Posted by Scott Smorra on November 17, 2010 at 3:41 PM
I'm curious if anyone has any recommendations for good photo locations near the Alvord Desert/Steens Mountain in SE Oregon. I've never been to this area before and haven't been able to find much info online. Thanks in advance. -Scott
Posted by David Bostock on November 18, 2010 at 9:48 AM
Scott, I know a few folks have been out there before. It's still on my destination list...
Posted by Marcy Ugstad on November 18, 2010 at 10:52 AM
HI Scott
I used to live in the little town of "Fields" so know a little about this area.
Are you mainly interested in landscapes, wildlife, ghost towns/old buildings, wildflowers, or ?? If you haven't been there, you are in for a real treat. Best times to go are late spring/early summer and of course, my favorite, Fall.
Posted by Marcy Ugstad on November 18, 2010 at 10:56 AM
PS. Don't forget to bring your swim suit for the awesome "hot springs'' by the Alvord Ranch. Although on private property is open to the public. You just have to remember to close the gate behind you and to be courteous if others are there - there used to be a small sign with the "rules". It's small, has a 3-sided corrugated metal structure around it and opens out onto gorgeous views of the Alvord Desert. (very rustic but nice)
Posted by Greg Vaughn on November 18, 2010 at 12:41 PM
Guess I missed that rule about swimsuits.
Posted by Marcy Ugstad on November 18, 2010 at 3:15 PM
Haha! I guess I should say "swimsuits are optional". Just be aware that locals (and the Alvord Ranch folks) do drop by the hot springs for a soak, so ya never know if you might have company!
Posted by Scott Smorra on November 18, 2010 at 6:55 PM
Marcy - It's cool to hear you lived in Fields. I'm mostly interested in landscapes and the ghost towns certainly sound interesting. Thanks for any additional info you can provide. Definitely will be checking out the Alvord Hot Springs.
Posted by Marcy Ugstad on November 19, 2010 at 12:52 AM
Hi Scott - a good place to check with is Burns BLM, they have a lot of great info on the area. Are you planning to do any hiking/backpacking or pretty much sticking with the limited road system? By the way, if you are interested in birds, don't miss a stop at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge......Ok, well the main road up into the Steens is the "Steens Loop Rd" which is normally closed in the winter from around Nov 1 to around middle of June (depends on how hard a winter we had). You can call Burns BLM for road info. Usually parts of the road are open sooner than others - all weather dependent......Abundant wildflowers in July/Aug including gorgeous subalpine meadows located around Fish Lake, Jackman Park Campground, Big Indian Gorge and Little Blitzen Gorge......Lots of gorgeous Aspen in the Steens country, best spots are in the Fish Creek drainage, Lily Lake, Jackman Park Campground and around Fish Lake.....Make sure you check out the Kiger Gorge viewpoint, Wildhorse Lake Viewpoint and the East Rim viewpoint. Short trails from the parking area, however you can also hike down to Wildhorse Lake on a longer trail that I think is about 2.5 miles. This is a very picturesque lake and not visited too often.....Wildlife includes Bighorn Sheep, Mule Deer, Rocky Mountain Elk, Pronghorn Antelope, Wild Horses, Chukar, Sage Grouse, Coyotes, Hummingbirds (lots of them once wildflowers start blooming), Falcons, Hawks, Golden Eagles, and many more.
There are a lot of old buildings in the area around Burns - if you drive south down to Frenchglenn, the hotel is wonderful and has a lot of history. There is of course, the Pete French Round Barn at Diamond, too. There used to be a ghost town of "Blitzen" but not sure any of the buildings are still standing - I think I heard a bunch of them burned in a wildfire several years ago. Burns BLM would know for sure...If you continue on the highway south of Frenchglen (205) headed to Fields, you will come to a split in the road. To the left, you would go up the road toward Mann Lake, and the right heads to Denio. Take the road to the left and you will go to what's left of a town called "Andrews". Some nice old abandoned building around there.
If you are interested in getting onto some private land for photos, hiking, etc - you would want to contact the Ranch Manger (not sure who it is at the moment) for the "Roaring Springs Ranch", "Kuney Ranch", "Alvord Ranch" and "Wildhorse Ranch". We used to live at the Kuney Ranch which at that time was one of 3 ranches owned by a corporation. Incidently, the "Roaring Springs Ranch" was featured in several nature magazines including I think, National Geographic, because they have Canadian Geese that actually nest high up in the rocky cliffs! It's really weird. A few miles past the Roaring Springs is a road called "Skull Creek Rd" - it used to be open to the public, if it is, you can follow it up to where it dead ends at the Skull Creek Natural Reservoir. I've seen lots of wildlife and wildflowers in this area, and very few people know about it. I think there may be an old ranch house just north of the reservoir, but it's been a while since I've been there so not sure if it's still there......If you take the road from Fields north to Andrews, Alvord Desert and on to Mann Lake and Hwy 95, you will see some beautiful views of the Steens (this is the best view of them, much steeper cliff faces and drainages on the east side). Watch for squirrelly winds that come down out of nowhere through the canyons on this road. Many cars have been flipped over by them - including yours truly. Most of the locals have a name for them but it's not pc to post it on here. Ha! .....The Alvord Desert has some dunes in certain areas that make for some beautiful early morning and late afternoon shots. Most of the ranchers are very friendly and if you get a hold of them ahead of time, promise to close all gates, etc. you can often get access through their property to some areas others won't see.....One other thing, this area is rich in Native American history, so you might come across artifacts if you do much hiking, especially in caves or other outcroppings. Please be careful and if you do run across one you think may not have been reported, document it and give info to the Archaeologist at Burns BLM. Thanks!
