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canyonwalker) wrote2025-07-06 09:06 am
canyonwalker) wrote2025-07-06 09:06 am
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Hiking Misery Ridge and the Monkey Face
Oregon Cascades Travelog #19
Misery Ridge, OR - Sat, 5 Jul 2025, 1pm
Today we finally did our "big hike" near Bend. It's the one we put off for two days already, and did lighter-duty hiking instead, because one or both of us felt tired, or the weather sucked. It's a loop trail at Smith Rock State Park 25 miles north of Bend, and it crosses over the aptly named Misery Ridge.
Just to look at Smith Rock is to think, "Oh, yeah, I totally want to hike that!" Then you see the switchback trail (far right) coming down around the side of the big ridge and realized that it's going to be a serious undertaking. And that's only part of the climb. Oh, and you're starting on a ridge across the river, descending 200' just to start— which means after you climb up and over the ridge and come back down, you get the added misery of having to climb another ridge just to get out. Fun, fun, fun!
A park ranger we talked to at the visitors center recommended we hike the loop "backwards" from how most people do it and the map on AllTrails.com shows. Instead of climbing those steep switchbacks first, with zero shade, she suggested we hike the loop around the base of the rocks along the river and take the ascent up the back side. The backside would offer a more gradual ascent, she said.
The river walk was beautiful, and easy— though the 75° weather under high desert sun felt like 90°. Soon enough it was time to climb.
The switchbacks on the back side of the ridge ascend beneath an interesting rock formation called Monkey Face. You can kind of see it from this angle.... The monkey's face is atop that spire, facing left.
Once atop Misery Ridge I took a short spur down to the rocks immediately across from Monkey Face. The spire bears both more and less resemblance to its namesake from this angle.
Whew! The hard part is done, right? Oh, wait, there's that toe-jamming descent down the front side of the ridge, then the climb out from the river. Stay tuned for more!
Update: More of Misery Ridge in part 2!
Misery Ridge, OR - Sat, 5 Jul 2025, 1pm
Today we finally did our "big hike" near Bend. It's the one we put off for two days already, and did lighter-duty hiking instead, because one or both of us felt tired, or the weather sucked. It's a loop trail at Smith Rock State Park 25 miles north of Bend, and it crosses over the aptly named Misery Ridge.
Just to look at Smith Rock is to think, "Oh, yeah, I totally want to hike that!" Then you see the switchback trail (far right) coming down around the side of the big ridge and realized that it's going to be a serious undertaking. And that's only part of the climb. Oh, and you're starting on a ridge across the river, descending 200' just to start— which means after you climb up and over the ridge and come back down, you get the added misery of having to climb another ridge just to get out. Fun, fun, fun!
A park ranger we talked to at the visitors center recommended we hike the loop "backwards" from how most people do it and the map on AllTrails.com shows. Instead of climbing those steep switchbacks first, with zero shade, she suggested we hike the loop around the base of the rocks along the river and take the ascent up the back side. The backside would offer a more gradual ascent, she said.
The river walk was beautiful, and easy— though the 75° weather under high desert sun felt like 90°. Soon enough it was time to climb.
The switchbacks on the back side of the ridge ascend beneath an interesting rock formation called Monkey Face. You can kind of see it from this angle.... The monkey's face is atop that spire, facing left.
Once atop Misery Ridge I took a short spur down to the rocks immediately across from Monkey Face. The spire bears both more and less resemblance to its namesake from this angle.
Whew! The hard part is done, right? Oh, wait, there's that toe-jamming descent down the front side of the ridge, then the climb out from the river. Stay tuned for more!
Update: More of Misery Ridge in part 2!