Fort Rock State Natural Area

Fort Rock, Southern Oregon
Fort Rock, Oregon
(800) 551-6949
Fort Rock State Natural AreaWebsite

Like a desert mirage, this National Natural Landmark rises huge out of the barren, immense flatness of Oregon’s high desert. 

An enormous near-circle of towering jagged rock walls make it seem like a fort. Hike around and you’ll soon realize it’s even bigger than it looks! It’s an old tuff ring set in what was a shallow sea in prehistoric times. As you walk around inside, imagine the early American Indians who canoed to and from what was then an island. Sandals found in a nearby cave are the oldest ever discovered, dating back around 9,000-13,000 years Visit the Fort Rock Cave web page tour information.

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating: 4.5/5 TripAdvisor Traveler Rating based on 36 reviews

TripAdvisor

  • TripAdvisor Rating
    August 21, 2022
    Ludek S

    Interesting place

    We stopped there on our way accross Oregon. In Fort Rock village there is nice Homestad Village Museum with old buildings. Rock formation itself is very interesting. Such a great rock at the begining of vaste valley. You could see falcons and owls if you were lucky. Nice place

  • TripAdvisor Rating
    April 10, 2022
    mommysunshine

    Great family road trip stop

    Great road trip stop. This is our favorite kind of place to stop on raodtrips. Get some education, see something new, stretch our legs. We threw some lunch in a backpack and headed into the volcano. Easy hiking trails into massive volcanic rock formations. In early april it was a bit chilly and windy. We were glad to find this stop

  • TripAdvisor Rating
    February 2, 2020
    WeAlwaysWAnder

    Where did this come from?

    I am the travel planner in our family and there is a joke that I take us to every weird sight to see.... yes there have been some weird things that I have drove us out of the way to see, but most of the time it is amazing wonders like this one. Out of the flat barren land rises this mammoth rock.... and we climbed it. Even if you do not want to walk up and around it, it is worth a look to just drive her and witness the crazy big rock in the middle of nowhere. And I do mean in the middle of nowhere!

  • TripAdvisor Rating
    September 24, 2019
    DoloresJacoby

    Visit From Washington

    In traveling down the coast we found it interesting to travel up I-5 to experience Mount Shasta and more. We could see Fort Rock and it’s amazing geological formation from great distance! It’s worth getting off the highway to take a closer look.

  • TripAdvisor Rating
    August 4, 2019
    tomcollinstravels

    very cool history!

    I enjoyed a morning at Fort Rock State Natural area. I got there early because summer in the desert can be brutal! I recommend going in the morning or later in the evening to avoid the heat. There is a nice rest area with bathrooms, picnic tables and plaques about the history of the area. I enjoyed reading these and learning about how the formation came to exist. There is a network of trails around the base of the formation and criss crossing through the middle. I wish there was some sort of sign or brochure to tell you what the options are for walking in the area, but I wound up just walking around the entire inner base of the formation via the main trail that is an easy stroll from the parking area. Travel to the parking area is all on paved roads. Dogs are allowed as long as they are leashed and there is a camp host available on premise should you need assistance.

Hide Ratings & Reviews Read all reviews on TripAdvisor