When High And Dry

Coming Around The Bend In Central Oregon, U.S.A.

- Julian Smith

Oregon in northwest U.S.A. has more than its fair share of craggy coastline and dense, mossy forest. So it’s easy to forget that once you get east of the snow-capped Cascades Range, a good chunk of the state is high, dry, and sparsely populated. This three-day itinerary out of the city of Bend explores Oregon’s sublime high desert country, where the vistas are broad and the skies tell stories all their own.

Rock climbers know Smith Rock State Park, 42 kilometres north of Bend, as one of the birthplaces of modern sport climbing in the United States. Even if you’re a climbing novice, it’s hard not to be impressed with the cliffs of volcanic tuff and basalt soaring above the aptly named Crooked River. There’s a walk-in campsite and an extensive trail network, the 12.3-kilometre Summit Trail Loop, open to hikers and bikers, that winds along the river before climbing almost a thousand feet. For a closer look at climbers in action, take the 1.6kilometre-long trail up and over Misery Ridge. Keep an eye out for river otters at the bottom and golden eagles up high.