Several times our RV travels have taken us through southeast Oregon via Hwy 78 and Hwy 95. Looking to the west I have always been impressed by the lofty mountain range rising thousands of feet above the desert floor. For years I have vowed to visit what I learned was the Steens Mountain which stretches 50 miles long north and south. What makes it even more dramatic when viewed from the east is the fact that it rises from alongside the Alvord Desert at elevation of about 4,200 feet quickly climbing to a summit elevation of 9,733 feet. It is sometimes wrongly considered a mountain range, but it is truly a single mountain.
Upon studying up on the mountain, I learned there was a road to the top with campgrounds along the way. At over 9,700 feet the road qualifies as the highest road in Oregon. Not only could I drive to the top, but I could also claim bragging rights to having driven the highest road in Oregon. On a recent trip to the southwest we made plans to include Steens Mountain on our itinerary. Due to road conditions, alpine temperatures and snow, we choose not to take the RV up the mountain, but we did encounter a truck camper up top and a very stuck Prius too!
Driving the highest road in Oregon, just another adventure in RVing!
Learn more about Steens Mountain here
We ended up camping at Page Springs Campground at the beginning of the Steens Mountain Loop road which was an adventure in itself. I will share more in my next blog!.
Dave Helgeson’s many roles in the RV industry started before he even had a driver’s license. His grandparents and father owned an RV dealership before the term “RV” had been coined, and Dave played a pivotal role in nearly every position of an RV dealership. He and his wife Cheri launched their own RV dealership in the Pacific Northwest. The duo also spent 29 years overseeing regional RV shows. Dave has also served as President of a local chapter of the Recreational Vehicle Dealers Association (RVDA), worked on the board of advisors for the RV Technician Program of a local technical college, and served as a board member of the Manufactured Home and RV Association. Dave’s reputation earned him the title of “The foremost expert on boondocking,” bestowed by RV industry icon, the late Gary Bunzer (The RV Doctor). When he’s not out boondocking, you’ll find Dave in the spotlight at RV shows across the country, giving seminars about all things RVing. He and Cheri currently roam in their fifth travel trailer, with Dave doing all the service, repair and modifications to his own unit.
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