Long trip

Page Springs Campground

Steens Mountain

As fall approaches with its shorter days and cooler temperatures, it may be time to consider heading east into desert country. With high temperatures gone, and no more terrorizing mosquitos, the eastern half of Oregon holds some real appeal.

A great place to set up camp to provide the perfect base for exploration is at Page Springs Campground right near the base of Steen Mountain. The campground has 36 campsites, potable water, vault toilets, and plenty of trees for shade. Take along your fishing pole and your hiking shoes, as nearby Donner und Blitzen River (the rumor is Santa summers here with his reindeer) offers catch-and-release fishing, and two family-friendly hiking trailheads are nearby.

But that’s just the beginning of this wide-open area. The Steens Mountain Cooperative Management and Protection Area, as it is formally known, encompasses 500,000 acres of land, although some of that is private. But there is plenty of room to roam and explore.

Access to rivers, hiking trails, hunting, and fishing areas can be found along the 52-mile Steens Mountain Backcountry Byway. Don’t miss the views from any of the four glacial-carved gorges you’ll find along the way. This is a desert country so you can see for miles. A little-known fact to consider while you’re driving is that Steens Mountain has no conifers and is the largest mountain known to be lacking typical forests of Douglas Fir and Ponderosa Pine. Why that’s the case is not exactly known although there have been rumors that fires used by Native Americans burned any conifers to the ground and they never recovered.

The area offers a glimpse of early pioneer life when hand-built homes, handcrafted furniture, and thousands of land speculators and home seekers landed in the northern Great Basin.