I hate to be hot, love to be cold, and am not a desert girlie by any stretch of the imagination… but I loved Smith Rock State Park. If you’ve been considering a trip with your family, here’s what I learned about camping nearby, visiting with kids, and having the best possible time.
Is Misery Ridge Worth It?
My husband and I briefly considered protecting our daughter from the name of this hike by telling her we were hiking “Paradise Ridge” instead. This worked for approximately six seconds because we are terrible liars, and she immediately knew something was up. She was still game, though.
The roughly four-mile loop gave us entirely new perspectives of Smith Rock, the Crooked River canyon and the surrounding Cascade Mountains. We could look across at Monkey Face, the park’s iconic 350-foot rock spire, and watch actual rock climbers making their way up the formations.
We did the loop counterclockwise, which allowed us to finish along the River Trail, and I liked saving that cooler, shadier section for the end. The River Trail follows the Crooked River and has more trees and shade than the exposed ridge.
Misery Ridge is genuinely difficult. I would not try to talk a reluctant child into doing it simply because it is the park’s famous hike. We saw kids as young as eight on the trail, but I would recommended it for teens and up. You know your own children, their stamina and their tolerance for steep climbs better than anyone else. Our thirteen-year-old hiked it with relative ease. Our sixteen-year-old would have been miserable if he had attempted it.
The good news is that Misery Ridge is one of those difficult hikes where the payoff actually feels proportional to the work. The even better news is that you do not have to hike it at all to have a spectacular experience at Smith Rock State Park with kids.
No Misery Required: Smith Rock With Younger Kids
I really want to emphasize this because I would hate for families with younger children to decide that Smith Rock is not for them.
Some of the park’s most dramatic scenery is visible almost immediately from the parking and picnic area. You can stand at the canyon rim and look down at the winding Crooked River, giant rock formations and climbers without doing anything strenuous.
The easy Rim Rock Trail is only about half a mile and follows the top of the canyon. It provides canyon and climber views and is near the restrooms, picnic area and small playground. The mostly flat River Trail is another family-friendly option, and you can simply turn around whenever your children are ready, though it does require a short but steep descent to access.
The playground features a rock-climbing feature modeled after Monkey Face. It is not a destination playground by any stretch, but it is a cute detail and a helpful place for kids to play while adults enjoy the view.
Get Huckleberry Ice Cream After Smith Rock
After hiking, we stopped at Rock Hard, also known as Juniper Junction, near Smith Rock.
This is exactly the kind of local roadside stop I love. Juniper Junction’s huckleberry ice cream tradition dates to 1967, and our huckleberry cone was genuinely excellent. We also found a great sticker for our trailer.
Where to Camp Near Smith Rock
We stayed at Haystack Campground on the East Shore of Haystack Reservoir, about a 20-minute drive from Smith Rock State Park, and I would do it again. My honest assessment is that I probably would not plan an entire camping vacation around this campground alone. However, as a place to stay while visiting Smith Rock, it was perfect.
The reservoir was calm and approachable for kayaking and paddleboarding, especially for kids who are still learning. We had beautiful sunsets, views of Mount Jefferson across the water and enough juniper trees near our site to hang a couple of hammocks.
Because we were there over Fourth of July weekend, we also saw fireworks across the reservoir. I would obviously not count that as a standard campground amenity, but it made the evening feel particularly special.
The downside? The campsites do not offer any privacy. This is open high-desert terrain, not a densely wooded campground where every family disappears behind a wall of trees.
The Best Sites at Haystack Campground East Shore
Based on what we saw, I would try to reserve Site 14, 15 or 17 first. They are along the reservoir and farther from the busiest part of the day-use area. The official campground map confirms that all three sit beside the water.
We stayed in Site 10. It had good reservoir access and I would still consider it as a backup, but it was very close to the boat launch and day-use parking, and within sniffing distance of a vault toilet.
The East Shore campground has 24 sites, paved parking pads, picnic tables, fire rings, vault toilets and potable water available at an RV fill station.
Take the Summer Heat Seriously
We visited over Fourth of July weekend, and both the campground and hike were hot during the middle of the day.
This is high-desert camping and high-desert hiking. There is very little shade on exposed sections of Misery Ridge, and the rocks and trail surface can become dangerously hot. Smith Rock’s visitor information recommends carrying 16 ounces of water per person for every hour of exertion and warns that heat combined with dehydration can be dangerous. We brought more than that and drank all of it.
For a summer visit, I would start as early as possible, bring more water than seems necessary, reapply sunscreen and make sure every member of the family is actually drinking. Do not save most of your water in the car for afterward.
The Bottom Line
Smith Rock State Park is absolutely worth visiting with kids, whether your family hikes Misery Ridge, walks part of the River Trail or simply enjoys the view from the canyon rim.
Misery Ridge was difficult and rewarding. I am glad we did it, and I would not hesitate to skip it on a future visit if the heat, our energy levels or our children’s moods were telling us that it was not the right day.
Haystack Campground would not be my first choice for a camping-only vacation, but paired with Smith Rock, it worked beautifully. We could hike in the morning, paddle in the afternoon, rest in our hammocks and watch the sun set behind Mount Jefferson.
Just choose your campsite carefully, pack an unreasonable amount of water and do not attempt to convince your children that Misery Ridge is called Paradise Ridge unless you are significantly better liars than we are.