Free & Dispersed camping · Oregon

Alvord Desert

Camp on a white playa under Steens Mountain

SettingFree & Dispersed
StateOregon
Best seasonLate spring & fall (avoid when wet)
ReserveFree dispersed when dry (small fee at Alvord Hot Springs)

A vast, cracked alkali playa in remote southeast Oregon, where you can drive out and camp on a dead-flat white expanse beneath the mile-high east face of Steens Mountain — with a soakable hot spring at the edge. As surreal as the Southwest, with a fraction of the people.

Why camp here

Don’t miss: The playa under Steens at sunrise

RVs & rigs: RV & van friendly when dry — NEVER drive a wet playa; no services

What’s here

  • Alvord Hot Springs
  • Steens Mountain
  • Mirror-flat playa
  • Incredible dark skies

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