Adventure brief: A weekend on the playa!

The Alvord Desert is hours away from much of anything in the southeast corner of Oregon. Living in Portland for the last 6 years, Alvord has frequently been a discussion of an experience being worth the effort. Now that we live in Bend, the drive shrinks from 7 hours to 4 and that discussion ended recently with our first adventure to the playa. Can confirm that the experience is worth the effort.

KOGAI van was the perfect vehicle for Alvord. Self-contained with 22 gallons of fresh water, an outdoor shower, propane powered stove and campfire, plenty of snacks and cool beers in the fridge. It gets windy on the playa. Tucked inside at night on a queen bed while listening to the whistle of the wind was super cush.

MORE ON ALVORD

Once a lake that covered over 100 miles, the Alvord playa is now roughly 7 miles wide by 14 miles long. Located at an elevation of 4200’, it’s shadowed by the 9700’ Steens Mountain Wilderness (Steens is one solid mountain that stretches about 50 miles) to the west which creates a stunning backdrop to the cracked lake bed—especially when covered in snow. Steens Mountain features “Oregon’s highest road” which you can take to the summit and provides access to some stunning hikes that I’ll have to explore next visit.

We chose to access the playa via the North off US-20, with our GPS pointed toward Alvord Hot Springs. More details on the hot springs below. Exit US-20 and hit OR-78E before turning onto Fields-Denio Road and traveling the last 30 miles on a graded dirt road in surprisingly good condition. Not much in the way of washboards and the views are stunning. Reminded me of the southern tip of Chile as you drive into Patagonia.

30 miles of views on a well graded dirt road delivers you to the Alvord Hot Springs and their entrance to the playa.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE ALVORD DESERT

Driving and dispersed camping on the playa
Soaking in Alvord Hot Springs
Evening photography and stargazing
Hiking and biking in the Steens Wilderness

Driving on the playa

We chose to drive onto the playa from the private access road at Alvord Hot Springs. They charge $10 per vehicle and provide a code to unlock the chain allowing access in/out. The charge is waived if you are staying in their campsites. Driving onto the playa there’s one area to avoid, left of the springs which is clearly where the springs empty onto the lakebed.

Timing our visit with a stretch of favorable spring weather allowed us to drive on the playa with no issues. Springtime is hit or miss with most of the monster annual rainfall—all 5 inches of it, occurring during this time. You do not want to attempt driving on the playa when it’s raining or directly afterward. The surface turns to a clay and you will get stuck. It happens. Check with the crew at the hot springs for updates. They’re very friendly and run a solid operation.

Dispersed camping on the playa

Rule #1…LEAVE NO TRACE. Practice this everywhere. On the playa it’s critical to pack in/pack out all your trash. There are no services in the area to clean up after people. Plan on hauling all your trash to the nearest gas station in Burns or the trash dump near Frog Springs. Alvord Hot Springs will dispose of trash for $5 per bag.

Rule #2…come prepared for heat, cold, wind, and some beautiful night skies. Summer is scorching hot, winter temps dip to freezing, and it’s likely to be windy on the playa. Check the weather forecast and prepare, especially if you’re in a tent.

Rule #3…Give people space and don’t drive like a dick. Inevitably you’ll see someone trying to set a land speed record driving across the playa, dust cloud trailing behind as they hit triple digits. There’s enough space for everyone out there, give yourself some room and you’ll likely avoid the crazy drivers.

The van doubles as a morning coffee cart.

Alvord hot springs

This is not a spa. It’s remote, rustic, a little unrefined and perfect for the environment of the Alvord Desert. Two decent sized square soaking pools, one open, one partially enclosed, are fed from thermal springs producing 174 degree waters. The pool temps are regulated, staying a comfortable 105 degrees. You have the option to control the water temp with a regulator. There’s a simple changing area and shower as part of the structures. Entry fee is $20 allowing use 24hrs a day. Well worth it for a soak and a shower after spending a few dusty days on the playa.

Along with the soaking pools, they have a bathroom, small store for snacks, and offer up “M.A.S.H.” style military bunker accommodations or open campsites. There’s a road across the street that climbs up to a few campsites with views over the playa.

Evening Photography and stargazing

Zero. Light. Pollution. If it’s a clear night, expect stunning views of the night sky, milky way, billions of stars, and a few of Elon Musk’s SpaceX satellites flying around. We broke out the real camera for some shots with our camp light and tried but failed to capture the milky way.

Fooling around with evening photography on the playa

HIking and biking the steens wilderness

Setting up camp and biking across the playa to the hot springs is a rad way to get a few miles in and explore the vastness of the space. We biked up the access road across from the hot springs for some epic views and gut-punching climbing. The road continues up for a few miles or as long as your legs can take you. A few miles from the hot springs you’ll find Pike Creek Canyon Trail that’s around 6 miles round-trip with 1800’ of elevation gain.

Definitely need a return visit for further exploration of the backcountry hiking on Steens Mountain. Below is a list of area hikes to check out.

Wildhorse Lake Trail via the summit road on the west side of Steens Mountain.
Big Indian Gorge Trail a 17 mile out and back with some sweet camp spots 6 miles in
Little Blitzen Gorge Trail out and back up to 19 miles.
Willow Creek Hot Springs Trail on the eastern side of the playa.