A few days in SE-Oregon...maybe NW Nevada

[MarkBC]

I haven't camped in my favorite-place-in-Oregon -- the east side of the Steens, Alvord Desert, in southeast Oregon -- since May of last year...though I've passed through there, most-recently in my Year-End/New-Year Far-Eastern Nevada Trip .
I "cancelled" my planned Sonoran-Mojave-Deserts Trip, which was supposed to happen this month...but I want to get out camping somewhere cool before I head to Georgia in mid-April (a plane-car/no-camping trip).

Weather forecast (as of now) looks good/not-bad for the Fields, OR area:

What's most important in the high desert this time of year is that it gets/stays below freezing enough that the roads stay frozen (to avoid muddy-ness) -- until we hit the dry season a couple of months from now. The current forecast looks cold enough to permit easy travel on dirt roads.

Leaving this Friday morning, the 22nd,. I'll probably spend 5 - 6 days out there..."there" being, at least, Pike Creek (east-side Steens), maybe Alvord playa/area, maybe Willow (aka "Whitehorse") Hot Springs...maybe as far south as the northeast Black Rock Desert area in northwest Nevada. I hear there's a cool area near Battle Creek, with easy access...

Consider showing up out there...

 

[Smokecreek1]

Mark-like minds think alike-but I think I'm going west not NE from here. I'm waiting for the rain to stop so I can plug in so i can charge up-cleaned the truck out last weekend. I was planning to head up to Eagle Lake on Thursday for a few days to test out another new toy I just picked up and to see how my solar panels and other things have weathered all the snow and ice. The weather is supposed to get sunny up there and from what I hear, no one is up there. I had planned to head either to the Or. or Ca coast (depending on the weather) later on (unless it's so nice at EL and I stay longer up there), but anyway, get back to me here or maybe later on my cell, I could be convinced to change my plans after my EL stop but I'm winging it now, just trying to get out of here and play (no mud running-that's while I was heading to the coast-sand!

Smoke

 

[Smokecreek1]

I haven't camped in my favorite-place-in-Oregon -- the east side of the Steens, Alvord Desert, in southeast Oregon -- since May of last year...though I've passed through there, most-recently in my Year-End/New-Year Far-Eastern Nevada Trip . I "cancelled" my planned Sonoran-Mojave-Deserts Trip, which was supposed to happen this month...but I want to get out camping somewhere cool before I head to Georgia in mid-April (a plane-car/no-camping trip).

Weather forecast (as of now) looks good/not-bad for the Fields, OR area:

What's most important in the high desert this time of year is that it gets/stays below freezing enough that the roads stay frozen (to avoid muddy-ness) -- until we hit the dry season a couple of months from now. The current forecast looks cold enough to permit easy travel on dirt roads.

Leaving this Friday morning, the 22nd,. I'll probably spend 5 - 6 days out there..."there" being, at least, Pike Creek (east-side Steens), maybe Alvord playa/area, maybe Willow (aka "Whitehorse") Hot Springs...maybe as far south as the northeast Black Rock Desert area in northwest Nevada. I hear there's a cool area near Battle Creek, with easy access...

Consider showing up out there...

Mark-replied to your email, windy here. Talk in a bit.

Smoke

 

[MarkBC]

OK, after talking to Smokecreek1, I probably should update the title to add, "and NE California".
In fact, I now think that's where I'll be headed first. See ya there, smoke.

 

[MarkBC]

Maybe a loop like this...as a rough plan. About 800 miles:



with the first night's destination determined, marked.

 

[craig333]

Sounds like a great trip. I wonder how many "hole in the rock" there are.

 

[Smokecreek1]

Okay Mark, here is a suggestion to save time, several miles past the ca bug station on the right is the Look Out cut off (a real good paved HW-CR-91 i think), it goes south from 139 to Look Out, Big Valley and Beiber (299) and crosses HW 299 (nice little store there(gas) ) and take the county road to 139. You can turn left on 299 and go into Adin (gas)it might be worth a quick side trip, neat old hardware stores and stuff. Anyway there is no need to go all the way into Canby and have to climb the pass to Adin, it just sort of saves time, plus you drive by the road that takes the back way into Lava Bed NP! Just a thought! Many choices right!

