Bend resident Michael Chavarin and Bulletin staffer Marielle Gallagher peer into the windows of a stone house, one of the first structures that Petersen Rock Garden founder Rasmus Petersen built in 1935.

Certain High Desert landmarks are a “must see,” whether you’ve lived here for years or are just passing through. Many of these attractions include hikes that offer majestic mountain views. Or they offer the chance to visit a miniature city made of thousands of rocks cemented together.

If you’ve ever driven between Bend and Redmond, you’ve seen the sign for Petersen Rock Garden and Museum on U.S. Highway 97. The sign is a little faded but has long provoked my curiosity.

Many had told me that this impressive collection of rocks and crystals is something “you just have to see.”

Last weekend, I came, I saw and I ran from an angry mother goose protecting her nest built on a castle made of lava rocks and sea shells. In addition to the occasional Canada goose, the garden also houses 25 peacocks that perch on the nine elaborate rock structures built on 4 acres.

Even though rainy days aren’t ideal for this outing, the complex rock structures were still awe-inspiring. The shells, shards of glass and colorful rocks stood out against the gray day.

My companions and I couldn’t imagine the hours of painstaking work it must have taken to carefully design and build these palaces. Not to mention the waterfalls, bridges and pools, all surrounded by a mixture of cinder, obsidian, quartz and petrified wood.

The attention to detail is incredible, from marble-studded roads small enough for toy cars winding up a hill to a little man figurine standing outside the lighthouse to a tunnel leading through a lava-rock mountain.

The whole garden looks as if a community of tiny people could inhabit it quite comfortably.

In the early spring, a few flowers pushed up around the garden, and succulents filled the rocky crevices on the structures, giving the half-century-old garden an even more mystical feel, as if someone threw his life into building it and then suddenly stopped.

Walking through a bushy entrance to yet another rock structure with a bird bath, I was reminded of a favorite childhood book and movie, “The Secret Garden.” My young friends and I would make-believe that we had our own secret garden, and I can now imagine how this garden has captured the imagination of many youngsters.

Bring your family and your dog

Petersen Rock Garden sits in an attractive rural area between Bend and Redmond. It has a picnic area, making it a great stop for families. Walking on and around the structures can be done in less than an hour, but one could easily spend multiple hours at the garden, admiring the work. Dogs are welcome, on leashes.

A small museum and gift shop operates on the property, where visitors can see other stones the garden’s creator collected and traded over the years. The museum also has a room lit with black light, so people can see the rocks’ minerals glow in the dark.

During the spring and summer, the grounds are open daily 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and in the winter, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The museum is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

Although no admission is required, a donation is encouraged to fund the maintenance of the area, owner Susan Caward says, adding that upkeep is entirely funded by admissions; no grants cover expenses.

Admission suggestions are $4.50 for adults, $2 for children 12 to 16, $1 for children 6 to 11 and $3 for seniors 62 and older.

The history

The attraction has existed for more than 70 years, according to Caward, whose grandfather, Rasmus Petersen, built it.

Petersen was a crop farmer who wanted to fill space on his land that wouldn’t produce good crops. So he decided to make a rock garden.

It was 1935 when he began building the rock structures, which neighbors soon started traveling to see. Caward said he made all structures with rocks he collected from an 85- to 95-mile radius from the area. The pieces of blue and green glass, however, did not come from Central Oregon, Caward said, and the sea shells were purchased from a sea captain’s widow.

In 1952, Petersen died of a heart attack, and his creations haven’t changed since, aside from a little upkeep from family members like Caward.

“I wish he was still around to tell us how to do it,” Caward said last week.

She said her grandfather had no formal architectural training, yet he made small buildings that looked like models of real homes and castles. Some of his creations have electric lights inside, though Caward said they aren’t used anymore.

Caward hopes to leave the garden open to the public forever, as long as she can afford to make the occasional repairs. She doubts anyone will add to Petersen’s structures, saying nobody could do it quite as well.

“He was a perfectionist,” Caward said, “he did perfect work.”

Getting there

What: Petersen Rock Garden and Museum

Where: 7930 S.W. 77th St., Redmond

Hours: Spring and summer, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. Winter, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. The museum is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

Cost: Suggested donations are $4.50 for adults, $2 for children 12 to 16, $1 for children ages 6 to 11 and $3 for seniors 62 and older.

Contact: 541-382-5574

Directions: From Bend, take U.S. Highway 97 north until you see the sign for Petersen Rock Garden, roughly eight miles from Bend. Turn left at Sherwood Road/Deschutes Pleasant Ridge Market Road. Following the signs, turn left at Young Avenue and then right onto 77th.