Steens Mountains: Everything You Need to Know Before Visiting

Did you know that Eastern Oregon has a mountain range that combines Hawaiian-like canyons, mountain peaks, a desert oasis and alpine lakes all in one spot? Well, The Steens Mountains has it all and is well worth the long, monotonous drive to see it. One of the things I love about this area is how secluded you can feel despite others being around you. Because of how far out it is, it’s also not very busy, which I love! So if beautiful scenery and quiet trails is what you’re after, this is the place to go.

Things to Know About The Steens Mountains

• There is very limited cell service, if any in this area. Do not rely on having cell service or working maps while you’re there. Go prepared with a paper map or pre downloaded maps of the area and trails you want to see. Know the roads you want to drive and have directions pulled up because you may not have them available when you leave.

• There are rattlesnakes here, so wear proper shoes, know what to do if you come across a snake or get bit and never put your hands and feet someplace you cannot see. There are also other snake species in the area and because many trails have low brush, don’t be surprised if one quickly slithers away from you on trail as it’s startled by your walking. I’ve had this happened to me and it definitely wakes you up quickly.

• Not only are the Steens Mountains home to mountain lion, bighorn sheep and elk, among other animals, but it’s also home to wild horses. If you’re lucky you may spot some. I have yet to see anything besides a coyote out there, but I’m hopeful someday I’ll spot a while horse!

• You can learn more about the area through the BLM pamphlet here.

• Steens Mountain has stunning fields of wildflowers in the spring and summer. It is also home to the Steens Mountain Paintbrush, which doesn’t exist anywhere else in the world! Do not pick wildflowers, it is illegal and finable. Never walk through wildflower fields and stay on trail to prevent damage to the wildflower fields. There is no water supply out here so you need to plan to bring a minimum of a gallon a day per person for drinking as well as water you may want for cooking and cleaning.

• There is very little cover so finding shade will be difficult. In warm summer months you can get dehydrated easily in the extreme desert heat. There are only two gas stations in the area so go prepared with a full tank and carry extra gas if you plan to drive around a lot. There is one south of Alvord Desert 20+ miles and one in French Glen, a small town at the entrance to the Steens Mountain Wilderness.

Steens Mountains Location

The Steens Mountains are located in southeast Oregon, near the border of California and Idaho. It is an hour south of Burns, the largest small town nearby. It is all paved highway and roads until you enter the wilderness area where it turns to loose gravel/washboard roads. If you’re heading to Alvord on the east side, it is paved until you turn onto Folly Farm Road, where it is open cattle fields and a gravel washboard road. If you’re driving at night, be cautious of your speed because there could be cows on the roads.

Best Time of Year to Visit The Steens Mountains

The best time to visit the Steens Mountains is Spring through the Fall. Spring may still have snowfall in the Steens depending on the snowfall levels that year. You’ll also begin to see wildflowers appearing in the meadows. In the summer months you will experience the unforgiving desert, but the snow will be gone and early summer wildflowers will be out. In the fall you will experience milder temperatures, but most wildflowers will be gone.

Camping in the Steens Mountains

There are 5 developed Campgrounds around throughout the Steens Mountains and one at Alvord Desert. These campgrounds are all first-come, first-serve and require a small fee you can pay on site. Many of the sites are small and would not be ideal for trailers, only cars or tents. Here is a list of the available campgrounds:

• Jackman Park Campground
• Fish Lake Campground
• South Steens Campground
• Blitzen Crossing Campground
• Page Springs Recreation Site
• Alvord Hot Springs & Bath House

There is also free camping around Pate Lake, which is privately owned land that allows people to use it. The entire desert floor of Alvord is a free-for-all for camping, which I would highly recommend doing over the campground near by.

What to Do in the Steens Mountains

There are so many things you can do in this area from staying and working on a cattle ranch to exploring the area on horseback. If you have time to explore from more than day or two be sure to look up what local ranches and activities there are to try something other than hiking. Below I’ll be sharing hiking trail sand viewpoints for the area, but don’t be afraid to try something else if you can!

Steens Mountain Summit

Although this is a short hike and rated as easy, don’t let it fool you. Unless you are accustomed to higher elevation normally, you will feel this one in your lungs. It is a decent ascent up the gated road to the summit of Steens Mountain, which sits at 9,738 feet. Because you drive nearly to the summit rather than hiker, like most summit hikes, your body doesn’t really get to acclimated when you begin hiking at the higher elevation, so you will definitely feel your lungs working hard. Take your time and rest whenever you need to.

When you reach the summit there are multiple buildings and towers, which honestly are an eyesore for a summit view, but you can walk around them to enjoy sweeping views of Alvord desert below and Wildhorse Lake. The views up here are just breathtaking and I could easily spend all day just taking them in.

