Central Oregon – Steelhead Falls – Rugged High Desert Trail

My goal of these wilderness trail videos is to 1) show reverence for the beauty of the land, and 2) give YOU actionable trail information that can assist you in planning your own hike here.

This was a day-hike in Central Oregon, Steelhead Falls Wilderness Study Area, starting at Steelhead Falls Trailhead and hiking a 2-mile out and back, approximately 226 feet elevation gain (mostly on the way back up). If you just want to go to the Steelhead Falls lookout area and back it is only half of that, 1-mile roundtrip. Weather was a low of 40, high of 56, overcast cloudy day and mildly windy. This was hiked on 11/2/2021 with fall colors in transition or full bloom, trail was completely clear of snow, and there were NO Mosquitoes! On Alltrails this hike is called "Steelhead Falls". As far as road conditions, it's highway and paved side streets until the last few tenths of a mile or so which is gravel, you want to take this part a little cautiously but it's fairly easy. In my opinion, the road most definitely DOES NOT require 4-Wheel Drive. As far as permits, the Steelhead Falls Trailhead DOES NOT require a Recreation.gov permit.