Backpack Trail Guide

Trails / Oregon / Eastern Oregon

Big Indian Gorge (Steens Mountain Wilderness)

Steens Mountain Wilderness, BLM Burns District (South Steens Campground, Steens Mountain Loop Road, near Frenchglen)

Steens Mountain is a fault-block range in southeast Oregon; CleverHiker says it runs nearly 60 miles long, with its east side dropping about 5,500 feet to the Alvord Desert. Big Indian Gorge is one of the canyons reached from the Steens Mountain Loop Road on the range’s west side, and the BLM’s trail sheet describes its trail as regularly used and easy to follow.

It’s an out-and-back up Big Indian Creek beneath canyon walls The Mountaineers puts at more than 2,000 feet high, ending at a headwall with waterfalls.

The hike

The trail starts at the back of South Steens Campground on the Steens Mountain Loop Road. The Mountaineers says to drive 61 miles from Burns to Frenchglen on OR-205, continue 10 miles toward Fields, then turn onto the loop road and drive 18.9 miles to the campground. CleverHiker says high clearance or four-wheel drive is needed for dirt roads in the area, including a steep, rocky section near the campground.

CleverHiker says the first couple of miles follow a dirt road. Between miles 2 and 3 come the crossings: Indian Creek at 1.9 miles, Little Indian Creek at 2.2, and Big Indian Creek at 3.1, according to The Mountaineers. The BLM warns they can be difficult or impassable in spring and early summer.

Beyond, the gorge opens into meadows, cottonwood, and large aspen groves. The Mountaineers suggests three turnaround points: a large boulder (8.2 miles round trip), Cottonwood Camp (13 miles), and the headwall at trail’s end (17 miles). CleverHiker describes a plateau at the mouth of the U-shaped gorge with sagebrush, juniper, and aspen, a cottonwood grove with a couple of good sites around 6.5 miles, and uneven sites near the headwall at about 8 miles, the usual turnaround.

The Mountaineers warns that sagebrush sections are overgrown, so wear long pants. CleverHiker lists ticks, early-summer mosquitoes, and rattlesnakes, and notes that streams can dry up by midsummer. Strong hikers can use the gorge as the first leg of CleverHiker’s 28-mile off-trail Gorges Loop, which climbs the 2,000-foot headwall, crosses toward the summit, and descends Little Blitzen Gorge; CleverHiker says it isn’t for beginners.

The BLM says Indian Creek is closed to fishing and that the trail is popular with equestrians. Its sister canyon, Little Blitzen Gorge, starts nearby and runs about 9 miles to its own headwall.

For another eastern Oregon backpack, see the Strawberry Mountain Wilderness loop.

Tips

Camping

Camping is dispersed at existing sites. The BLM says the canyon has many, including Cottonwood Camp, a stock camp around mile 6.5. CleverHiker advises using pre-used sites on durable surfaces at least 200 feet from water and trails. The Steens Mountain area has a 14-day stay limit, and the BLM asks visitors to stay on open routes and respect private land within the Cooperative Management and Protection Area.

The Burns District fire prevention order of Sept. 9, 2026, banned building or attending any fire, including wood stoves and charcoal, and required gas stoves outside developed recreation sites to sit in a barren area at least 10 feet across. The BLM rescinded that order effective Sept. 25, 2026; check with the Burns District for current fire rules.

Inside Intel: CleverHiker’s guide points to the cottonwood grove about 6.5 miles in as the place to camp, with “a couple of good sites,” and says sites near the headwall are uneven. No individual camper accounts recommending a specific site were found.

Trail facts

The Lowdown

Bring a stove for Steens Mountain:

Fire rules here change with the season, and a gas stove is the safe plan in a dry canyon. See which compact stoves testers rate.

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Where this comes from

This page draws on the sources below, along with other guides and trip reports. Links go to the original pages.

Before you go: This page is based on published trail guides, trip reports, and reviews, along with official park and agency information where we could find it. It’s meant to help backpackers discover new trails, not to replace current, official information. Conditions, closures, permits, campsites, and water sources change, and some details here may be out of date or wrong. Confirm everything with the managing agency and check current conditions before you head out, and don’t rely on this page alone for safety or navigation. Backcountry travel involves risk.