridges at the scenic viewpoint, a 100+ year-old Oregon Trunk Railroad Bridge, the old highway bridge just for pedestrians and bungee jumping now, and the current bridge for US-97 traffic. It was fun to see a train go over the trestle bridge while we were there. Definitely worth a stop, and the rest area bathrooms are very new and modern.

Lunch in Madras at Great Earth Cafe

It was pretty warm today, so Usain’s batteries were down to 70% by the time we got back to the kitties. We decided to get lunch at a restaurant I found on Google Maps. There were so many vegetarian options on the menu. I had to make a tough choice and could eat here all week. I had a quinoa bowl with sautéed veggies and cold veggies and a light salad dressing. I need to make this at home. Tony enjoyed his Cuban Panini very much, too. This drive allowed Usain’s batteries to recharge.

Oops!

We headed back to our campsite, pulled in, and Tony noticed right away that our water hose and filter were missing that we had left there from the night before. Why would someone take that? Fortunately, we weren’t too concerned since we have spares of those and, more importantly, we had taken our electrical shore line and surge protector with us.

Tony stepped out of the van and the people setting up in the campground next to us asked if we were sure we had reserved the site. Tony gave me a questioning look so I grabbed the calendar, and, yup we were in site 26 last night, but should have been in site 36.

Then we had fun driving around the loop twice looking for site 36, which is out of the way on a hidden road that looks like a drive-through site and not in sequence. There was no one to check us in yesterday, so we didn’t have a map to follow. Eventually Tony figured it out and helped me ease Usain into our proper site.

Since we figured out that we were in the wrong spot, I assumed that the camp hosts must have our water hose and filter, so I took off to hunt one down. A quick walk down the hill, and two hosts (currently off duty) found our stuff in a third hosts’ UTV. I had a nice conversation with them about Smith Rock and the hikes and eagles there. They were both so kind and helpful even when off duty!

Always an adventure!