Eastern Alvord Desert Plateau

Trail Overview

This trail gives you unique views from a high vantage point looking west at the Alvord Desert and the Steen's Mountain Range. This trail is best driven as a long day trip or better broken into two days if you have the time. This trail is great to get away from the crowds, see some incredible geologic features, such as thermal pools, Borax Lake, Coyote Lake Bed (which is dry), and the beautiful Mickey Basin. The trail will take you through many cattle gates that will need to be both opened and closed after you pass through them. Be sure to check for weather conditions for recent rain as it's advisable not to drive this road if it's at all wet as it can greatly damage the trails and dry lake bed. This road is a great option if the Steens are still covered in snow.

Photos of Eastern Alvord Desert Plateau

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Difficulty

This trail has a lot of varied terrains. At the start it's all dirt and dust with occasional deep ruts as it climbing onto the plateau. Eventually, it becomes dirt pack with some rocky sections. There is one section after Coyote Lake (dry) that is very rocky and narrow. It would appear that road does not get used often as it has small shrubs growing in the road. I do not recommend this trail for larger rigs as the trail does get narrow. I do not recommend driving this road in wet or damp conditions as it will greatly damage the trails and dry lake bed.

Technical Rating