Wildhorse Lake

This is the lake that first drew me to the area. It looks like it belongs in another country all together, but it’s in Eastern Oregon! You can enjoy views of the lake from above on the Steens Mountain Trail or you could walk out along the trail to the rim’s edge if you do not want to go down to the lake itself.

Once you drop down from the rim, multiple small switchbacks through a rocky terrain before it pops you out into the beautiful meadows below. The meadows surrounding the lake are an alpine dream. They are covered in various wildflowers, including the Steens Mountain Paintbrush. You’ll get to walk through the lush meadows for a while before reaching the lake’s edge.

You can backpack to the lake and camp along its shoreline, but there are only a few areas with room for tents. If you choose to camp at the lake, remember to always practice leave no trace. This means never camping or walking in the flower fields. Always put your tent in an existing campsite to reduce your footprint. To learn more about backpacking, check out my “Backpacking for Beginners” guide.

From the lake’s edge you can walk and explore the lake on all sides. At the south side there is a stream where water exits the lake and begins to trickle down the canyon below. As you explore the lake’s edge, remember to always stay on trail and never pick wildflowers. This area is a very fragile mountain terrain and visitors need to respect the vegetation trying to grow by not walking on it.

Although this hike is on the shorter side, just like the summit trail, you are suddenly hiking at a very high elevation without being able to acclimate properly so it will be a lung workout. It is a leg burner as well. Take your time and make sure you have plenty of water to stay hydrated. This trail has absolutely no shade. If you are hiking in the summer months, be sure to go early and wear proper protection from the sun.

Wet Blanket Trail

The Wet Blanket Trail is a relatively easy trail to follow, but not well maintained and very steep. I chose to hike this trail because it cuts hikers into the Little Blitzen Gorge, without having to do a 19 mile hike up the canyon. It connects to the Little Blitzen Gorge Trail along the creek bed, but at the last two miles of the hike. So although it’s not as well maintained and very steep at times, it was worth it to experience the beauty of the canyon without the long distance to get there.

The trailhead is located on the side of Steens Mountain Loop Road. There is a small pull out large enough to hold 3-5 cars. The trail isn’t marked with any signage other than a small paper stating the last year it was maintained. The trail begins through fully exposed desert terrain to the edge of the canyon rim. Once you reach the rim you will begin the descent into the canyon, with a beautiful creek to the left. The creek is beautiful because it provides some lush landscape against the dry desert, but also has multiple cascading waterfalls along the way.

Once you reach the canyon floor, you’ll hit the junction with the Little Blitzen Trail. From there it is another 2 miles each way to the end of the trail if you wish to reach the end of the canyon. The Little Blitzen River runs through here to the right of the trail. There are multiple spots you can hop off to enjoy the shade of the trees, sit for a snack or filter some water. This is a great spot to filter water. Be sure to pack a water filter with you, especially since it’s crucial to stay well hydrated in the desert.

I had planned to hike all the way up the canyon, but there was a lot of forest fire smoke blowing in that day combined with the heat, we just walked a ways and found a waterfall to enjoy lunch by. When you’re ready to head back, pay attention to the trail because it is easy to walk past the Wet Blanket Trail. Be sure to have a mental note of landmarks so you know what to look out for. There was a section of trees just after so I knew to look out for those same trees.

Kiger Gorge Overlook

Out of the two viewpoints near the summit, this one is definitely my favorite one. It is a short walk out to the rim, where you can sit and enjoy the stunning canyon below. I love it so much because it reminds me a lot of Hawaii with it’s bright green tones and rocky cliff edges. All the canyons here have the same feel, but this is the only one you can walk to the rim of because the rest don’t have viewpoints, although they are visible from the road. Be sure to stop here since it’s a short and easy walk for amazing views.

Rim Viewpoint

The Rim Viewpoint is a drive up viewpoint, but you can chose to walk around the rim if you wish to explore more. The rim view is very similar to the summit view in that you can see Alvord Desert below. If you’re lucky you’ll be able to see planes and various aircraft flying above the desert. One time I saw fighter jets training over it! It gives you a good perspective of how large the dry lakebed truly is.

Pike Creek Canyon Trail

This is the only hiking trail into the canyons of the Steens Mountains on the Alvord side. All the other trails are located on the west side of the mountain range. I hiked this trail in the spring and it was so beautiful with all the wildflowers in bloom.

Pike Creek Canyon Trail is easy to follow. It doesn’t have much foot traffic so the plants do hang over the trail. Consider wearing long pants to protect your legs from being scratched by all the bushes you will have to maneuver through. You’ll also want to be aware of your surrounding. A lot of the time you cannot see the trail under the brush, and at one point a snake was startled and slithered quickly in front of us.

The trail is a constant uphill climb, but never feels difficult because it’s relatively gradual the entire way.The trail starts out on the left side of the canyon for .8 miles before it reaches the Pike Creek. It was dry in May when I went. At the creekbed it crosses to the right side of the canyon and continues up the canyon. I absolutely love this trail because of the towering rock walls that surround it as well as the beautiful yellow wildflowers lining the trail. I only saw a few people all day so it was a peaceful hike, minus always being on the lookout of slithering snakes!