Smoke

 

[MarkBC]

Okay Mark, here is a suggestion to save time, several miles past the ca bug station on the right is the Look Out cut off (a real good paved HW-CR-91 i think), it goes south from 139 to Look Out, Big Valley and Beiber (299) and crosses HW 299 (nice little store there(gas) ) and take the county road to 139. You can turn left on 299 and go into Adin (gas)it might be worth a quick side trip, neat old hardware stores and stuff. Anyway there is no need to go all the way into Canby and have to climb the pass to Adin, it just sort of saves time, plus you drive by the road that takes the back way into Lava Bed NP! Just a thought! Many choices right!

Smoke

Smoke, you mean like this?:




And you say this is a time-saver?

 

[Smokecreek1]

Sure is, less people too and you can go fast. No gas in Canby, only time i go that way is to head into the lava country or head into Alturas.

Smoke

 

[MarkBC]

Sure is, less people too and you can go fast. No gas in Canby, only time i go that way is to head into the lava country or head into Alturas.

Smoke

OK, thanks...and I usually prefer the scenic route anyway.

I'll be fueling the rig in K-Falls, so that's not an issue for me on either route.

 

[Foy]

Have a great time, Mark. Looking forward to your report and photos.

Looks like you'll be passing not too far from the Stolpa Rescue site. With everything now up in the air concerning our son's upcoming training in California and deployment to Afghanistan, we're out of the running for a WTW trip out your way until next year. If you (or anybody else who Ws TW were to get there, it'll be an inspiration for others.

Safe travels,

Foy

 

[MarkBC]

.........Looks like you'll be passing not too far from the Stolpa Rescue site........If you (or anybody else who Ws TW were to get there, it'll be an inspiration for others.

I'll be meeting Smokecreek, who worked for the BLM in the Stolpa area during that time. I think he knows something about the inside story...seems like he's posted about it on WTW (involving lawsuits by the Stolpas against govt agencies for allowing the Stolpas to act on their stupidity).
It would be cool to find the exact spot, though...but it won't be on this trip, as I'll be south of the Sheldon NWR (unless my plans change...which is possible).

 

[Smokecreek1]

No where near the "stupids" on this trip. Okay, truck is packed, going to head to the store within the hour and back here to drop off some cat food for the cat sitter. Rained last night, heavy, heavy winds-even took out some power lines in Reno! My friend from Eagle Lake says no one out at Rocky Point, no rain last night, just lot's of wind, the suns out here and it supposed to be sunny and in the 50-s with a chance of snow on Saturday-the rest of the week. I forgot this is March Maddness time, sure hope my new toy works and I can watch a few games and Bill Marr later this week. No matter what being out and about is what counts!

Smoke

 

[MarkBC]

See ya -- probably early-afternoon tomorrow.

 

[craig333]

The bar in Lookout still open? I didn't have google back when I worked for CDF in Bieber, but the story they told says Lookout is where the last indian hanging in CA happened.

I just found out I will have five days starting the 29th. I'm extremely tempted to do at least some of this trip. Maybe cut a bit off to save fuel. Will depend a lot of your trip reports. Don't be stingy with the pics and have a good time.

 

[MarkBC]

I just found out I will have five days starting the 29th. I'm extremely tempted to do at least some of this trip. Maybe cut a bit off to save fuel.

Good for you, Craig! I know you don't get much time off...- Have you ever explored this region at all (aside from your experience in CDF experience in NW California) -- southeast Oregon and northwest Nevada? It's magnificent!
(If you already know all about the region, you can stop reading now

...if not, read on!)
(OMG -- what am I doing?!

I already almost spilled the beans about "the loneliest road in America", now I'm giving away secrets of my favorite "local" area!

)

Here's a suggested route with options:


Starting from Susanville...however you prefer to get there.
(By the way: If you already know all about SE Oregon & NW Nevada...forgive me for assuming you don't!

)
If you wanted to revisit your old CDF haunts, you'd take 139 north from Susanville and then to Alturas, otherwise it might make more sense to just take 395 to Alturas. Then take 299 east to Cedarville and then head north to Fort Bidwell, where the pavement ends. Good gravel to Adel, where the pavement restarts. North from Adel take you up through the Warner Lakes Valley to Plush (fuel there, AFAIK) -- a cool old store. On east, north, east and up the huge scarp to climb (now on good gravel) up to Hart Mt. Antelope Refuge. Stay at Hot Springs Campground a few miles south of headquarters. On ENE across the Refuge to rejoin pavement at the Catlow Valley Rd, at the western foot of Steens Mt. (The Steens Loop road may be partially open...but it usually isn't fully open until July.) Head south down the Catlow Valley Road and east over a pass at the south end of the Steens to Fields. Fuel, cafe, little store. Cheeseburger and milkshake. (tell proprietors Sandy or Tom that "Mark from Bend" sent ya!) Drive north 25 miles to the Alvord Desert. Camp wherever you find BLM land... You could drive as far north as the BLM campground at Mann Lake, but it's not that special, and you're no longer near the Alvord. Double-back to Fields and then south to Denio (an actual little town -- the Diamond Bar is the watering hole...the only for many miles).

