Anyone ride the Eugene to Crest Trail? (Bunchgrass Ridge Trail)

I'm considering trying Bikepacking this summer and it looks like a promising way to tie in to the Waldo Lake trail system.

You're just a bit early for me. I was planning on exploring the hills east of Eugene later this year or next year (depending on how much time I spend riding around towards the northwest). I even got those nice forest service maps from my neighbor, who works for the USFS. It's nice that they tell you which roads were paved as of their printing.

I'm guessing it'd make more sense to ride this trail in a east to west direction?

Unfortunately, that'd mean riding the McKenzie River trail in the uphill direction in order to make the loop I'm thinking about.