Steens Mountain Cooperative Management Area
Fields · HC 74 Box 12870, Hines, OR 97738
Location Details
Type
BLM Land
Setting
Exterior
Parking
Limited – remote gravel roads, seasonal access
Power
No
Permit
Required
Visual Character
“Oregon's high desert: Steens Mountain rises nearly 10,000 feet from the Alvord Desert. U-shaped glacial gorges, rimrock cliffs, and the stark white playa visible far below. Profound isolation.”
About this location
Steens Mountain in southeastern Oregon is one of the most geographically dramatic BLM landscapes in the Pacific Northwest. The mountain is a fault-block peak that rises nearly 10,000 feet above sea level — and nearly 5,000 feet above the Alvord Desert playa directly to the east. Glacially carved U-shaped gorges cut the eastern escarpment, while the western slope descends gradually through high desert sagebrush. The Alvord Desert itself is a cracked alkaline playa rivaling Black Rock Desert in visual minimalism. The Steens Mountain Loop Road, Oregon's highest, is accessible July through October and provides rim access to some of the most breathtaking gorge vistas in the country. Managed by BLM's Burns District. Commercial filming requires a Special Recreation Permit. This is genuinely remote — the nearest town is tiny Fields, Oregon. Ideal for productions seeking profound wilderness isolation.
Where you'll be
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