Project on hold | Smith Rock State Park

Smith Rock State Park current day-use parking area.

About Smith Rock State Park

Smith Rock is considered one of the seven wonders of Oregon and its popularity has skyrocketed among local, national and international visitors. Located in the High Desert north of Bend near Terrebonne, the formation is a premier rock climbing destination. Visitors of various climbing skill levels can explore more than 1,500 bolted routes.The park also has many miles of trails for mountain biking, hiking and admiring the views.

Project on hold

This GO Bond project has been put on hold until additional funding becomes available. Oregon State Parks is focusing on projects that will extend the life of existing facilities rather than adding new facilities due to budget constraints. OPRD will allocate the remaining GO Bonds to its maintenance backlog.

Build a new welcome center and restroom to meet current and future visitor needs.

The current welcome center yurt is small, does not adequately serve visitors, and is not suited for long-term use.

Improve parking and traffic flow.

Improve the main day-use parking lots to more efficiently use the space and provide more visitor amenities.

Improve some trails.

Develop more accessible trails and improve visitor flow to benefit hikers of all ages, abilities, and experience levels.

Short-term visitor impact

There is no impact on visitors while the project is on hold.

Milestones

Final Master Plan adopted
Programming complete
Schematic design complete

Next Steps

The following steps will resume when the project is no longer on hold.

Geotechnical and Septic Investigations
Design development of the welcome center
Land use planning
Environmental agency coordination and permitting
Final design
Bidding
Construction

The current general obligation bond estimate is $4-$6 million. OPRD was recently awarded a Land and Water Conservation Grant to help fund the construction of this project. With the project on hold, these funds will be reallocated.

Watch information update meeting, 10/22/2024.

Last updated Nov. 2025. Additional updates as information becomes available.

General Obligation Bonds Overview

The 2021 Oregon Legislature passed SB 5506 that approved general obligation bonds to revitalize parks and campgrounds. The Oregon State Parks and Recreation Commission approved a preliminary list of projects in November 2021. This list was revised in November 2025.

The project at Smith Rock State Park was one of the projects approved to receive funds from bond sales.

Contact

Tracy Johnson
Senior Project Manager
(971)283-6805

Resources

Smith Rock State Park visitor page

Oregon State Parks and Recreation Commission approves initial park facility improvement project list to be funded by general obligation bonds (November 2021 news release)