Alvord Desert

Alvord Desert
Desert
View of Alvord Desert from Steens Mountain
Alvord Desert Location of desert within Oregon Show map of Oregon Alvord Desert Alvord Desert (the United States) Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 42°32′N 118°28′W / 42.53°N 118.46°W / 42.53; -118.46
Location	Oregon, United States
Area
• Total	84 sq mi (220 km2)
Bordered by	Steens Mountain, Mickey Butte, Pueblo Valley and Tule Springs Rim

The Alvord Desert is a desert located in Harney County, in southeastern Oregon in the Western United States. It is roughly southeast of Steens Mountain. The Alvord Desert is a 12-by-7-mile (19 by 11 km) dry lake bed and averages 7 inches (180 mm) 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 Desert lies at an elevation of approximately 4,000 feet (1,200 m).

During the dry season the surface is sufficiently flat for driving or landing small aircraft. Vehicle driving attempts to score land speed records are performed on the dry lake bed. The women's world land speed record was set in 1976 by Kitty O'Neil at 512 miles per hour (824 kilometres per hour), later surpassed in 2019 by Jessi Combs at 522.783 miles per hour (841.338 kilometres per hour), although the latter died in the process because of a crash.^[1]

The nearest community is Fields, Oregon.