ハーニー郡の湖・トップ9

Just next to Trout Creek Mountain Road there is a nice pond and an even nicer water trough to fill your water bottles. The water is cool and clear – nevertheless you should treat the water before consuming.

Borax Hot Springs is a unique geological phenomenon, featuring geothermal springs that range in temperature from 104 to 300°F and are part of an active fault line. Due to its boiling temperature, Borax Hot Springs is NOT suitable for soaking! The nearby 10-acre Borax Lake, created by these powerful hot springs, is owned by The Nature Conservancy and contains high concentrations of sodium borate, arsenic, and lead, making it an ecologically sensitive area that supports unique microbes and the endangered Borax Lake chub.

Below the summit of Steens Mountain you can descend over some fairly steep switchbacks to Wildhorse Lake, one of the very few alpine lakes in the Oregon Desert. Keep in mind that the upper section of the trail might be covered under snow way into June. Another option to go down to the lake is by hiking to the radio tower on top of Steens Mountain and find a way down this less sketchy slope. There is a trail register at the top of the Wildhorse Lake Trail.

Riddle Reservoir is pretty shallow and hard to get to since the ground is very soft and muddy. Not the easiest way to collect water. However, there might be a small stream flowing from the mountain that you can use as a water source. Always treat that water, though! This is also an excellent spot to watch for wildlife. There were four pronghorns when we arrived there and plenty of water fowl.

This little reservoir had some nice water in June 2024. If you need some, better get it from here than from Riddle Reservoir which is very shallow and muddy to get to.

Mud Spring can be an acceptable water source in the spring. Cows might be present, but the water looked a lot better than Buckhorn Spring in 2024. If you can make it to Miller's Place though, I recommend going there for the really good water.

Buckhorn Spring is listed as a possible water source along the Oregon Desert Trail. From my experience in 2024, this cow pond should only be considered if you are really desperate. There were plenty of cowpats swimming in the water and getting to it was also not easy. If you are running out of water, you can hike further and take a detour into Augustine Canyon where you will find a solar-powered well.

In spring of 2024, the amount and quality of water of Griffith Spring Reservoir was really good. A lot better than all the other water holes between Hart Mountain and Frenchglen. Not silty at all and little impact from cows.