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Steens Mountain

Nearly 10,000 feet tall and out in the middle of nowhere, Steens Mountain provides some of the most spectacular high desert scenery to be found in Oregon or anywhere. A fault-block mountain that's gradually sloped on the west and has sheer cliffs on the east, it runs generally north and south just to the southeast of Frenchglen and Page Springs Campground.

In summer, take the gravel road that the Bureau of Land Management built right to the top. It's passable in passenger cars, though it can be very rough on the southern end, so many people turn around at the top and head north back to Page Springs.

At the top you look down to the east on the Alvord Desert, a place so empty it's downright spooky. South of the Alvord check out Borax Lake for its odd lonely beauty.

all text and images © 2005-06 by Bob Keefer
no reproduction allowed in any form without written permission