Alvord Desert 5 Stock Image, Harney County, Oregon

Sage brush and leafless winter trees mark the edge of 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. 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.