Alvord Desert

Alvord Desert is a 12×7 mile dry lake bed that averages just 7 inches of rain a year. It is known for being a dark spot for stargazing, an open sky for flying (you may even spot fighter jets training) and hot spot for van and trailer camping. You can drive onto the dry lake bed, but be careful if the ground is wet because you could get stuck.

There are multiple ways to get onto the desert floor. The first is to pay a $10 fee at the Avold Bath House & Campground to use their access road. This is the best option for trailers or large motorhomes because it’s flat. Farther south the are multiple entry points, but they do have large ruts and potholes to navigate. I’ve done it in a sprinter van and a Rav4 just fine. The best route is through the Frog Springs Access point, which has garbage cans and a vaulted toilet.

There are no bathrooms or running water on the dry lakebed. Pack out all trash and carry plenty of water for cooking, drinking and cleaning. Alvord isn’t near any gas stations or stores either so you need to go with a full tank of gas or have extra fuel in hand.

People visit Alvord to fly personal aircrafts, motor bike and mountain bike and explore the hot springs. There is a hot spring you can pay to use at the campground. North of the dry lake bed are a few more you can venture to if you have a proper off-roading vehicle. You can camp anywhere you want on the lakebed. Be sure to stick to the edges because people will drive and fly throughout the center. It’s kind to leave it open for those activities. If you go to the far east side, there are these mounts all over and people will drive into them a ways to camp with a little more privacy. Just be sure to never park on soft sand or areas where its damp so you don’t get stuck.

If you choose to camp on or around Alvord Desert, be sure to sit outside at night and take in the starry sky. It’s one of the best places in the world to see the Milky Way.

Campfires are not allowed out on the lake bed and be sure to pack out all trash. Be sure to pack plenty of wag bags since you can’t dig cat holes on the lake bed and underneath is a fragilewater aquifer.

What to Bring Hiking in the Steens Mountains

Water, water, water! It’s so important to have an appropriate amount if water. Because there are no great water sources in this area and it’s miles from any stores, you need to be sure to pack multiple gallons of water depending on how long you’re going to be out there and what you have planned. You should consume a liter for every 2 hours of hiking or a gallon a day if it’s hot. A small water bottle or a shared water supply will not be enough. If you have one, bring a water filter to resupply if you’re hiking on a trail what has running water.

If you’re planning to camp in the area, which you should because it is such a long drive for just a day trip, you can check out my blog post on camping gear here. You’ll want to bring adequate supplies for food and water because there will not be a store nearby to resupply. Bring plenty of garbage bags to make sure you can haul out all your trash.

Wear proper shoes when you’re hiking in the desert. It may be hot so hiking sandals may seem like a great option, but remember the snakes hiking under the bushes I’ve talked about? Having open-toed shoes puts you at risk on getting bit. Always wear closed-toed shoes. Hiking boots or trail runners are the best from tracking on steep incline trails.

To learn more about what I hike with go here to see my must-have gear, trail clothes and more!

Reminders

• There is little to no cell service throughout this area. Be sure to have maps downloaded and directions for roads you plan to drive saved prior to starting your trip. Always tell someone where you plan to be and for how long, especially if you’re out of cell service,

• Be respectful to wildlife and give them plenty of space if you see them. Never approach wild animals or feed them. Know what to do if you encounter a rattlesnake or get bit.

• Be sure do have a full tank of gas and pack extra gas. There are only two gas stations in the area and both are a bit of a drive if you have to fill up again.

• Always practice leave no trace on trail! This means limiting your impact by remaining on trail and out of the wildflower fields. NEVER PICK WILDFLOWERS. Pack out all you garbage and if you have to go to the bathroom, dig a cat hole for all waste and pack out your toilet paper.

• Alvord Desert has hot springs you can explore and soak in. There is one located at the Alvord Desert Campground, that you will have to pay a fee for. There are a few others in the area you can adventure to that are free. Be sure to explore google maps for them prior to going so you can pin them for later.

If you’re able to spend a long weekend out here, you can easily check off most of these trails and spend a night or two in Alvord. If you’re limited on time, pick what is most important to see and try and plan a trip back! That’s what I’ve done because it is a long drive. I’ve been able to visit here twice and would love to go yet again. It’s such a special place in Oregon and I’m sure you’ll fall in love with it as much as I have!

If you want to explore more of Eastern Oregon, check out my “Eagle Cap Wilderness” guide for one of my absolute favorite mountain ranges in Oregon. You can also learn more about summiting Strawberry Mountain in my “Strawberry Mountain Wilderness” guide.

Like it? Pin it!

*all mileage and elevation are estimates from personal data and information found online.

*Many links are commissionable links. When you purchase through one of my links you help keep this site running, so thank you!