Stats, trail tips and important information regarding this trail are located at the bottom of the blog post. Unless explicitly noted, all pictures in this blog are owned by me and should otherwise not be used without expressed written consent.

I visited Smith Rock State Park in Oregon in 2018 before I had a bucket list. But this beautiful park has some amazing, picturesque trails that don’t disappoint. In general this area has a superfluity of beautiful hikes and endlessly gorgeous natural features.

Before my bucket list days, you will find my hiking pictures generally photographed differently (less pics/videos typically, sometimes more selfies, lower quality images). This hike is no exception. Sometimes I look back in my pictures asking “What was I thinking?” But I’ve learned not to be ashamed. We are all ever-changing and ever-evolving.

Misery Ridge amps up the rhetoric in a hurry just by its name. It’s misery!!! In reality, yes it is absolutely a thigh burn. But I’ve experienced much worse.

I ended up camping in the bivouac area of Smith Rock, which borders on a modest cliff. That cliff had stunning views of the rock features of Smith Rock. I set up my tent not far from the cliff side, which has relatively dense brush and rock features. But someone literally on the cliff’s edge up against a rock left. I seized the moment and ended up having amazing views. Sadly, I can’t find the view photo but will update this blog post if I do.

This is me not too far from the trailhead. The Cubs had just won the World Series so I was frequently wearing my favorite Cubs hats!

As you hike up this trail, there’s a well-known rock called Monkey Face…

Look at the pronounced coloration differences of the rock on Monkey Face. It reminds me of a marble pound cake…

I may not share my goofy personality in my blog posts as much. Maybe I should, what do you think? But this is my best attempt at mimicking Monkey Face – haha…

And here’s probably the best view of Monkey Face in the hike. I feel like it could just as easily be named Wookie Face or Chewbacca Face…

At the top you get an amazing view of the Crooked River and park…

And yes, those are Snapchat features back when I regularly used the social media app.

Another self pic and view of Crooked River and some of the mountain range. Absolutely beautiful…

What comes up must come down, right? Well, that’s normally the case. It is most certainly the case at Misery Ridge! Check out these hellacious switchbacks…

Phew, I’m sure my knees felt that right away. This hike was an excellent calorie burn for the distance.

As I was walking along the river once things got less “switchbacky”, someone was kind enough to offer to take a picture of me. So I found the spot quite iconic…

To wrap it all up, I have a sunset picture overlooking the Crooked River. Man. How beautiful is that?

And as if I didn’t have enough self pics on this hike (😂), here is one of the sun partially cascading over the Smith Rock mountain range…

BOOTIFUL!!!

This hike was part of a post-relationship solo trip that was so rejuvenating. If you need to clear the air after a stressful life event, you should really consider getting out in nature alone. Of course, you should do this safely and based on your experience level. You may get so many answers for yourself while being alone with your thoughts and the beautiful world.

Total Distance/Time: 2.6 miles (this was before I began tracking hiking time)
Calories Burned: 850 (this is an estimate; hike was before I began tracking calories burned)
Trail Type: out-and-back
Trail Features: Switchbacks, river, mountain views
Best Time to Hike: Fall and Spring
Difficulty Rating: 8/10
Trailhead Coordinates: 44.3658900, -121.1372500