Option 1: From Denio Jct (couple miles south of Denio), take NV 140 SE and then turn SW on the Leonard Creek Rd, which is paved for some miles. When the pavement ends continue south on generally OK but NOT high-speed dirt down the east side of the east arm of the Black Rock Desert, along the western foot of the Jackson Range. After you get south of the Jackson Creek Ranch you'll likely see no one for many miles...it's fabulous. Eventually you reach Sulfur, and there head west on a not-bad/maybe-washboard dirt/gravel road along the southern edge of the Black Rock to Gerlach. (Do you know Gerlach? If not, check out Bruno's) Head more-or-less west then SW down the west side of the Smoke Creek Desert (on dirt road). The connection between the Smoke Creek Rd and 395 is unknown territory for me -- never driven it (but I hope to on my trip, going the other direction) You could follow the Smoke Creek Rd on south to Pyramid Lake, which I've done before.

Option 2: From Denio Jct. head west on NV 140 and take whatever road that is that goes through the Summnit Lake Reservation (check your Nevada Benchmark). This is the route I took to get to Soldier Meadows for the WTW Rally in Oct 2011. (The last real WTW Rally?

I hope not!

). Continue down the west side of the west arm of the Black Rock...and follow the route out on to the playa where it's marked...it's the natural/standard route south, where most people go. The "land" route is rough dirt, I think. Rejoin pavement many miles south and then follow it down to Gerlach.

Option 3: From Denio Jct. head west on NV 140 to near Big Spring Reservoir (north of the highway, with a BLM campground). Take the gravel road that is signed for Cedarville (I think) across the Sheldon Antelope Refuge. When you're nearing the point at which I've drawn an orange alternative you're driving in stupid-Stolpa country...but since it's March instead of a blizzard in December, you're not stupid for being there!. At "Vya" (nothing there) you could take the orange alternative back to Cedarville...but the good gravel road from Vya to Gerlach is remote and cool.

Feel free to ask me questions...if you're not already familiar with the area.

 

[craig333]

Never been east of cedarville. I wonder if I could get my knife back? So many options. I'm dang near ready to get supplies now. They'll be moving fillers in april. I have a fear they'll decide we need to work for "training" or something. I hope not but then again, I should be out of cell coverage most of the time right? I hope. I have tons of maps for black rock, got them when I thought I could make the rally. What do you recommend for Oregon?

 

[MarkBC]

...I have tons of maps for black rock, got them when I thought I could make the rally. What do you recommend for Oregon?

If you stuck to the roads I suggested in Oregon then a Benchmark Oregon atlas would be plenty. But since you'll want the option to figure out something different, and because Benchmarks may not/don't differentiate between BLM and private land, the ideal map for the Oregon part of the loop would be the BLM Burns District map, supplemented by the Lakeview District map to the west and the Vale District map to the east. However, I don't know where you'd get those other than at their respective district offices...and you probably won't be going through there. Maybe if you called them and ordered tomorrow you might be able to have them mailed to you in time. Or do BLM offices have maps for other districts?
But back to the Oregon Benchmark Atlas -- if that's all you had you'd be OK, I'm sure.

The Black Rock Desert region, all of NW Nevada, really -- especially north of Gerlach, but even near Gerlach, is a big void of cell signals -- even for Verizon there are big regions with zero signal. The Hart Mt, Steens, Alvord region of southeast Oregon generally has decent cell signals, on Verizon at least.

Let me know if you have any more questions. I'll be out-and-about on my own trip starting tomorrow (Friday) morning, but I'm sure I'll check in here anyway now and then via smartphone.

 

[ski3pin]

Need maps? plicmapcenter.org

 

[MarkBC]

Need maps? plicmapcenter.org

Thanks, ski, that's a new source for me -- and I used to consider myself a mapophile!
The 1:100,000 scale BLM maps they offer are indeed a great series...I got several for SE Oregon way back in the early '90s. They're actually a lot better than the BLM district maps, which tend to be gigantic pieces of paper -- too big to open in a vehicle!