Common blooms include the bright purple monkeyflower, stalks of red paintbrush, and yellow buttercups. ![]() Some of the high desert plants dotting our landscape include the aforementioned sagebrush (perhaps the area’s most common plant), bunchgrass, wheatgrass, and-in spring-wildflowers. Even our beige rock formations-like Smith Rock-impress with smooth cliffs, angular peaks, and soaring ridges. Rather than muted browns, for instance, the high desert is punctuated with bright yellow sagebrush buds, a dazzling tapestry of springtime wildflowers, crimson river canyons, midnight-black lava flows, and clear blue waterways (like the Deschutes and Crooked rivers, just two of the many rivers in Central Oregon). But our desert landscape is far from desolate. When most of us imagine desert terrain, we usually think of stately cacti standing tall, sheets of sand unfurling toward the horizon, and-other than the stray palm tree-an almost total lack of vegetation.Īnd, sure: We have plenty of sand blowing around Central Oregon (some of it deposited by a volcanic eruption that led to the formation of Crater Lake 7,700 years ago). Other descriptors for the area, given by cartographers in the late 1800s, have included “sage plains” and “great sandy desert.”) (Funny enough, our “high desert” actually receives too much rainfall to officially qualify as a desert calling it a shrub-steppe, marked by grasslands and prevalent vegetation, is more accurate-but far less fun to say. That lack of rain creates dry conditions and allows the region’s sweeping high desert to take shape. Essentially, that means the mountains in Central Oregon prevent precipitation from passing their crests-giving the mountain forests their rich green hues and topping our favorite peaks with annual snowfall totals that can reach 450 inches or more.Īs a result, Central Oregon sees precious little rainfall each year Bend, for instance, receives less than 12 inches annually. So here’s more on the terrain and climate of the Central Oregon high desert-along with resources for learning more and tips for making the most of your next visit to the dry side of the state.įirst and foremost, a quick science lesson: The Oregon high desert formed up to 30 million years ago by a steady barrage of lava flows-and, today, is only possible because of what’s called a “rain shadow” in the Cascade Range. ![]() ![]() As such, most of Central Oregon is actually considered “high desert” (so named for its high elevation much of the region sits at 4,000 feet above sea level and higher).īut it’s unlike any desert you’ve ever seen or experienced. Indeed, the Central Oregon high desert begins at the eastern foot of the Cascades-and continues its march through much of the central, eastern, and southern parts of the state. In the wider imagination, Oregon is seen as a rainy state-a place where umbrellas are outnumbered only by rain-soaked forests of Douglas fir in the Cascade Range, where a perpetual cloud hangs over the state like a houseguest who’s overstayed their welcome, and where residents can decipher the difference between “partly rainy” and “partly sunny” forecasts.Ĭlearly, someone’s never been to Central Oregon.
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