banner image courtesy of Charlie Busa
Part of the beauty of Smith Rock State Park is its raptor presence.
Smith Rock State Park is home to a variety of raptor species, from Bald and Golden Eagles to Prairie and Peregrine Falcons, each starting their courtship and nesting at various times. We are usually fortunate to have a couple of new additions to each of the species most years thanks to climbers, slackliners, and hikers observing signage from park management staff.
We’ll keep you updated here and on our Facebook and Instagram pages as annual climbing and slackline area nesting closures are updated.
All the climbing closures for raptor nesting are lifted as of July 9, 2025, and all routes at Smith Rock are now reopened for climbing. The parkwide ban on drones will remain in effect through the end of July as young falcons are still in the area.
Bald eagle gathering nesting materials. Photo courtesy of Jack Wills.
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