Report: 75mi Steens Range Traverse FKT

The Steens (Range) Traverse challenge consists of traversing the entire mountain range from North to South (or South to North) between OR-78 and OR-205. The route is approximately 75 mi long, follows the fault-block’s rim, offers stunning views, is 100% off-trail, rugged, wild, slow, and unique in every aspect. For more info, see the Steens Range Traverse challenge page.

The Steens, Alvord Desert, and the Pueblo Mountains are some of my favorite places that I’ve been exploring for over a decade.

For several years I’ve been slightly obsessed with the 75mi Steens Range Traverse challenge. In the summer of 2020, I was finally successful on my 3rd attempt. It took me 32h23min45s to complete the rugged, wild, slow, and gorgeous route.

It was by far not as easy as I thought it would be. I initially anticipated that this would be a rather straightforward, yet slow walk in the sage brush, but it turned out to be a lot harder. I needed to figure out the water sources and navigation was a non-trivial, especially at night, when you can’t see good lines in the terrain. In addition, the weather has to cooperate, which in itself can be challenging in the Steens.

Enjoy the movie clips below!