1.5 hr
Overview
You may not see a cougar in Cougar Valley State Park: the big cats in the area could well have been traumatized by the fact that this used to be the backwoods homestead of the mountain lion bounty hunters Cougar Bill and Cougar Marie. The 315-acre parcel land was acquired by the State of Oregon in 2005 using lottery funds as part of Governor Kulongoski’s “one new state park a year” initiative. In 2008, however, local residents protested the plan to develop the area with RV campsites and other facilities, and the park has remained undeveloped ever since: the area has become one of those obscure "state parks" that gets no mention on the official website. Once past the closed entrance gate, there is no signage, but you can wander freely along the main track that leads along Lost Creek to a dead end. Alder has taken over the slopes, there are a Douglas-fir plantations along the creek, and invasive species, such as creeping buttercup and blackberry, abound. However, there are a few older Sitka spruce, salmon runs come up Lost Creek, and there is a healthy local elk herd. Most of all, there will probably be no one else here!
Trail Stats
5.6 km
27 m
55 m
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Photos
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Trail photo
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Trail photo
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Trail photo
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