Description
Alvord Hot Springs Bath House & Campground sits on the eastern edge of Steens Mountain along the Alvord Desert in one of the most remote and unique landscapes in the Northwest. For riders coming from Idaho, this is the kind of destination that makes the trip worthwhile — long empty roads, wide open desert, and a hot soak at the end of the day. The hot springs have both indoor and outdoor soaking pools, camping, and basic cabins, making it a perfect overnight stop while exploring the Steens Mountain Loop Road, the Alvord Desert playa, and the surrounding high desert backroads. Fuel is limited in the area, so plan ahead, but the remoteness is exactly what makes this place special.
More Information
Alvord Desert: https://traveloregon.com/places-to-go/regions/eastern-oregon/alvord-desert/
Steens Mountain Loop Road: https://www.blm.gov/visit/steens-mountain-loop-road
Fields Station (fuel, food, milkshakes): https://fieldsstation.com/
Willow Creek Hot Springs: https://soakoregon.com/willow-creek-hot-springs/
Coordinates: 42.542535, -118.533257
Elevation: 4060 ft
Difficulty: 1
What to Expect:
Check In
Use the form below to check in. Check-ins must include a photo of you or your bike at the challenge site with the 2026 bandanna. All participants must be registered IAMC Challenge Members. Leave a description of your ride and share road conditions — snow, water, obstacles, and tips for future riders are all appreciated.
Replying to another person's check-in is encouraged, but take care not to accidentally create your own check-in.
The stated difficulty is an estimate. Rating your experience helps future riders stay safe. You alone are responsible for the safety of your ride.
7 Check-Ins
CAUTION: Take your picture from the sign at the road; I would strongly advise against going in or trying to find the hot springs.
The site was easy to find off the main road; it's a hot springs as a private business. Lots of people there to use it. I parked the bike in the lot and went just a little past the concrete blocks saying not to use soap products, etc. Hardly out of the parking lot. Didn't feel comfortable taking pictures of any hot springs due to people using them (or at least I assume, they aren't clearly visible from the lot), but was just about to take a photo in the field when the owner comes out of the office and yells at me, then goes back into the office.
I go in to see what he wants, haven't said anything; he tells me to take my helmet off (so we can "talk like civilized people") and starts unloading on me -- obviously very upset -- about it being private property and how I can't walk around. (Though it's clearly an open business and I didn't go much past the parking lot.)
Asks what I'm doing: I just say I'm here to see the hot springs. He says you need to check in at the office and asks if I saw the sign (I didn't; there are a large number of different signs around the property but I guess I missed that one). I ask him what I should do, or if I should leave, and he says he wants to charge me for using the hot springs.
I let him know I was there because the site was part of the Adventure Motorcycle Challenge and I was just going to take a picture. He was unaware of the Challenge and asked me to "tell the company to take it off." I just tell him I'm going to leave now. Got the picture from the public road.
I don't really have any problem with him running the business however he wants, but he was clearly very irate and did not want to have anything to do with the Adventure Motorcycle Challenge or people taking pictures for it on his property.
As far as difficulty: The main road to visit this site (Fields-Denio Rd / E Steens Rd) is gravel, with some of it freshly dropped and not very compact, so you swim around a bit in it (difficulty 2). However, as per the above, I do not recommend visiting the actual site or looking for any hot springs there.
Fast gravel to the site. We didn't do the hot-spring thing on this 85 degree day.
Decided not to go for a soak. Looks kind of like a post-apocalyptic compound!
