This Oregon Desert Oasis Will Make You Think You’ve Stepped Onto Another Planet
This Oregon desert oasis makes you feel like you’ve landed somewhere completely alien.
I love places that make me feel small. I spent an entire day driving through high desert scrub and sparse ranch lands in Oregon, convinced I was heading to a barren wasteland.
Then, tucked against the rugged Steens Mountain, I found it: a shimmering, 12-mile-long lakebed of perfectly flat, dried clay, and steam rising conspicuously from the ground.
How could such a profound oasis exist here?
The Alvord Desert isn’t just remote; it’s a geographic paradox. Prepare yourself for the most isolated yet rejuvenating trip of your life.
By the time the road finally flattened out and the Steens rose behind me, I felt like I’d driven off the map and I loved it.
The journey itself sets the stage for what’s ahead, with miles of gravel crunching beneath tires and civilization fading in the rearview mirror.
Author's summary: Remote Oregon desert oasis offers profound experience.