Steens Mountain
| Steens Mountain | |
|---|---|
Steens Mountain near Andrews, Oregon
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| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 9,738 ft (2,968 m) NAVD 88 |
| Prominence | 4,373 ft (1,333 m) |
| Listing | |
| Coordinates | 42°38′11″N 118°34′36″W / 42.636418°N 118.576717°WCoordinates: 42°38′11″N 118°34′36″W / 42.636418°N 118.576717°W |
| Geography | |
 Steens Mountain
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| Location | Harney County, Oregon, U.S. |
| Topo map | USGS Wildhorse Lake |
| Climbing | |
| Easiest route | Short hike from gravel road |
Steens Mountain is in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Oregon, and is a large fault-block mountain, Located in Harney County, it stretches some 50 miles (80 km) north to south, and rises from alongside the Alvord Desert at elevation of about 4,200 feet (1,300 m) to a summit elevation of 9,733 feet (2,967 m). It is sometimes confused with a mountain range but is properly a single mountain.
The Steens Mountain Wilderness encompasses 170,166 acres (68,864 ha) of Steens Mountain. 98,859 acres (40,007 ha) of the Wilderness are protected from grazing and free of cattle.
The mountain was called the "Snowy Mountains" by John Work, one of the fur traders who were the first Europeans in the area. It was renamed in 1860 for United States Army Major Enoch Steen, who fought and drove members of the Paiute tribe off the mountain.
The east face of Steens Mountain is composed mainly of basalts stacked one upon another. Lava flows several hundreds of feet thick inundated the region between 17 and 14 million years ago.
Vegetation in the Steens Mountain Wilderness varies greatly according to elevation. Common plants include sagebrush, juniper, various species of bunchgrass, mountain mahogany, aspen, mountain meadow knotweed, and false hellebore. Other vegetation endemic to Steens Mountain includes Steens paintbrush (Castilleja pilosa var. steenensis), moss gentian (Gentiana fremontii), Steens Mountain penstemon (Penstemon davidsonii var. praeteritus), Steens Mountain thistle (Cirsium peckii), a dwarf blue lupine, and Cusick's buckwheat (Eriogonum cusickii).
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Wikipedia