Alvord Desert in SE Oregon

[hugemoth]

I want to suggest the Alvord desert as a unique place to get away from it all. About 6 miles by 12 miles of flat hard playa to camp on so never any shortage of room. BLM land, no fees. Drinking water spring. Hot springs. 9700' Steen's mountain. There is now an outhouse and garbage cans at Frog Spring, the drinking water spring. There is about 10 miles of gravel to get here but its a good road. Closest services are at Fields which is gas and a cafe (20 miles) so bring everything you'll need. Good place for those 3 wheel sailing rigs, bike riding, motorcycles, quads. Very scenic and remote.

 

[MrNoodly]

<a href="https://ibb.co/SrT2C7Q"><img src="https://i.ibb.co/74cHmNg/ad1fb.jpg" alt="ad1fb" border="0" /></a>

I was there a couple of years ago. It's like Bonneville Salt Flats with less salt, or Black Rock Desert without Burning Man. It's also a popular place for land sailing, so be aware it can be windy.

 

[MrNoodly]

Here's a view of the Alvord Desert from atop Steens Mountain. (You can drive to the summit on a well-maintained gravel road.)

<a href="https://ibb.co/mRKtQfK"><img src="https://i.ibb.co/rQhMnDh/st2fb.jpg" alt="st2fb" border="0" /></a>

 

[cyndi]

Is Alvord desert and alford desert the same place?

the listing and reviews from freecampsites.net
https://freecampsites.net/#!64693&query=sitedetails

There's more free camping in the area
https://freecampsites.net/#!Alvord+Desert,+Oregon,+United+States

 

[highdesertranger]

dang, there goes another spot. BTW the café in Fields has excellent malts, known far and wide.

Free campsites spelled it wrong. the correct spelling is Alvord. unless this is like Mohave/Mojave. LOL

highdesertranger

 

[B and C]

Edit to add: HDR beat me to it.  I was off researching while he posted.

It looks like "Anonymous" could not spell to me.  Anonymous is the person that submitted the site so the mod didn't change it either.

 

[hugemoth]

The Alvord is one place that is never going to be crowded but things are changing. The hot springs owned by the Alvord Ranch is now charging fees. The road to the abandoned orchard is now marked with a no trespassing sign. The Nature Concervency ( I think, or something similar) has bought the land around the hot pools near Borax lake and fenced them off. Whitehorse Hot Springs has outhouses and picnic tables. 

We've been going there at least once a year for 35 years. Used to hold our ultralight fly-ins there.

I checked with the BLM ranger and ATVs are allowed on Steen's Mtn Loop Rd. Great scenic drive that I wouldn't take my camper over.

 

[MrNoodly]

Steen's Mtn Loop Rd. Great scenic drive that I wouldn't take my camper over.

The southern part of the loop is nasty, but the northern part, from Frenchglen, is easy cruising.

 

[bullfrog]

I have found some places that were really popular thirty or fourty years have gotten really bad after twenty or so years of over use and now few people go there. I hear continiously about how run down the facilities are and how bad the roads have gotten from people with their 40' motorhomes saying they will never come back and I think to myself finally and wave. I only wave at people leaving! There were thousands of Native Americans here 1200 years ago and they left. Maybe we will be boondocking in Detroit someday!

 

[Seminole Wind]

I want to suggest the Alvord desert as a unique place to get away from it all. About 6 miles by 12 miles of flat hard playa to camp on so never any shortage of room. BLM land, no fees. Drinking water spring. Hot springs. 9700' Steen's mountain. There is now an outhouse and garbage cans at Frog Spring, the drinking water spring. There is about 10 miles of gravel to get here but its a good road. Closest services are at Fields which is gas and a cafe (20 miles) so bring everything you'll need. Good place for those 3 wheel sailing rigs, bike riding, motorcycles, quads. Very scenic and remote.

nice, thanks for sharing. might have to check that one out

 

[hugemoth]

Be very careful of water on the playa. You may go to sleep out on the dry playa and wake up in a huge 2" deep lake because the wind moves the water around. If that happens, do not try to drive, instead wait until the water goes away, it usually doesn't take long.

You can find all kinds of stuff amongst the bushes on the east side of the playa since the wind tends to blow west to east. We've found coolers, gas cans, sleeping pads, tents (with no people in them).