Misery Ridge in Smith Rock State Park: Ultimate Trail Guide

Smith Rock State Park is one of the coolest places we discovered during our Oregon road trip, and seeing it from top of the Misery Ridge during sunrise was such a surreal experience!

Misery Ridge trail is one of the most popular trails in the park and it’s easy to see why – it’s challenging, but relatively short and it offers the most impressive views of Oregon’s high desert landscape as well as the great volcanoes to the west of the park. What we particularly loved about this trail is that it gives you a feeling of having seen the entire park – and it’s almost true! Smith Rock State Park is not very big, so you can cover a lot of it in one day, but if you only have a few hours to spare, make sure to save them for Misery Ridge trail – it’s a must-see!

Lenght: 3.4 km (2.1 miles) out-and-back
Elevation gain: 277 meters
Duration: 1-2 hours
Difficulty: Moderate to Hard

Misery Ridge trail is typically rated as hard because of the tough and challenging climb it presents (hence the name Misery). While we agree that it was quite grueling, we’d still rate this hike as moderate, because of how short it is. Sure, your heart rate will go up as you make your way through the stairs and switchbacks, but getting to the top doesn’t take too long.

Despite its steepness, Misery Ridge is a very popular trail, so expect to meet other hikers around, especially in the peak summer months. This is one of the best views of Smith Rock State Park after all!

Trails in Smith Rock State Park are well marked, but as always we recommend having an offline map that you can check in case you feel lost. We use Mapy.cz on most of our hikes and it has never disappointed us!

Smith Rock State Park is located in Oregon’s high desert, which means it has its own unique microclimate. It’s generally warmer than the surrounding areas and receives very minimal rainfall throughout the year.

While the park and trails remain accessible year-round, we’d say that the best time to hike Misery Ridge trail is in the spring or fall. That’s when you can expect pleasant temperatures and fewer crowds compared to summer. We visited in April on a mid-week day and since we hiked up for sunrise, we had the entire park for ourselves until we met first hikers our way down. It was still a bit chilly in the early morning, but it warmed up quickly as the sun began to rise.

If you plan to hike Misery Ridge trail in summer, note that it can get extremely hot and dry. We’d recommend hitting the trail early in the morning, packing plenty of water and a sunscreen. Winter, on the other side, can be quite chilly and you’ll want to bring microspikes and layers.

The trail up to the Misery Ridge starts right at the Smith Rock Welcome Center, so ideally you’ll want to get a spot at the park’s main parking area. This lot is quite large and there is also an overflow parking area, though it’s a never a bad call to arrive early, particularly on weekends or holidays! Make sure to pay the $5 daily parking permit at one of the three fee stations.

Keep in mind that Smith Rock State Park is a day-use area, so it’s open from dawn to dusk year-round (30 minutes prior to sunrise and 30 minutes after sunset). If you’re aiming to hike up for sunrise like we did, your pace must be rather fast to reach the top within this timeframe!

The hike begins by following two other trails – you’ll want to follow the sign for the Canyon Trail from the parking lot and continue down along the Chute Trail until you reach the footbridge. Right after you cross the river, you’ll see the first sign for Misery Ridge pointing straight ahead. That’s where the ascend starts!

From there, it’s pretty straightforward. You’ll climb through a series of switchbacks and stairs that take you right up to the ridge. While it is challenging, it doesn’t take too long to get to the top and the views make it all so worth it.

There are multiple viewpoints along the ridge where you can take some photos and enjoy the spectacular views. We personally made it to the view of Monkey Face and then came back through the same way, however there are options to extend the trail into a loop. You can continue down through the backside and either follow Summit Trail which will turn it into a 6.2 miles (10 km) loop, or connect to the Canyon and River Trails to make a 3.6 miles (5.9 km) long loop.

Dogs are allowed on the Misery Ridge Trail, but must be kept on leash.

Things you should keep in mind before hitting the Misery Ridge trail:

» Day use fees of $5 to park at Smith Rock State Park are required year-round. If you plan to visit multiple Oregon state parks throughout the year, consider purchasing an annual pass for better value.

» Cell service can be spotty in the park, have an offline map downloaded in your phone and make sure your battery will last. We recommend using offline maps from AllTrails or Mapy.cz.

» Misery Ridge trail is very exposed, so bring plenty of water, cover your head, wear sunglasses and apply sunscreen if going during the hot summer day. Winter, on the other side, can be quite chilly and you’ll want to bring microspikes and layers.

» Mosquitos and bugs can be really bad during the summer months, make sure to pack a repellent.

» Proper hiking shoes are neccessary and hiking poles can be very helpful.

We hope this blog post helped to answer questions you might have before hiking the Misery Ridge trail in Smith Rock State Park, but in case we forgot anything – let us know in the comments below! Looking for more hiking inspiration? Check out our hiking guides category!

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