The trail to the top of this portion of Smith Rock is called the Misery Trail. It starts right after one crosses the Crooked River bridge at the lower left. It zigzags up past the blond Picture Lunch wall where a lot of cliff climbers start, then around the Red Wall to the last stretch to the top.
It is rather steep, but I found the incredible views resulted in my stopping quite frequently for yet another picture, allowing me to climb it pretty easily, even with 2 cameras, tripod and pack.
You can come down on the other side resulting in a longer hike as you follow the river back around to the bridge and your vehicle. I found that a harder challenge as it seemed steeper coming down and was hard to maintain footing on the crumbly trail. Full brakes on most of the way with knees aching afterwards.
The views from up top are fabulous and well worth it. Highly recommended.
Have a marvelous Monday and week ahead.
Tags: Crooked River Oregon Smith Rock Smith Rock State Park Terrebonne Misery Trail hikes hikers rock climbers Picture Lunch Wall Red Wall trails
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Love this well-named trail, The Hall of Mosses. Walking thru here is like walking thru a living green cathedral, verdant and vibrant.
"Throughout the winter season, rain falls frequently in the Hoh Rain Forest, contributing to the yearly total of 140 to 170 inches (or 12 to 14 feet!) of precipitation each year. The result is a lush, green canopy of both coniferous and deciduous species. Mosses and ferns that blanket the surfaces add another dimension to the enchantment of the rainforest.
The Hoh Rain Forest is located in the stretch of the Pacific Northwest rainforest which once spanned the Pacific coast from southeastern Alaska to the central coast of California. The Hoh is one of the finest remaining examples of temperate rainforest in the United States and is one of the park's most popular destinations." nps.gov
Happy Friday!
Tags: Hoh Rainforest Hall of Mosses Trail trails hikes moss lush Olympic National Park Washington
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A couple fellow hikers pause to catch their breath and take in some of the beauty that is Smith Rock while hiking the Misery Trail (steep but not all that long: good thing).
"This landscape of rock spires, cliffs, and canyonlands lies along the northern edge of the Crooked River caldera, a 26-mile long, 17-mile wide volcanic depression formed through a series of super-volcanic eruptions between 29.7 and 27.5 million years ago. Eruptions from the Crooked River caldera deposited massive volumes (>140 cubic miles) of tuff and rhyolitic lavas, dikes, and domes. All of these volcanic features are now well exposed in the rock walls of Smith Rock State Park.
Approximately 400,000 years ago, more recent lava flows erupted from Newberry Volcano, twenty-five miles south of present-day Bend, and flowed north, largely covering the caldera-filling tuff and diverting the Crooked River up against Smith Rock. Both older and younger rocks at Smith Rock State Park have been deeply eroded, sculpted, and incised by the modern-day Crooked River."
oregonencyclopedia.com
A fascinating geological wonder!
Thanks for the visit. Always appreciated!
Have a wonderful week!
Tags: Crooked River Oregon Smith Rock Smith Rock State Park Terrebonne Crooked River Caldera Caldera tuff Misery Trail trails hikes volcanic
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A favorite spot along the "Hall of Mosses" trail in the Hoh Rainforest is this unique tree arch. One of many wonders along this fascinating trail.
Thanks for taking a look and for your remarks or suggestions.
Tags: Tree Arch Hall of Mosses Trail Hoh Rainforest Olympic National Park Washington rainforest
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Climbing up above Swiftcurrent Lake heading towards the Ptarmigan Wall and Iceberg Lake.
Altyn Peak and Mount Henkel rises above.
Wish I was on that trail now.
As always, thanks for hiking along.
Tags: Iceberg Lake Trail Swiftcurrent Lake Iceberg Lake Many Glacier Glacier Park Montana hikes Altyn Peak
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