Alvord Desert

Oregon

By Yes Mom I'm Alive

OREGON DESERT

For months Jeff and I have been planning to visit the Alvord Desert - a 12-mile lake bed desert under the Steens Mountain in southeastern Oregon - for a long weekend of hiking, star-gazing and exploring.

Those are the kind of plans that tend to attract other people, so by the time Labor Day weekend came around, our group had expanded from just the two of us to six adults crammed into an SUV with a dog named Jake.

MORNING ON THE PLAYA

FIELDS STATION

After taking our sweet, sweet time packing up camp, we headed to the very tiny town of Fields, Oregon. We stopped for an early lunch at Fields Station, home of the best milkshakes.

No seriously - the best milkshakes.

STEENS MOUNTAINS

After refueling, we piled back into the SUV to begin our drive of the Steens Mountain Loop, a 60-mile route up and around the mountain. The loop is the highest road in Oregon, reaching almost 10,000 feet near the summit of Steens. Along the route we stopped at several viewpoints overlooking the four glacier-carved gorges and the Alvord Desert.

WILD HORSE LAKE

We reached the Steens summit in the late afternoon, where the trail down to Wild Horse Lake begins. It's a nice hike down 1200' to the serene lake, but as they always say in reverse: What goes down, must go up!

ADVICE

Getting There

You can get to the Steens wilderness and Alvord Desert from Portland by cutting diagonally across the state towards Burns, Oregon. It is a 6-hour drive to Frenchglen, the small town on the edge of where the Steens wilderness begins. From Frenchglen, it's another hour (72 miles) to the Alvord Desert (directions). From Boise, it's 4 hours to the Alvord Desert, 5 hours to Frenchglen.

Camping

I recommend camping on the desert playa for at least one night. It's free and primitive (so as always, please mind the leave no trace principles). Set up camp on the outer edges near the hot springs - do not camp in the middle of the playa. People like to drive wild on the playa and may not see your camp until its too late!

There is no protection from the wind on the playa. Being a desert and all, it can get very cold at night - bring cold-weather gear!

The Steens wilderness has a few developed campgrounds. We stayed at the Page Springs campground ($8/vehicle) because there was snow at the campsites at higher elevations. The campground had running water, bathrooms, picnic tables and a fire ring.

Not into camping? You can stay at the rustic Frenchglen Hotel, a motel attached to Fields Station, or in a refurbished "MASH unit" at the Alvord Hot Springs. Reservations are recommended.

Recommended Hikes

Wildhorse Lake Trail (2.5 miles roundtrip, 1200' elevation gain). You can park just under the summit of Steens - you'll be able to see the trailhead from the parking lot. Follow the nicely sloped trail down to the lake. If you'd like, you can camp near the lake in one of two primitive campsites.

Big Indian Gorge Trail (17 miles roundtrip, 2000' elevation gain). If you have more time than a few days, you might want to do this overnighter. We did not do this hike but when Jeff and I come back to the Steens area again, we will give this monster hike a try.

activities

Soak in a hot springs. The main hot springs in the area is the privately-owned Alvord Hot Springs, on the western side of the playa. You can get a 24-hour pass to the hot springs for $5 (bring cash). I recommend coming at night and star-gazing from the first pool - the hot springs are open until 10 pm.

There is a free hot springs a bit further from the playa: Willow Hot Springs, located 35 miles southeast of Fields, is free to use but takes some good navigational skills to find. The GPS coordinates are: 42.275 x 118.265.

Find the wild mustangs. We were not so lucky (after an hour of driving all we saw was one lonely brown cow) but maybe you'll be able to find the infamous Kiger mustang herd! Here is some helpful information from the BLM about where and how to spot them.

Drive the Steens Mountain Loop. It's a maintained gravel road with stunning views of the Steens wilderness. Stop off at the Kiger Gorge and East Rim vistas overlooking a deep gorge and the playa, respectively. You can do most of the loop in a sedan; in the steeper areas near South Steens campground, four-wheel drive or high clearance is recommended. Reserve at least 3-5 hours to complete the loop before dark.

Star-gazing. Star-gazing is phenomenal from the playa; the little noise pollution means during the new moon phase you can get some pretty incredible views of the night sky.

Drive on the playa. Taking modest precautions to not be an idiot, driving on the playa without any road markers or speed limits is a thrill! Be careful to not make fast turns and be vigilante about other vehicles doing the same thing on the playa.

Diamond Craters. On our way south from Burns, we stopped at the Diamond Craters, a 27-square mile basaltic volcanic field with basaltic lava flows, cinder cones and a giant gaping crater you can walk around and into. There is an information board at the small parking lot where you can learn about the geological history of the area.

Gas

There are gas stations in Burns and a small pump in Fields. That's about it, so be sure to fill up whenever you pass through these towns. If you plan to drive around the northside of the Steens Mountain wilderness, you might want to bring a jerry can with you, just in case.

Food and Water

Plan to bring food or get supplies in Burns. There are at least two full-size grocery stores in Burns. But save at least one meal for Fields Station - trust me, you'll want to have one of their 20+ flavors of homemade thick milkshakes. (I recommend the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup).

Water sources are limited in the area. Bring enough water to last your entire trip, and do not drink from untested water sources. We were able to re-fill our water jugs at Fields Station for free.

Safety

The area is pretty rural and isolated, but on most weekends other people will be around. In a pinch, the Alvord Hot Springs front office is staffed until 10 pm if you need help contacting emergency resources.