Summer in the Steens

Spring comes late in the higher elevations of Steens Mountain in southeast Oregon, attracting botanists, artists and photographers from late June, when the gravel road to the top opens, until the snow flies at the end of summer.

Although the reputation and the legends of the Steens had not escaped me during the nearly 40 years I’ve lived in Oregon, the opportunities to visit the Steens had—until last summer.

Friends in Bend, Oregon, go to the Steens every year to check out the wildflowers and absorb the mystery and magic of the mountain. In mid-July we met up with them at the Brothers rest stop on Highway 20 outside Bend and then caravanned in our motorhomes to Highway 205 outside Burns. We drove 60 miles south to Frenchglen, not far from the Nevada border, where we picked up the gravel road to the Bureau of Land Management’s Page Springs Campground.

There are no electric or water hookups at the campground, but the RV spaces are huge and the setting along the Blitzen River (officially known as the Donner und Blitzen River) is peaceful and relaxing. There are four campgrounds along the backcountry byway. We stayed two nights, and used plenty of mosquito repellent.

The next morning our friends introduced us to Steens Mountain. According to the literature there is only one mountain, no foothills. You don’t realize you are above the 9,000-foot level until you take a short trail down to the Wildhorse Lake outlook and then back up again.

Mystical Mountain
We stopped at all the spectacular viewpoints: Kiger Gorge, East Rim, Big Indian Gorge, Little Blitzen Gorge, and Wildhorse Lake outlook. While sitting on a rock at the edge of the Kiger Gorge, I listened to the history of the mountain and its people in the silence and from the wind. Patches of snow on the higher curves of the bowl-shaped ravine contrasted with the deep green along the riverbed far below.

Referred to as “Nature’s Bulldozer,” the four immense V-shaped gorges on Steens Mountain were formed by glaciers digging trenches during the Ice Age. The east edge of the Steens was raised up from underground pressure along a fault line, creating a 30-mile-long fault-block mountain with a mile-high east face above the Alvord Desert.

As air heats up in the Alvord Basin and rises on the east face of the Steens, you can see golden eagles and other raptors riding the wind currents along the rim of the Kiger Gorge. An estimated 300 wild horses, numerous antelope and other smaller animals make their home on the Steens.

Mountain History
The earliest inhabitants—Native Americans—camped at the foot of the mountain and moved farther up as the snow melted in the spring and the green grass was exposed for grazing. In the mid-1800s ranchers and goat herders moved onto the mountain slopes.

The river was named “Donner und Blitzen,” German for thunder and lightening, by Captain George B. Curry in 1864 when he crossed in a thunderstorm in pursuit of Indians.

In 1872, when Pete French saw the green grass and constant water supply of the Blitzen Valley, he built the largest single cattle ranch in the United States—in just 28 years. The former P-Ranch is one mile east of Frenchglen.

In the early 1900s, the Riddle brothers, Walter and Fred, settled in the Little Blitzen Valley, where they built a ranch and made their living for more than 40 years. The Bureau of Land Management has purchased the ranch for its historical value.

Federal legislation in 2000 created the Steens Mountain Cooperative Management and Protection Area, which contains 428,156 acres of public land, including more than 170,000 acres designated as wilderness.

Captured on Canvas
When we gradually worked our way up the mountain in mid-July, stopping at lakes, valleys and meadows, some of the wildflowers at the lower levels had already bloomed and died, although plenty of others were still in their glory. We stopped to talk with an artist from Sisters, Oregon, who had brought her watercolor class into the meadow to capture the colorful scenery on canvas with brushes and paint.

After reaching the top of the mountain and viewing the gorges and other outlooks, travelers have the option of returning on the same, good road, or venturing down the rough road on the south side of the mountain. The south road is not recommended for motorhomes, trailers or vehicles with low clearance.

Although the south road is rocky, steep, and narrow in places, we viewed beautiful valleys and landscape, stopped at our friends’ favorite meditation point, and had the entire 52-mile loop experience. I am grateful to have seen this special place that brings so many here each summer. Did the mountain speak to me? Perhaps.

IF YOU GO

Roads: The 52-mile loop on Steens Mountain is usually open from July 1 to October 31. For road conditions, see the Harney County Chamber of Commerce Web site: www.harneycounty.com/SteensMtn.htm.

Camping: The Bureau of Land Management has campgrounds with water and vault toilets at Page Springs, Fish Lake, Jackman Park and South Steens. For information, call (541) 573-4400. There is a private campground, gas station, phone and store at Frenchglen.

Frenchglen Historic Hotel: Eight family-style rooms with shared bath are available. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are made to order. Reservations recommended. The hotel, established in 1916, is open from March 15 to November 15. For information call (541) 493-2825.

Other lodging: Steens Mountain Resort, (541) 493-2415; Drover’s Inn, (541) 493-2204; Hotel Diamond, (541) 493-1898; McCoy Creek Inn, (541) 493-2131.

Marilyn McDonald is a writer who divides her time between Oregon and Mexico.