Harney Desert

Dry, largely barren expanse in south-central Oregon, extending for some 320 km/200 mi east–west and 65 km/40 mi north–south. It is situated on the northern edge of the Great Basin and the southern edge of the Columbia Plateau, and lies mainly in Harney (area 26,379 sq km/10,185 sq mi, population (1990) 7,100) and Lake counties. Burns is the chief settlement.

Lying at an altitude of about 1,220 m/4,000 ft, Harney Desert contains sagebrush barrens, grasslands, sand dunes, and a number of interesting topographical features, including the Glass Buttes to the northwest, and Steens Mountain and the Alvord Desert to the south. The Cascade Range to the west shields it from moist Pacific winds.