Smith Rock State Park

After living here for 3 months one summer I think that I have forever fallen in love! From the huckleberry ice cream to amazing routes what not to love?

WOW SMITH! Driving to Oregon from California was beautiful. As we neared Smith, the towering rocks could be seen in the distance. When we got there I looked over the canyon that was a climbing paradise. The orange and red rocks made a beautiful array of rock formations. After driving 14 hours, and the sun had set, we decided we needed to climb well into the night. Absolutely beautiful climbing. We spent a week straight, camping on the edge of the gorge that surrounded the amusement park of rocks. The minimal campsite was filled with climbers and good vibes. Each day was an adventure of sport routes ranging from 5.5 to 5.14, with amazing, classic routes that are known around the world! The rock is just perfect enough that your fingertips don't get raw, but instead you are limited by the amount of abuse your muscles can take throughout the day. Take a "rest" day and do a multi-pitch, or other fun trad, maybe even take a vertical trip up the unique and bizarre monkey face tower that overlooks all of smith rocks. If you need a real rest day, there are many trails that wander through the park and along the beautiful river that carves the gorge below. A beautiful and serene park that is amazingly well kept with hot showers that are included in the price of camping ($5 bucks a night). Pack a lunch in the morning, grab your stash of gear and many draws, and spend all day in the canyon. All routes are literally within a 20minute walk of each other...with over 1200 routes! Lots of sport, trad, multi-pitch, bouldering, aiding, and finger loving...Smith has it all!

Truly a special place with a great community. It might seem like a sleepy backwater by modern standards, and the climbing is very technical, but it's worth visiting!