Visible throughout Southeastern Oregon, Steens Mountain is the crown jewel of Oregon’s High Desert. The largest fault-block mountain in the northern Great Basin, Steens Mountain soars a vertical mile above the adjacent Alvord Desert. Glaciers have carved steep valleys down its slopes, and the summit of Steens offers unparalleled views of the surrounding desert and mountain ranges. Steens Mountain is also home to bighorn sheep, pronghorn, sage grouse, threatened redband trout, and the largest stand of aspen trees in Oregon.

It is hard to imagine any part of Oregon's Outback more deserving of lasting protection.  On October 30, 2000, Steens Mountain became the nation’s first designated “cow-free” Wilderness Area.  The Steens Mountain Cooperative Management and Protection Act also added 29 miles of waterways to the federal Wild and Scenic River System and designated the nation's first Redband Trout Reserve. The Steens Mountains are one of the crown jewels in Oregon's conservation system. The Conservation System is a 26 million acre collection of national monuments, wilderness areas, scenic rivers, trails, and historic sites managed by the Bureau of Land Management. Learn more at the Conservation System Alliance .