Relax at Barnes Warm Springs

Steens Mountain makes you feel like you are on top of the world. At nearly 10,000ft in elevation and not being well known, the Steens will make you to feel like you’re in a truly remote place. It offers a great view of the sunset and if you stay at night will offer the one best stargazing in all of the U.S. as Steens Mountain claims the darkest skies in all of the lower 48 states. It takes abou...

Driving on the 205 you will turn onto the Steens Mountain Loop Road at the Frenchglen Hotel State Heritage Site, then continue to drive 27 miles up into the Steens Mountain Wilderness, following the main road until you see the turnoff towards the summit. (There is a collection of cell towers on top so it is easy to spot, as well as being marked by signs) There is a parking lot from which you ca...

From a parking area just below the summit of Steens Mountain, this 2.5-mile hike (1.25 each way) descends 1200 feet into a cirque at the head of Wildhorse Canyon to the shores of Wildhorse Lake. The stunning geography of Steens is on display the entire way, with views over the Alvord Desert at the trailhead and a sweeping vista down the canyon below the lake. The area surrounding the lake is pr...

Mann Lake can be found in the Steens Mountain Wilderness area. Camping is first come first serve but depending on the time of year it won't be crowded at all. I visited in the early fall and there was one other car.  I decided to camp next to the lake (>200 ft. away of course), which holds water all year long. Waking up to views of the Steens Mountain Range and the glass like water on the la...

 Starting at approximately 4300’,  Pike Creek trail is about 5.4 miles RT to Pike’s Knob, out and back, however the entire hike is stunning and there is no wrong place to turn back. The road for the Pike Creek Trail is a few miles north of the Alvord Hot Springs, on an unmarked, heavily rutted turn off.  Look for a dirt road with a cattle guard on the west side of the road, about 1.9 miles nort...

Alvord Hot Springs at the base of Steens Mountain deep in the heart of the eastern Oregon Wilderness is a hidden gem, known mostly to climbing enthusiasts and the ambitious adventurer willing to drive the nearly 4 hours from Boise, Bend, or 2.5 hours from the nearest town of any size, Winnemucca in Nevada. The final hour and change, regardless of direction, requires traversing the sporadically ...