Visiting the Alvord Desert in Oregon: Everything to know!

Last updated on March 25th, 2026

Want to experience the Alvord Desert in Oregon? We’re sharing how to visit this special place, things to do, safety tips, and more!

While you may think of waterfalls, volcanic peaks, and rugged coastline when you think of Oregon, nearly half of the state is desert. And the best place to experience this desert landscape is at the Alvord Desert!

The Alvord Desert is a 7 mile wide and 12 mile long dry lakebed (or playa) where tens of thousands of years ago, a lake almost 200 feet deep once stood. Today, it only gets about 7 inches of rain per year, making it one of the driest places in Oregon!

From walking, camping, or driving on the playa, to soaking in hot springs or admiring the starry sky, the Alvord Desert is a must-visit destination on any Eastern Oregon road trip. And in this guide we’re sharing how to visit this special place. Including important safety tips, like how to NOT get your vehicle stuck out there.

Where is the Alvord Desert?

The Alvord Desert is located in the southeast corner of Oregon, far from any major US city. It’s about 7 hours from Portland, 4 hours from Bend, and 3.5 hours from Boise. So getting here is quite the trek!

The closest larger town (as in, has a full grocery store), is Burns, about 2 hours away. But you can find fuel, a restaurant, and some provisions in Fields, just 30 minutes south of the most popular desert access points.

How to get to the Alvord Desert 

Fields-Denio Road/Folly Farm Road

To get to the Alvord Desert, you will have to drive on some gravel roads. If coming from the north, you will take Highway 78 and then turn onto Folly Farm Road. While this road starts out paved, you can expect to drive about 33 miles on unpaved roads.

If coming from the south, you will take Highway 205 to Fields, where you’ll then turn onto Fields-Denio Road. At first, this road is paved, but you will have 7 miles of maintained gravel roads towards the end. We drive a lot of gravel roads and didn’t find this one to be too bad, but it will be a bit bumpy.

Note: These two roads are the same, but the name varies depending on the direction you’re coming from.

Access points

Once you’re on the gravel road that runs alongside the Alvord Desert you have two main access points to actually get onto the Alvord Desert: Frog Springs and the Alvord Hot Springs. 

Frog Springs is managed by the Bureau of Land Management and is FREE to visit (donations accepted though!). It’s essentially a dirt parking lot with pit toilets. 

The Alvord Hot Springs on the other hand, are privately owned and charge $20 per vehicle (according to latest reports) to access the playa via their road. 

In our opinion, unless you want to stay at the Alvord Hot Springs or soak, there is truly no reason to pay the fee just to access the road. 

Not only is the Frog Springs access point free, but it is just off the main road, so it’s not hard to find or access. The only thing to keep in mind is that at the very end of the access road onto the playa, there is a relatively deep rut, which may be tough for lower vehicles. But don’t worry, even if your vehicle is unable to get through the rut, you can easily walk out onto the playa from here!

What type of vehicle is needed to visit the Alvord Desert?

While all types of vehicles make it out onto the Alvord Desert, we personally suggest bringing a higher clearance vehicle. And one with 4×4, if you plan to visit outside of the drier months (more on that in a second)! 

Depending on the condition of the rut at the end of Frog Springs, lower sedans would likely struggle to make it through. We saw a few cars drive up, assess it, and opt to turn around. Thankfully, you can park by the pit toilets at Frog Springs and walk down. So it’s not a total bust!

When to visit the Alvord Desert

You can technically visit the Alvord Desert year-round. However, in the winter and spring months, the playa is often partially or fully covered with water. This water comes from snowmelt off Steens Mountain (the mountain to the west!) and rain. And it makes the ground very muddy and sticky!

For the driest conditions, visit between July and November. Just keep in mind, the summers are hot here!

We visited at the end of May and there was a lot of water on the playa, which gave it a super cool mirage-like appearance. But despite there being water in some areas, there were also many areas near the Frog Springs access road that were completely dry. 

The afternoon we arrived, we were able to walk all around the playa and we saw quite a few vehicles driving on it and even camping on it. We had planned to drive or camp on the playa, but ultimately decided not due to the rut on the road.

And we were VERY glad we made this choice! When we woke up the next morning, the area that was dry the day before was completely covered in water. 😱 There were a handful of campers staying out there that either had to move their tents in the middle of the night or woke up to a surprise outside of their overlanding rig. Thankfully, everyone made it out okay! But if you get stuck out there, it can cost over $1,000 to get help.

So regardless of when you visit, if there is water on the playa, we’d suggest NOT staying the night out there. There’s no telling where that water will move to overnight!

Things to do at the Alvord Desert

Drive or walk around on the Alvord Desert Playa

The best thing to do at the Alvord Desert is to get out onto the playa! Whether you walk on or drive on, being able to freely roam around this vast, dried lakebed is so much fun. 

We loved running around with our pup Kona and admiring the cracked surface, which looked like when you crack a hardboiled egg. And the views are pretty spectacular! Especially on the west side, with Steens Mountain towering above.

As you explore the playa, just keep an eye out for vehicles driving! 

Enjoy the sunrise and sunset

While mid-day at the Alvord Desert makes the tan playa pop against the blue sky, our favorite moments out here were around sunrise and sunset. This gave Steens Mountain and the surrounding area a nice pink alpenglow. And seeing the pink clouds reflect onto the water was beautiful!

Go stargazing

The Alvord Desert is not only great in the light, but also after dark! Being in such a remote area, with hardly any light pollution, means you will be able to see tons of stars.

Grab a milkshake at the Fields Station General Store

You cannot visit the Alvord Desert and not get a milkshake from the Fields Station General Store! These handspun milkshakes meet our high milkshake standards (Kathryn used to be a professional milkshake maker 😜) and they have tons of flavor options to choose from.

A few things to know:

• They have a $10 minimum for credit cards, so make sure to bring cash if you don’t plan to spend that much. 
• There’s a little general store inside with a pretty solid selection of snacks, dry goods, and drinks.
• While they do cook hot food, we didn’t personally try any, so we cannot speak on the taste.
• Some reviews state having unfriendly service, but we personally had a positive and friendly experience here. Just keep that in mind so you go in with your expectations in check.

Drive up Steens Mountain

Steens Mountain is the striking 9,378 foot tall mountain that overlooks the Alvord Desert. And depending on the time of year, you can drive the Steens Loop Tour, which will take you almost to its summit, with different viewpoints and hikes along the way.

Unfortunately during our visit in late May, there was too much snow along the road to go very high up, so we had to skip it. But we really want to come back and hike up to Wildhorse Lake someday!

Note: This is a pretty big detour from the Alvord Desert (2.5 hours), but if you are heading north on Highway 205 towards Burns afterwards, we hear it makes for a scenic stop. You can also stop by the super cute Frenchglen Mercantile on the way too!

Camping on the Alvord Desert Playa

Other places to stay near the Alvord Desert

If you choose to not camp at or on the playa itself, you do have a couple other lodging options. Alvord Hot Springs offers both campsites and bunkhouses and the Fields Station General Store has RV sites, hotel rooms, and cabins.

What to bring to the Alvord Desert

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