Page Type:
|
Mountain/Rock |
|---|---|
Lat/Lon:
|
42.30766°N / 120.63126°W |
County:
|
Lake |
Activities:
|
Hiking, Mountaineering, Scrambling |
Season:
|
Spring, Summer, Fall |
|
Elevation:
|
7919 ft / 2414 m |
|
Overview
Cougar Mountain is located about 20 miles Northwest of Lakeview, Oregon. The peak is fairly heavily forested, but accessible via a trail/road system in the Fremont National Forest.
Cougar Mountain is peak #94 on the Howbert List of Oregon's 100 highest peaks.
Getting There
To the Trailhead
Coming from Lakeview take Highway 140 (headed West), 22.5 miles. Turn right onto National Forest development road 387 and follow this 6.6 miles. Note you need to enter the campground at around 6 miles and travel through it. Campsite 011 is actually the old road National Forest development road 388 that used to go to the summit. The road has been converted to a trail after about 0.1 miles. Drive up to the gate and park.
Coming from Klamath Falls travel Highway 140 (headed East), 68.1 miles and take a left onto National Forest development road 387. Follow the same directions as above from here.
Word of caution: In this area many of the national forest roads have been closed. There are roads through the Fremont National Forest to Cougar Mountain, however, many of these may be closed or unmaintained roads that may be impassible. Use paved roads when possible.
To the Summit
From the trailhead, follow the road to a pass at 6800 feet. The road continues to the summit (take a right), but there are signs that point to a hikers shortcut trail about 300 feet up the road. Take a left onto the hikers trail and follow it to the summmit. According to the trailhead sign, the total walking distance to the summit is 3.5 miles.
Note: The hikers trail is hard to follow in spots. My recommendation is to just to keep moving uphill if you lose it as the trail is not necessary to summit.
Red Tape
No special permits are required unless you are staying at the campsite. For day use the trail is free access.
Camping
There is a campground around Cottonwood Meadows Lake at the base of Cougar Mountain. Contact the local ranger station for more details.
External Links
https://www.fs.usda.gov/fremont-winema/
https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/fremont-winema/recarea/?recid=59735