Drive onto a 12-mile dry lakebed and camp anywhere, with Steens Mountain rising 6,000 ft behind you.
The Alvord Desert is a flat, white playa in the southeast corner of Oregon — empty for miles, hard as concrete in dry weather, and totally legal to drive and camp on. Behind you, Steens Mountain rises in a single sheer 6,000-ft wall.
Why it's special
Driving fast across a playa under the Milky Way is a different kind of freedom. There are almost no other places in North America where it's legal and easy.
Best time to go
June through September. Wet season turns the playa into impassable mud.
Getting there
From Frenchglen, OR over Steens Mountain (4WD, summer only), or paved approach from Fields, OR on the south side.
Know before you go
- DO NOT drive on the playa if it has rained recently — you will sink and the BLM will fine you.
- No water, no toilets, no services; Fields, OR is 30 miles south with a single store.
- Wind can rage; tie everything down.
- Cell service: none.
Pro tips from boondockers
- Alvord Hot Springs ($10) is right at the playa's edge — soak after dust.
- Sunrise on Steens from the playa is one of the best views in Oregon.
- Bring goggles for windy days.
- Fields Station burger and milkshake are a destination of their own.
Combine with
Steens Mountain, Hart Mountain, Owyhee Canyonlands.