Trip Report: Steens Mountains
When: 09/01/2017
Location: Steens Mountains
Conditions: Lower 80's daytime. Mid 50's at night. Sun, sun, and more sun.
Duration: 4 days/3 nights
Difficulty:
Car camping and road side viewpoints - easy.
Hiking - challenging (steep slopes, loose rock, high elevation, quick elevation gain/loss)
Kid Friendly: Yes
Pet Friendly: Yes
Usefull links:
www.blm.gov
www.outdoorproject.com
The Full Report:
A few of my friends and I decided to head to the Steens Mountains for Labor Day 2017. We chose Fish Lake campground as home base and, despite what you might read on the internet, the campground does have water. Regardless, it's always wise to be prepared by bringing plenty of your own. Bring a canopy! Even though the campground has plenty of Aspens and Willows its nice having shade over the picnic table during the midday sunshine. This is what I like to call a combo trip. Low key car camping with fun day adventures sprinkled in.
Our first small adventure was sunrise Saturday morning. The rugged Steens drop away sharply on the east side offering stunning views of the surrounding landscape and the playa of the Alvord Desert. The harsh fire season offered a blessing in disguise with the hazy conditions starting out purple in the predawn light shifting to deep reds and burnt oranges. The sunrise was so good we did it the next morning as well.
After taking a quick nap back at camp we chose to hike into Kiger Gorge as our adventure for the day. We launched down into the canyon from the viewpoint with a few curious onlookers claiming, "You are hiking down from here?" There is no trail. Its real steep. 90% of the rocks are loose except where they are held in places by the grasses and small shrubs. Whats not to like? We had an absolute blast and break/snack time was spent sitting in Kiger creek cooling off our hot toes before ascending out with a fun 30 foot scramble up to the rim.
Day two comprised of another great sunrise, a nap, a trip to the summit (roadside attraction) and a day to Wildhorse Lake. There is a trail from the summit parking lot down to the lake but why do an in and out when you can barrel down the side of the mountain and form a loop? A large portion of the day was spent relaxing at the lake soaking up the glorious sunshine. A refreshing (aka real chilly) swim in the lake kept everyone cool and relaxed before the steep, 1,200 feet in 1.25 miles, ascent out.
The remainder of our time was spent relaxing at the campground and swimming in Fish Lake. Having an easy home base so close to a gem of an area makes this trip easy and a must do. The landscape is stunning and offers a great contrast to the Western third of Oregon.
The Full Report:
A few of my friends and I decided to head to the Steens Mountains for Labor Day 2017. We chose Fish Lake campground as home base and, despite what you might read on the internet, the campground does have water. Regardless, it's always wise to be prepared by bringing plenty of your own. Bring a canopy! Even though the campground has plenty of Aspens and Willows its nice having shade over the picnic table during the midday sunshine. This is what I like to call a combo trip. Low key car camping with fun day adventures sprinkled in.
Our first small adventure was sunrise Saturday morning. The rugged Steens drop away sharply on the east side offering stunning views of the surrounding landscape and the playa of the Alvord Desert. The harsh fire season offered a blessing in disguise with the hazy conditions starting out purple in the predawn light shifting to deep reds and burnt oranges. The sunrise was so good we did it the next morning as well.
After taking a quick nap back at camp we chose to hike into Kiger Gorge as our adventure for the day. We launched down into the canyon from the viewpoint with a few curious onlookers claiming, "You are hiking down from here?" There is no trail. Its real steep. 90% of the rocks are loose except where they are held in places by the grasses and small shrubs. Whats not to like? We had an absolute blast and break/snack time was spent sitting in Kiger creek cooling off our hot toes before ascending out with a fun 30 foot scramble up to the rim.
Day two comprised of another great sunrise, a nap, a trip to the summit (roadside attraction) and a day to Wildhorse Lake. There is a trail from the summit parking lot down to the lake but why do an in and out when you can barrel down the side of the mountain and form a loop? A large portion of the day was spent relaxing at the lake soaking up the glorious sunshine. A refreshing (aka real chilly) swim in the lake kept everyone cool and relaxed before the steep, 1,200 feet in 1.25 miles, ascent out.
The remainder of our time was spent relaxing at the campground and swimming in Fish Lake. Having an easy home base so close to a gem of an area makes this trip easy and a must do. The landscape is stunning and offers a great contrast to the Western third of Oregon.