Alvord Desert And The Steen Mountains, Oregon
Did you know there is a Desert in Oregon? Well neither did I for most of my life. While living in Lake Tahoe I had a 4 day weekend and none of my friends had the same days off. So classic me decided I would search within a 6 hour radius for the coolest place to camp.
This was my first big solo trip and I packed like a rookie and had the time of my life. Pulling up to this dry land on your right you see a huge desert bed with small dirt roads leading to the cracked desert floor and to your left are the huge Steen Mountains covered with horses and wild game. But before all this be sure to fill up on gas at “The Fields Station” where you can get groceries, gas, a hot meal and a good nights rest if needed, all at the same place. But be careful if you miss it! It’s the only gas within 30+ miles of the desert. So before you do your donuts on the Alvord Desert or try and go as fast as you can one side to the next, I’d suggest filling up. (I made this mistake and nearly ran out in the middle of nowhere.(im fine mom))
While you’re here you must take the drive up on top of the Steen mountains for stunning scenery filled with deep glacier carved gorges. Any car can make the 52 mile drive above the desert on the mountain top. This drive is home to abundant wildlife including bighorn sheep, pronghorn antelope, elk and a huge population of wild horses. These herds of horses are managed by the Bureau of Land Management and are thought to be decedents of mustangs that escaped from the original explorers, settlers, miners and ranchers in the Wild West
The flat mountain top drive of the beautiful Steen Mountains.
In my opinion the best time to visit is July-October this will make sure the snow is gone from the mountain tops and that the desert isnt absolutely freezing at night time. The steen mountain drive takes 3-5 hours and is full of short hikes and beautiful pull offs.
Coming down off your day on the mountain tops to the desert floor
The first night I had my whole campsite set up in the middle of the flats and I saw a dark brown red dust storm form at the edge of the desert flats. Knowing very well it was a dirt/sand storm coming my way I quickly loaded all of my gear into the jeep and sat and waited the storm out from inside the jeep. It went from day time to dark red wind and dirt everywhere you tried to look. The storm was so bad that in every corner of the car it was pouring dust inside, at one point I covered my face because I was stuck breathing in the sand.
And with that I turned my tent camping on the desert into car camping for the weekend. My tips and tricks for this post is to bring along a tapestry where ever you camp. Great for picnics, bathrooms and changing rooms!
With all the excitement ending the weekend waking up to the most peaceful sunrise you could ever imagine. I will never forget this trip. And I hope one day you get to enjoy the dry south east corner of Oregon just as much as me.
