[2] It is located about 10 miles (16 km) southeast of Alvord Desert in the Alvord Basin and serves as terminus for all its streams.

Its water level varies from dry to several feet deep.

[citation needed] The nearest habitation is tiny Fields, 14.1 kilometres (8.8 mi) SSW.

At one time, Alvord Lake stretched 100 miles (160 km) along the east side of Steens Mountain.

[3] The tributaries of Alvord Lake were home to the endemic Alvord cutthroat trout, which is now considered extinct through hybridization with non-native rainbow trout.