Eagle Crest Resort isn’t merely a swanky neighborhood choc-full of retired folks who love to golf. It’s also teeming with wildlife and bordering a resplendent juniper forest and high desert eco-system that’s worth exploring.

My parents live at the northwestern corner of the area, and in a typical gold outing with my 73-year-old father, I’ve probably spotted more wildlife than in any other single day in Central Oregon. We’ve encountered rattlesnakes, gopher snakes, lizards of all sizes, birds with different attitudes and screeching languages, and more than a few herd of black-tailed deer. Humans have dislocated wildlife with the endless construction of Eagle Crest’s neighborhoods, but the wildlife certainly hasn’t gone quietly.

That’s why I was excited about choosing a weekend hike that skirts the edge of the Eagle Crest neighborhoods. Officially known as the West Ridge at Eagle Crest Trail System, my son and my septuagenarian parents and I took our four-legged friends the northwest edge of Cline Buttes to take advantage of a 55-degree morning in early March. It was the kind of Central Oregon winter day that reminded you that, yes, there is hope in the form of warmth and an end to seasonal depression on the horizon.

Hardly a peakbagger hike, this is a moderately cardio-maintenance jaunt. It contains about 1.5 miles of lazy upward switchbacks that offer stunning views of the familiar gigantic characters in our western horizon: All Three Sisters, Mount Bachelor, Mount Washington, Jefferson, Three Fingered Jack and — at points — Mount Hood and Mount Adams were visible on this crystal clear first day of March.

If you’re lucky enough to know some folks who live in Eagle Crest and therefore gain property-adjacent access to a gate along the western-edge BLM land, you can make it a loop. If you’re like most people, and just wandering in from the non-gated world with no connections, you can either access an out-and-back option at the trailhead from within the West Ridge Eagle Crest neighborhood or make a long day of it from Cascade View Trailhead along Eagle Crest Boulevard, just south of U.S. Highway 126.

For our purposes, we skirted a cattle fence along the west/southwest edge of the neighborhood along a well-trod trail to the top. For early March, the trail was in remarkably good shape, totally devoid of snow and largely free of mud. One week earlier, the trail was impassable, but such is the state of our yo-yo Central Oregon temps as we stagger into spring.

The real treat is the view from the top, and I’m not just referring to eye-popping panorama of seven or eight snow-capped mountains. A neighborhood project has resulted in what’s informally known as the “Cline Butte Rock Art Gallery,” and the participation rate is enormous. A pile of rocks some 8 feet high and hundreds of square feet in breadth includes hundreds of colorfully painted stones bearing names, pictures, symbols and mosaics. Everything from state university school colors (the Oregon State Beavers are well-represented) to peace signs to polka-dotted flowers to Snoopy on a surfboard is strewn about the multi-colored monument to creativity. Some stones memorialize people lost, and some memorialize romantic love. There are out-of-town tributes, too, including shout-outs for Montana and a “Lahaina Strong” pebble, no doubt in response to the devastating fire of Summer 2023. And, of course, the American flag does not lack for representation. All in all, it’s a delightfully creative destination for those who enjoy mixing hiking and art.

We added our own humble contribution, a dark stone with two colorful flowers painted by my nieces. My mother’s pride in anything her grandchildren do is unmatched, so we spent several minutes finding the proper placement.

The “summit” of this hike is not the geographic top of Cline Buttes but is probably at least 100-200 feet shy. Still, it’s high enough that a bench and peak-identifier kiosk marks the apex of the hike. Nearby, a trail book in a metal box encourages all who visit to mark their names for posterity. Never have I seen a hike so brief yet so replete with artistic and literary opportunities to let others know you ventured there.

On the backside of the hike, Smith Rock State Park is visible to those familiar with its scarring effect on the landscape, and the sprawling Redmond metropolitan area peppers the landscape beneath it.

The wildlife was hiding on this semi-spring day. We spotted the usual ravens, eagles and brave squirrels (perhaps taking a break from a winter nap). That may have had something to do with the presence of two obnoxious but loving labrador retrievers that accompanied us.

To reach the trailhead, take the Eagle Crest Boulevard exit off Highway 126, and follow it to the first right into a residential area. Drive with care along William Lyche Dr., past the Lakeridge Sports Center, and take your second right on Highland View Loop. There is a small, dirt parking area by a trailhead marker and dog poop bag dispenser on your left. Keep the poop dispensers on a leash.