Climbing
We spent about a week climbing in Smith Rock State Park. It was awesome. A little “heady” for me since I hadn’t climbed vert in a while. But it was beautiful and challenging in a good way. I will definitely have to go back here now that I am fully finger injury free.
Camping
Skull Hollow Campground: Check the USDA Forest Service website for updated alerts and information regarding the campsite! The campground features 1 wooden picnic table and 1 fire ring/grill per campsite. There are approximately 28 first-come, first-served campsites available. There are 2 outhouses and no drinking water. There is also an on-site campground host.
As of 2018, the fees were $10 for individual sites (1 vehicle, 6 people) and $20 for double size sites (2 vehicles, 12 people). Additional vehicles are an extra $5. In addition there is a 14-day limit stay. If you are planning to stay with a large group of individuals I’d recommend staying at the Skull Hollow Campground. It is a little drive to Smith Rock, but cheaper for larger groups.
NOTE: Outside the Skull Hollow campground, dispersed camping is no longer permitted.
Smith Rock State Park Campground (The Bivy): Check the Smith Rock website for updated alerts and information regarding the campsite. Just like the Skull Hollow campground, space is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Per the website, overnight camping in vehicles, campers, and/or trailers is not allowed which is why we ended up staying at the Skull Hollow campground. When we went to visit our friends it seemed as though there were quite a few people sleeping in their vehicles so I’m not sure how strict they are about enforcing these rules.
The campground is pretty nice with hot water in the rest rooms. There is a 14-day limit stay. Fees for 2018 are $8/per person (prior to 2018 it was $5!), but includes the use of showers.
Water Fill: While visiting our friends at the Smith Rock campground, we did some cooking at the campground. They have a communal sink you can use to wash your dishes. The rest rooms also have hot water, which is a plus!
Showers: We were here for a week and ended up showering at a friend’s place. But if you are staying at the Smith Rock State Park Campground, showers are included with your fee. If you are not staying at the Bivy, you can shower for a $2 fee.
Food and Drinks
(1) Sparrow Bakery: Highly recommend and one of my favorite places for a bacon breakfast sandwich (bacon, poached egg, arugula on a homemade croissant). Also try their fresh baked goods like the Ocean Roll.
(2) Beer: There are so many places to visit for beer in Bend and outside of Bend. Some of our favorites are Boneyard Beer. They recently opened a taproom/pub with a wider range of hours so that should be much easier to visit compared to their old tasting room! Another favorite was Cruz Fermentation Project. The beer is good and they also serve food on-site which is a plus! There’s so many places, you can’t really go wrong.
(2) Wild Rose Northern Thai Eats: This place was recommended by one of our friends that lives in Bend. Let’s just say, we were not in Bend for very long and we went back to this place twice to eat. It’s really good and we also didn’t have very much Asian food while we were on the East Coast.
Rest Day Activities
(1) Bend Ale Trail: If you visit ten breweries and check in or get a stamp in your “passport”, you can redeem a free Silipint (made in Bend) from the Bend Visitor Center. Space yourself as you want to be able to climb the following day and get a designated driver!
(2) Take a rest weekend in Portland: From Smith Rock State Park, the drive to Portland can be done in under three hours. There are so many great places to eat in Portland, why not take a rest weekend and eat your heart out around the city. There are so many great places to eat within this city!
(3) Hike around Smith Rock State Park: Other than climbing, there also quite a few hiking trails to explore in the park.
(4) Feed the baby llamas: Do you like llamas? There is a llama farm near the state park where you can pet and feed the baby llamas. If that’s your thing, go to the store to purchase a bag of feed. 🙂
I really loved this city.
