How rough does the road get between Frenchglen and the playa?

Ran the Alvord playa in late May a couple years back and the surface was hard as concrete, but that's the thing about dry lakes, it all depends on what the sky did in the week before you show up. Late spring storms do happen out there. If it rained hard within a few days of your trip, the edges stay soup long after the middle dries. The trick I use is to stay on the established track near the fringe for the first quarter mile. If your tires aren't punching in and throwing mud, the rest of the lake is usually fine. If you feel that greasy slick under you, turn around right there, don't push on hoping the middle is better. And watch for the spring areas along the east side, there's soft ground ringing them even in a drought year.

The cracked and bumpy stuff you read about is real but it's more of a teeth-rattler than a hazard. Air down to something like 20 psi and it smooths out a lot. The two-track getting onto the flat is where the worst washboard lives.

Cell service is basically nonexistent once you drop off the highway. You might catch a bar on a ridge or near Fields, but plan on being off grid. I carry a satellite messenger and I'd say for a solo run that's not optional. Tell someone your route and a check-in time. Fuel wise, Fields on 205 is the classic last stop for the east side, and Frenchglen covers you if you're coming down the west side of Steens. Either way, yes, bring the jerry cans. Gas there isn't cheap and the hours can be weird, so don't count on the station being open when you roll through. Is it worth it? For me, absolutely. Big empty country, you can see the pull of the lake bed from miles out, and the quiet is something else. Mix of washboard and smooth hardpan, but the views down the length of the fault scarp make every mile of shake pay for itself. Steens Loop Road makes a good add-on if you have the time, though check its status too, the upper stretches hold snow late some years.

That test drive on the fringe track is exactly how I decide it too. I was out there in early June one year and the lakebed was glass smooth, but what got me was the dust. Anybody running ahead of you kicks up a plume that hangs for a solid ten minutes out there, so if you see another rig, back way off or wait it out. I also ran a cracked spot near the north edge that put a chip in my windshield from my own spare bouncing in the bed, so strap everything down before you hit the hardpan.

Did a similar solo loop out there a few years back and the thing that saved my trip was a cheap 12v compressor. Washboard shook a valve stem loose on my spare and I would have been stuck limping on a slow leak for two days if I couldn't air it back up every morning. Now it rides in the truck year round.

Also, bring more water than you think. That high desert heat sneaks up on you and there's zero shade once you're off the scarp. I ran the flats mid morning and it was already warm enough that the dog we brought was done by ten.