High Desert

High Desert, or Great Basin, sparsely populated region of south-central Oregon, lying east of the Cascades and south of the Blue Mountains. The High Desert averages 4,000–5,000 ft (1,200–1,500 m) high in elevation. With a low annual rainfall, lakes and rivers there are intermittent. Sections of the landscape are marked by cinder cones and volcanic craters. Cattle, sheep, and wild antelope graze on the short grass.