Steens Mountain: 1-6 September

Hikers: Maria G., Mary K., Tony D., Barb S., Sherry W., Charisse S.
[photos coming soon!]
Sep 1, Fri. Mary and Charisse left Ashland at 7am. Maria, Barb and Sherry left at 8:30, stopping at Burns to pick up Tony who had been in the John Day area for a couple of days. It rained intermittently on the drive but stopped before we arrived at South Steens Campground (SSC, $8 per night per site with Senior National Park Pass) allowing us to pitch tents and eat without getting wet. SSC is at the end of a well maintained 20-mile gravel road; it has 34 sites and although it was Labor Day weekend, only about half of the sites were occupied. It’s shady, with toilets and a pump providing potable water at one end of the campground. That night there was a thunder and lightning storm in the area and it poured on us.
Sep 2, Sat. We had expected rain on Friday when we drove to SSC but the forecast before we left was for clear weather after that, so the plan was to backpack into Big Indian Gorge on Sat. Well, it was still raining when we awoke, and instead we did a day hike of a bit over 9 miles in Little Blitzen Gorge. This was nice for Mary and Barb who had been to Steens two previous times but had not gone very far into Little Blitzen. The trail is in good shape; there’s one creek crossing early on, for which water shoes might be handy. It rises gradually and isn’t difficult to follow. The rain stopped after a few hours and we hiked in 4.5 miles, a bit past a campsite that could accommodate 2 tents or squeeze in 3 small ones. That night back in camp there was another a thunder and lightning storm and it poured on us.
Sep 3, Sun. Rain continued the next morning, but we were all tired of spending time in our tents, so off we went in our rain gear to Riddle Brothers Ranch, a historic site maintained by BLM. Because people had been removing artifacts, there is now a gate on the road and volunteer caretakers, who welcomed us and explained the history of the area. It’s possible to drive to it on the gravel road that we walked, except on Mondays and Tuesdays when the gate is closed. In all, we ended up walking about 9 miles this day. We also learned from the caretaker that the Desert Meadows Trail we had considered hiking was a “hypothetical” trail, pretty much impassable as it hasn’t been maintained for a long time. Weather cleared and we hiked 1.5 miles on the Levi Brinkley Trail from the historic ranch site to the confluence of the Little Blitzen and Donner und Blitzen rivers. The name Donner und Blitzen is apt; it’s not after Santa’s reindeer, but thunder and lightning. But there wasn’t much rain Sun. night, yay!
Sep 4, Mon. (Labor Day). If we were going to backpack in Big Indian Gorge as planned, this was our last chance because we had reservations at Alvord Desert campground for Tuesday night ($25-30 per person for campsite including use of hot springs). It was cloudy but the forecast was for improving weather. What to do? Considerations included possible unforecasted rain (reports had been wrong all along); options if the one campsite were occupied (we’d seen backpackers in Little Blitzen Gorge); would there be time to hike Pike Canyon on Tuesday after backpacking out and driving to Alvord; tiredness. After much discussion, we all agreed that Mary, Barb (both of whom had backpacked twice in Big Indian Gorge and Charisse (who was excited to try out her new gear) would backpack into Big Indian Gorge and Maria, Tony and Sherry would go with them for 5 miles and day hike out. This trail too is well maintained and ascends gradually; it has three creek crossings in the first couple of miles, for which water shoes are advisable. As it turns out, there’s a campsite a bit less than 5 miles in, below a distinctive rock standing in a grassy area; a short, indistinct trail slants down to a grassy campsite by the creek. After having lunch together and setting up camp, the backpackers reached several waterfalls cascading down the gorge walls. The campsite easily accommodated their 3 tents, was shady; however, with the clear skies, it was a cold, damp night.
Sep 5, Tue. The day hikers drove the Steens Mountain Loop Road up to its closure due to rockfall and walked to overlooks of both Little Blitzen and Big Indian Gorges. The views from here are impressive. About a mile beyond the gate, three large boulders have been placed in the road, suggesting that the closure of the continuation of this road to the top of the ridge and the Wildhorse Lake trailhead may not be temporary. It would be worthwhile to check the status of this road before planning to drive up there (access to the Wildhorse Lake trailhead would still be possible via the North Steens loop road, even if this road remains closed, but the drive is quite a bit longer). Around noon, the day hikers drove about 70 miles over to Alvord to camp at Pike Creek. They had plenty of time to hike 2 miles up the Pike Creek Trail, which offers some spectacular views and rock formations. It’s drier than the trails we hiked on the west side of Steens, and a bit steeper (average about 500’ elevation gain per mile, with some up and down). The backpackers arrived at Alvord around 4pm, after a short side trip to Fields Station to enjoy their famous milkshakes. Charisse’s husband Walter arrived at 6pm, and we all drove 3 miles to soak in the hot springs until after dark. The campsite is pleasant, but does not have toilets or a water tap (the creek is right there, though); the charge of $25-$30 per person seems a bit on the high side, but it’s probably the best spot in the area. The night was clear and warm.
Sep 6, Wed. We drove home. Maria’s car started home at 7:30am and stopped at the BLM rest area between Lakeview and Bly for a picnic lunch and got home at 2:30pm. Mary and Tony headed back a bit before 9 am. They were looking forward to lunch at the Indian taco stand in Bly, but it was closed until 20 September. They returned to Ashland at about 5 pm.
Wildlife isn’t that abundant in this area. Bears don’t seem to be present, but we did see a fair amount of coyote scat (they seemed to be enjoying the several varieties of red berries that are in season). We saw some wild horses in the open areas near the road into South Steens Campground. A couple of eagles soared above us as we hiked the Pike Creek Trail. We encountered a praying mantis devouring a grasshopper and a tiny bright green frog in that area as well. Mud wasps were visible there, too, and rattlesnakes apparently inhabit the canyon. For eastern Oregon, Steens is surprisingly green, and late-season wildflowers – rabbitbrush, goldenrod, sunflowers, purple asters, and gentians – added color to our hikes.