Smith Rock State Park, State park in central Oregon, United States.
Smith Rock State Park is a protected area in Deschutes County, Oregon, with volcanic rock formations rising above the Crooked River. The tuff rock walls offer routes of varying difficulty, while the river flows through a canyon in the high desert of the region.
The State of Oregon acquired the park land between 1960 and 1975, through transfers from the City of Redmond and purchases from Harry and Diane Kem; a German-language source gives 1959 as the founding year. In 1983 Alan Watts introduced sport climbing ethics here, and roughly 500 new routes were added between 1992 and 2009.
The park helped develop techniques that spread worldwide and shaped modern sport climbing. Hikers today follow trails along the river, from where they can watch climbers on the walls.
Trails lead from the parking area down to the river and then along the rock walls, with the descent potentially rocky. Summer brings high temperatures, making early mornings or late afternoons better for visiting.
The park has served as a film set more than once, including for the Western "McLintock!" with John Wayne and for "The Postman", directed by and starring Kevin Costner. The climbing area known as the Christian Brothers is a group of rock spires between Asterisk Pass and The Dihedrals, with routes such as Wartley's Revenge and Revelations.
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