Well, guess that will give you a few things to think about - you will love this area. Sunrises and sunsets can be amazing, and keep an eye out for nasty thunderstorms if you go in the summer! Have fun and be sure and post some photos of your trip!!
Posted by Scott Smorra on November 20, 2010 at 12:40 AM
Thanks for all of the excellent info Marcy. You have given me an excellent overview of the area...looks like lots to do. I appreciate you taking the time to provide this info. -scott
Posted by Greg Vaughn on November 20, 2010 at 10:26 AM
Marcy's got it covered pretty thoroughly. I really like Fish Lake and Jackman Park on Steens for aspens in autumn. As I recall, the color usually happens there around mid-September. And it often coincides with hunting season, so wear some blaze orange and use caution tramping around up there.
Oregon Field Guide did a show once about the road from Fields north along the east side of Steens up to Mann Lake, referring to it as Herp Alley - lots of snakes. One time when I was driving there at night there must have been hundreds of jack rabbits on the road, one of which appeared to launch himself at my van's headlight.
Posted by Marcy Ugstad on November 22, 2010 at 2:31 PM
If you do go up the east side out of Fields, there will be a ranch on the left side of the road with gorgeous views of the Steens. Sign at ranch entrance reads "Kuney Ranch" - we lived in the big 2 story ranch house. Loved it there - so darned quiet and peaceful. <sigh> I really miss living there.
Enjoy your trip!
Marcy
Posted by Rick Dunn on November 22, 2010 at 10:41 PM
Scott - adding to the excellent info provide so far, one of my favorite spots is the Borax Hot Springs. Here's a link to a post with more info on how to find them (pretty easy). There's an additional image on my home page.
Posted by Scott Smorra on November 29, 2010 at 11:40 PM
Thanks again to everyone who contributed to this thread. We just returned from our trip to SE Oregon. We spent most of our time on the east side of the Steens and spent 2 nights at Fields Station in Fields. What an amazing area...I can't wait to go back. I will be posting a few of the photos from the trip in the IC Gallery over the next few days.
Discussion
12 repliesI used to live in the little town of "Fields" so know a little about this area.
Are you mainly interested in landscapes, wildlife, ghost towns/old buildings, wildflowers, or ?? If you haven't been there, you are in for a real treat. Best times to go are late spring/early summer and of course, my favorite, Fall.
There are a lot of old buildings in the area around Burns - if you drive south down to Frenchglenn, the hotel is wonderful and has a lot of history. There is of course, the Pete French Round Barn at Diamond, too. There used to be a ghost town of "Blitzen" but not sure any of the buildings are still standing - I think I heard a bunch of them burned in a wildfire several years ago. Burns BLM would know for sure...If you continue on the highway south of Frenchglen (205) headed to Fields, you will come to a split in the road. To the left, you would go up the road toward Mann Lake, and the right heads to Denio. Take the road to the left and you will go to what's left of a town called "Andrews". Some nice old abandoned building around there.
If you are interested in getting onto some private land for photos, hiking, etc - you would want to contact the Ranch Manger (not sure who it is at the moment) for the "Roaring Springs Ranch", "Kuney Ranch", "Alvord Ranch" and "Wildhorse Ranch". We used to live at the Kuney Ranch which at that time was one of 3 ranches owned by a corporation. Incidently, the "Roaring Springs Ranch" was featured in several nature magazines including I think, National Geographic, because they have Canadian Geese that actually nest high up in the rocky cliffs! It's really weird. A few miles past the Roaring Springs is a road called "Skull Creek Rd" - it used to be open to the public, if it is, you can follow it up to where it dead ends at the Skull Creek Natural Reservoir. I've seen lots of wildlife and wildflowers in this area, and very few people know about it. I think there may be an old ranch house just north of the reservoir, but it's been a while since I've been there so not sure if it's still there......If you take the road from Fields north to Andrews, Alvord Desert and on to Mann Lake and Hwy 95, you will see some beautiful views of the Steens (this is the best view of them, much steeper cliff faces and drainages on the east side). Watch for squirrelly winds that come down out of nowhere through the canyons on this road. Many cars have been flipped over by them - including yours truly. Most of the locals have a name for them but it's not pc to post it on here. Ha! .....The Alvord Desert has some dunes in certain areas that make for some beautiful early morning and late afternoon shots. Most of the ranchers are very friendly and if you get a hold of them ahead of time, promise to close all gates, etc. you can often get access through their property to some areas others won't see.....One other thing, this area is rich in Native American history, so you might come across artifacts if you do much hiking, especially in caves or other outcroppings. Please be careful and if you do run across one you think may not have been reported, document it and give info to the Archaeologist at Burns BLM. Thanks!
Well, guess that will give you a few things to think about - you will love this area. Sunrises and sunsets can be amazing, and keep an eye out for nasty thunderstorms if you go in the summer! Have fun and be sure and post some photos of your trip!!
Oregon Field Guide did a show once about the road from Fields north along the east side of Steens up to Mann Lake, referring to it as Herp Alley - lots of snakes. One time when I was driving there at night there must have been hundreds of jack rabbits on the road, one of which appeared to launch himself at my van's headlight.
Enjoy your trip!
Marcy