Alvord Desert 3 Stock Image, Harney County, Oregon

Snow tipped peaks lie beyond the dry and cracked floor of the Alvord Desert in Harney County, Oregon. The desert is a 12-mile by 7-mile playa, a dry lake bed, and averages 7 inches of rain a year. Two mountain ranges separate it from the Pacific Ocean?the Coast Range, and the Cascade Mountains. Along with Steens Mountain, these topographical features create a rain shadow. The Alvord lies at an elevation of approximately 4000 feet. During the dry season, the surface is flat enough to drive across, or land small aircraft on.