South Steens HMA 2026 Trip Report

WoW!! Another amazing trip to Eastern Oregon in the early summer of 2026. We certainly lucked out with the weather - it was in the low 80's vs 90's or above in all my other trips out that way. This year we glamped in an AirBnB rental at the edge of the Alvord in a converted stock trailer. It was a special way to enjoy the stars above and day trip into the Steens Wilderness Area. 

This past year I've taken a few classes on off-roading my Jeep. I learned a ton!! This came in really handy navigating the rocky BLM roads that lead off the main Steens loop. The first thing we did was head towards Lauserica after passing the two waterholes off the main loop. It's worth noting that both of those waterholes were very low - the first hole totally dried and second about 1/3 of what I have experienced at the same time in previous years. 

When we got out to the waterhole off Lauserica, we parked the Jeep up a hill, somewhat hidden from the hole and waited. It didn't take long for a small family with a wee little one with markings akin to Bambi come running over the hills towards the hole. 

The foal had the zoomies, she was kicking, bucking and feeling her legs all the way to the hole. We watched them take a drink and hoped they would make the same trek back past us as they left. Unfortunately, we were spotted by the shy family and they looped back a different direction to leave the hole. 

We headed back towards the main loop - passing a large meadow near the gravel pile area. Last year, this area was very wet and full of yellow flowers - but no horses. This year a group of 5 bachelor stallions found this area to be fantastic grazing with a decent amount of grass (for now - i'm sure it won't last long) 

These boys were wonderfully curious and all different colouring and markings. The Sorrel was definitely in charge of the group, and a little braver than the others. I was able to get some amazing references for future paintings of this group which I am very excited about.

As we left the bachelors we found the older Stallon Patriot. He looked in great shape - not far from him was his buddy -

Gelding, Bruiser hanging in the trees. These two were buddies when we saw them on last years trip as well. 

After Lauserica, we took the Jeep up Burnt Car Road. There was a lot of evidence of horses, but we didn't actually see any until we trekked over to the East Reservoir before heading out. There, we spotted Shaman on his own. This was my first time seeing this well-documented stallion. He didn't linger for long, so I wasn't able to get many great photos of him. However, we were able to see that he is indeed suffering from eye damage, which other photographers on the range have documented earlier this year.

I love our treks to Eastern Oregon. Each visit is entirely different from the last. After the 2024 fall gather, we only saw two horses together during last year's trip. This year, we noted five different groups of horses, including a few solitary individuals. However, given the low water levels at the waterholes and the dry conditions that lie ahead, it's probably for the best that we didn't see an overabundance of horses this time.

This fall, my husband and I are participating in a Jeep Adventure in Moab, Utah. We plan to map out a few HMAs along the way and in Utah so we can experience wild horses in different landscapes and habitats. If we're lucky enough to find some, I'll definitely be sharing another post documenting our trip. Stay tuned, and thanks for reading!