Steens Mountain Loop Road debuts on TripCheck
By Mindy Gould on Monday, June 12th, 2023 in Eastern/Southeast Oregon News More Top Stories
Hines (Released from Bureau of Land Management Ore. & Wash.)-Do you want to know if the Steens Mountain Loop Road is open or closed? Finding out just got easier thanks to Oregon Department of Transportation’s TripCheck website.
On TripCheck.com, magnify the area just southeast of Frenchglen to find the Steens Mountain Loop Road. Closed sections of the Steens Mountain Loop Road appear as purple and white dashed lines. Open sections appear without any color or shading.
“Thousands of travelers use the Steens Mountain Loop Road each summer. We are excited to partner with ODOT and have another, more convenient way to share information with our visitors,” said Kyle Wanner, Bureau of Land Management Burns District Outdoor Recreation Planner.
TripCheck is ODOT’s one-stop shop for information on traveling in Oregon. The website shows the latest conditions via road cameras, continuous winter travel updates, year-round highway construction details. Information on traffic congestion, incidents, and other valuable tips allow visitors to travel to and from their favorite places in Oregon.
The Steens Mountain Loop Road is Oregon’s highest elevation road and is generally open from early July to November. It affords visitor access to four developed campgrounds and overlooks at Kiger Gorge, East Rim, Big Indian Gorge, Wildhorse and Little Blitzen Gorge. The Loop Road also accesses the Riddle Brothers Ranch National Historic District. Portions of the road are closed gradually in the winter due to weather, and then re-opened in the spring depending on snow levels and moisture conditions in the area.
The Loop Road had its beginnings in 1930 when the Civilian Conservation Corps built a road from Frenchglen up to Fish Lake. The onset of World War II delayed plans for the construction of the remaining portion of the road until the early 1960s. The road was completed in 1962 and has received regular maintenance and the occasional upgrade ever since.
Information about Steens Mountain can be found on BLM.GOV: https://www.blm.gov/programs/recreation/recreation-activities/oregon-washington/steens-mountain. For additional information, call the BLM Burns District Office at (541) 573-4400.
