Ridgeline Trail System: Wild Iris Ridge + Loop Trail

The Ridgeline Trail traverses the southern end of Eugene with partially connected miles of trails through various parklands. It’s a great way to get out and explore right in town. The adventure can start at any one of eight trailheads with the main attraction being the rocky outcropping of Spencer Butte, the city’s highest point at just over 2,000 feet. The trail is a popular spot for hiking and trail running. It’s a great place to view wildlife – deer, birds and other small animals can be seen year round.

In 1937, F. M. Wilkins, the chairman of the Eugene Park Commission, summed the city's future up best when he remarked that “Eugene boys and girls will be climbing Spencer Butte fifty and one hundred years from today, to be inspired by looking over a city built out to the very foot of the Butte.” The land was originally purchased back in 1940, and it was almost 3 miles from the city limits. The Ridgeline Trail System has been cared for and treasured by the citizens of Eugene ever since.

This section of the Ridgeline Trail System was added in 2017 and contains views of the Willamette Valley such as Spencer Butte to the east and the wetlands to the west. The area includes 255 acres to explore on foot or by mountain bike. The Wild Iris Ridge Trail is an out-and-back, about 2.6 miles in total. For a longer hike with more views, continue on the Loop Trail at the summit of the Wild Iris Ridge Trail for an additional mile. In the spring, wildflowers bloom in the upland prairie and the shade of the oak trees.The hope is to one day connect all the trails along the ridgeline from Fern Ridge Reservoir to Mount Pisgah.

Trailheads (from west to east):

• Wild Iris Ridge 
• Blanton Ridge
• 52nd & Willamette
• Spencer Butte
• Fox Hollow
• Martin Street
• Dillard West
• Dillard East
• Spring Boulevard