Internationally renowned for its challenging rock climbing, this spectacular set of multicolored cliffs framing the Crooked River Canyon is equally stirring for sightseers, especially during the early morning and pre-sunset hours. Miles of hiking trails weave along the river banks and to the top of Misery Ridge. Igneous spires with names like Morning Glory Wall and the Christian Brothers tower more than 550ft above the river. Millions of years ago lava flows caused the ancestral river to seek a new channel. Ensuing erosion exposed the interior of the vent and its "welded tuff"-volcanic ash expulsed under extreme heat and pressure.