Overlooking the Alvord Desert on one side and Wild Horse Lake on the other, the Steens Mountain Summit trail is and easy walk up a dirt road with a 360 degree view of all the spectacular surrounding landscape thousands of feet below at the end!
Driving on the 205 you will turn onto the Steens Mountain Loop Road at the Frenchglen Hotel State Heritage Site, then continue to drive 27 miles up into the Steens Mountain Wilderness, following the main road until you see the turnoff towards the summit. (There is a collection of cell towers on top so it is easy to spot, as well as being marked by signs)
There is a parking lot from which you can take the hiking trail down 1.1 miles to Wild Horse Lake or continue on foot up the dirt road to the summit.
It is an easy .4 mile walk and should only take about 10 minutes to get past the cell towers, which sit on the summit. Once there you have an unobstructed view of thousands of miles of landscape on all sides.