Terrebonne, Oregon
From Rock Stars to Wine-Tasters and Pumpkin Patch Kids
Terrebonne means “good earth” in French and this little town twenty-four miles north of Bend lives up to its name. Autumn is a prime time to venture here and take in the beauty and promise of adventure. In fact, this one-square-mile area of Deschutes County draws visitors from around the globe.
The star of the show has long been Smith Rock State Park, with its towering, sunset-hued canyon walls and trails that beckon some of the world’s best climbers, but that is just the beginning.
Bucolic family farms welcome visitors year-round, though fall pumpkin patch celebrations are a highlight. Head to local wineries to sip the bounty of the grapes harvested in this Mediterranean-meets-desert climate. The Crooked River, which winds below the wind-carved spires of Smith Rock, is the place for year-round fly-fishing.
Indeed, this town’s name says it all, but it wasn’t always that way. In the early twentieth century, two railroad barons, James J. Hill of the Great Northern and Edward H. Harriman of the Union Pacific, were engaged in a battle to build a railway to Bend. At that time, the town was called Hillman, but the massive amount of money, time, energy, and human lives involved in this notorious mad rush to the finish did not sit well with the townspeople, so they voted to change the name to Terrebonne in 1911.
The area began to draw attention again starting in the 1980s when Alan Watts of Bend pioneered sport climbing at Smith Rock. One classic route, Chain Reaction, became the most photographed route in the ’80s and helped spread the love for sport climbing around the globe. In 1986, the route To Bolt or Not to Be became America’s first 5.14 route and remains one of the hardest routes to this day.
see
Smith Rock State Park: Misery Ridge Trail rises to a prime spot for catching nerves-of-steel climbers on Monkey Face, hundreds of feet above the valley floor.
Steelhead Falls: A twenty-foot plunge waterfall in a secluded section of the Middle Deschutes River.
play
DD Ranch and Central Oregon Pumpkin Co. at Smith Rock Ranch: Enjoy corn mazes, hay rides, a petting zoo and more.
Smith Rock Climbing School: Learn the basics of climbing, improve your skills, or do a guided climb.
Middle Deschutes and Crooked Rivers: Wet a fly in these revered, but less trafficked trout streams. Redmond-based Fin and Fire is a great source of local knowledge and gear.
Crescent Moon Alpaca Ranch and Boutique: Shop locally-made alpaca blankets and clothing and visit the farm for a tour of this Alpaca refuge.
taste
Faith Hope and Charity Vineyards and Maragas Winery: Sip big reds or crisp whites.
Terrebonne Depot: Savor dishes made with local ingredients in a century-old train depot with views of Smith Rock and the Cascade Range. Alternatively, order a picnic-basket lunch to go and take on your adventure.
