02/23/2026
I am passionate about the Oregon Desert in Lake and Harney Counties. I spend countless days and weeks here every year. It's remote, dark skies and the kind of place that grounds you. Helps you detach from the crazy world sometimes. It needs protection. Awareness. Many places are on the verge of being destroyed by lithium mines and military installations...
“…a vast, bright blue lake appears, seemingly out of thin air. It would be fair to question one’s eyesight, with such a stark contrast to the otherwise tan and rocky high desert landscape, but this is no mirage. It is Lake Abert, Oregon’s sole salt lake and one of the three hypersaline lakes in the Great Basin.”
Perhaps you’ve had the same thought as you’ve rounded the corner of Oregon’s Highway 395, beholding this hidden wonder. Or, maybe you were struck by Lake Abert’s beauty as you flipped the page in your Wild Desert Calendar this month.
This unique high desert lake is vital habitat for hundreds of thousands of migratory birds traveling the Pacific Flyway, where they replenish their fat stores by feasting on alkali flies and brine shrimp that are adapted to live in this saline environment.
Have you been to Lake Abert? What did you see? Tell us about it in the comments . 👇
Photo: Mark Darnell
