Cline Buttes is a mountain with three dome-shaped peaks located in Deschutes County in central Oregon. It is one of the eastern foothills of the Cascade Range. The mountain is situated on land administered by the Bureau of Land Management. It is flanked on the east and west sides by two separate sections of the Eagle Crest Resort. On the highest summit, there is a Federal Aviation Administration site with an aircraft navigation beacon. The mountain has several hiking trails as well as a number of popular mountain bike routes.
Video Cline Buttes
Geography and geology
Cline Buttes is a mountain with three rounded peaks. It is one of the eastern most foothills of the Cascade mountain range, located near the northwest corner of Oregon's high desert county. The mountain is in Deschutes County, approximately 7 miles (11 km) west of Redmond, Oregon. Of the mountain's three crests, the southern peak is the highest. Its summit is 4,117 feet (1,255 m) above sea level. The mountain's topographic prominence from the south summit is 881 feet (269 m). Cline Buttes is a stand-alone mountain with the nearest higher peak 12 miles (19 km) to the south.
Cline Buttes is a volcanic structure created as part of John Day Formation during the early Miocene epoch, approximately six million years ago. The primary rock that makes up the mountain is rhyolite with some basalt also present. Most of the rhyolite is white or light-gray. It was formed when volcanic magma cooled below the earth's surface before erupting onto the surface. There are also some obsidian flow-bands exposed in a rock quarry on northeast flank of the mountain. Cline Buttes has been significantly eroded over time, leaving a rounded dome shape with three separate crests. It is now covered with 10-inch (25 cm) to 20-inch (51 cm) of sandy loam soil in most areas with rhyolite and basalt outcropping on the steeper slopes.
Maps Cline Buttes
Environment and ecology
To the west of Cline Buttes are woodlands covered with western juniper transitioning to ponderosa pine, lodgepole pine, and fir forest. The forest extends to the timberline on the central Cascade peaks, approximately 22 miles (35 km) away. The area south and east of the mountain is drier. It is typical of Oregon's high desert county dominated by juniper and sagebrush.
The slopes of Cline Buttes are covered by an old-growth juniper forest with an understory dominated by low sagebrush. Rabbitbrush is also a common understory shrub on Cline Buttes slopes. Low groundcover plants includes Granite Gilia, rough eyelash, Longleaf hawksbeard, and bunch grass.
Cline Buttes and the surrounding area host a wide variety of wildlife. Larger mammals found in the area include black-tailed deer, elk, coyotes, black bear, bobcats, and cougars. Smaller mammals include American badgers, striped skunks, black-tailed jackrabbits, white-tailed jackrabbits, mountain cottontails, Belding's ground squirrels, golden-mantled ground squirrels, and least chipmunks.
Birds common to the Cline Buttes area include mountain chickadee, American goldfinch, lesser goldfinch, Black-headed grosbeak, mountain bluebird, Steller's jay, northern flickers, and black-billed magpie. Birds of prey found in the area include golden eagles, red-tailed hawks, northern harriers, and prairie falcons. While prairie falcons are uncommon in most parts of central Oregon, the area around Cline Buttes has a native breeding population. To protect these birds, some areas around Cline Buttes are closed to humans activities several months each year.
History
Cline Buttes was names in honor of Doctor Cass A. Cline (1850-1926), a pioneer dentist and early land developer in Central Oregon. A nearby waterfall on the Deschutes River, north east of the butte, is also named after the doctor. Cline immigrated to Oregon in 1853, settling in the Willamette Valley. He moved to central Oregon in 1871. In 1886, he filed a homestead land claim along the Deschutes River, near the buttes and falls that now bear his name.
Later, Cline attempted to establish a town along the west bank of the Deschutes River, near the foot of Cline Butte. At its peak, the town of Cline Falls had a post office, a school, two stores, two hotels, a newspaper, a power plant, and 500 residential lots for sale. However, the community eventually failed when the first railroad route through the area choose to build on the east side of the river through the neighboring town of Redmond.
In 1904, gold was discovered on Cline Buttes by Otto Retzlaff and C. P. Becker. The first gold ore was found in a ledge outcrop on the south flank of the mountain. More than 50 mining claims were quickly filed. However, when the ore was assayed it was found to be uneconomical to extract so mining operations never got underway.
In 1985, development of Eagle Crest Resort began along the Deschutes River, east of Cline Buttes. The original development was on the east side of the Cline Falls Highway. In 1996, Eagle Crest began selling residential lots west of the Cline Falls Highway, between the highway and the eastern base of Cline Buttes. This development was completed in 1993. Later, a third phase of Eagle Crest housing was developed along the northwestern base of Cline Buttes. This area is separated from the Eagles Crest's second development by approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) of Bureau of Land Management property. There is a paved easement road that connects the two areas, running along the northern base of the mountain.
Today, the Bureau of Land Management administers Cline Buttes and much of the land around the mountain. The bureau has established Cline Buttes Recreation Area, a 32,000 acres (130 km2) area that is being developed for a wide range of recreational uses. A service road run up the south side of the mountain and then along the upper west flank to the main summit. The road supports a Federal Aviation Administration facility located at the summit. The facility houses a radio beacon used for aircraft navigation. There is also a road running along the east flank of the mountain. It leads to a rock quarry located on the northeast side of the mountain.
Recreation
In the summer, recreation opportunities in the Cline Buttes area include hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking, bird watching, and scenic viewing. There are separate mountain trails for hikers, mountain bikes, and horseback riding. During the winter, the area is usually available for some recreation activities since snow accumulation on and around the mountain is not excessive in most years.
Cline Buttes is particularly well known for its mountain bike trails. Several of the bike trails are narrow single-track paths that follow the slope around the buttes to vista points. There are also two downhill trails that start at the top of the highest peak. These are extremely challenging routes with very steep rocky sections. Those trails are recommended for expert bikers only. Many of the lower trails are narrow with occasional downhill jumps, suitable for bikers with intermediate level skills.
From the summit of Cline Buttes, visitors have an excellent view of Cascade peaks to the west as well as the high desert country of Deschutes and Crook counties to the east. Visitors can see as far north as Mount Hood and as far south as Mount Bachelor from Cline Buttes' highest summit. To the west are the central peaks of the Cascade Range, dominated by the Three Sisters. To the northeast there is Smith Rocks and farther to the east are the Ochoco Mountains. From the summit, the views to the south and southeast are of the lower sections of the Cline Buttes Recreation Area located on the Matson Plateau west of the Deschutes River.
References
External links
- Cline Buttes Recreation Area map
Source of article : Wikipedia
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