Hike through the back door into Smith Rock State Park

This time of year I'm always on the lookout for an interesting, snow-free hike in the lower elevations. I found one.

I had planned to hike the Burma Road from Smith Rock State Park and loop around behind Smith Rock and come back on the river route. Instead, a buddy suggested that we come in from a trail that starts at the base of Gray Butte, about four miles to the east.

We dropped my truck at the State Park and took my friend's rig on a series of left turns that lead to the Skull Hollow BLM campground. There, we turned left into the campground and followed the road 1.1 miles up the valley. After crossing a cattle guard, we took an immediate left across another cattle guard for 1.5 more miles, where we passed between two stacked-stone fence posts.

A short distance beyond, we reached a saddle where the road forks in three directions. Take the leftmost fork and park near the trail signpost. I say signPOST, because the sign itself is gone. The trail, however, is obvious.

From this point, a pleasant trail runs nearly flat for almost four miles, all the way to the highest spot on the Burma Road overlooking Smith Rock. The trail is in very good shape and suitable for horses and bikes. Lupine, heather, and other wildflowers are already in bloom; and some interesting basalt flow formations can be seen along the way.

To continue around the back of Smith Rock, cross Burma Road and follow the trail along the ridge line of Staender Ridge. The late Vivian Staender was a Sisters resident, whose climbing party was the first to ascend Monkey Face in 1960. At this point, the steepness of the trail dictates that equestrians and bicyclists should return to Skull Hollow or descend to Smith Rock State Park via the Burma Road.

From February 1 to August 1, hikers continuing across Burma Road onto Staender Ridge should avoid spur trails leading left. These areas along the rim are closed because of nesting raptors on the rock cliffs below. Even without venturing into the closed areas, there are many spectacular views looking down on Smith Rock and the Crooked River.

Before long, the trail descends precipitously - nearly a thousand feet over the next mile and a half - and my quads began to get that "rubbery" feeling. Still, I was glad to be hiking down, rather than up the hill.

There is another trail that ascends sharply to the left; and that might be a hike for another time, perhaps in the fall when temperatures cool off again and the raptors are no longer nesting. This entire area will be very hot and dry in the heat of summer.

After bypassing the steep trail to the left, our route took a short switchback to the right and into a draw that leads down to the Crooked River. It's pretty hard to get lost in this area since the contour of the land naturally funnels you down toward the river, which you can hear.

The trail is easy to follow, but the final 50 yards to the river is crisscrossed by a multitude of informal trails that are not very good but get the job done. As to the best route to the river's edge, your guess is as good as mine.

Once down at the river, it was a welcome relief to walk on level ground again. We startled a family of geese along the riverside trail, and the little goslings had to fight their way through the tall grass to get to the water.

Last week, the river level was so high that a section of trail was submerged, and we had to scramble over a rockslide to bypass that short stretch. On the whole, though, the two-and-a-half-mile walk along the river to the bridge was a nice easy way to recalibrate our legs.

We didn't encounter anyone on the Gray Butte Trail, but there were hordes of outdoor enthusiasts in the park itself. It was a busy day for rock climbers, too; and we saw climbers atop Monkey Face who then made a harrowing Tyrolean traverse from the "mouth" cave horizontally to the "Diving Board" on the north rim of Misery Ridge.

The climb out of the canyon from the bridge to the parking lot is a steep one, of course; but that's part of the package. Our total distance covered was about eight miles.

Much of the same ground can also be covered by a roundtrip from the parking lot. A 6.5-mile loop can be hiked by crossing the bridge and hiking upstream to the Burma Road, then uphill on the road to the intersection with the Gray Butte Trail. This avoids the complicated car shuttle but also adds a steep climb and misses the solitude of the level Gray Butte route.

To reach Smith Rock State Park or the Skull Hollow Campground, turn onto Smith Rock Way at the flashing light in Terrebonne. Follow the signs to Smith Rock State Park. To reach Skull Hollow, stay on Smith Rock Way 4.8 miles until it intersects with the O'Neil Road (also NW Lone Pine Rd.); turn left there and continue 4.1 miles to Skull Hollow.