Cougar Creek
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| | Raps:6 - 10, max ↨130ft
Red Tape:No permit required Shuttle:Required 15 mins Vehicle:High Clearance Rock type:Basalt | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Condition Reports: | 19 Jun 2024
"Explored an alternate entrance to main Cougar, dropping right off the road near the parking area. Upper section above confluence 1 has a few short dro |
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| Best season: | July
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46.1222, -122.2577
46.1202, -122.2492
46.0994, -122.2131
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Waterflow
Introduction[edit]
A canyon with lots of variety. Big pools and jumps, long free hanging rappels. A convenient car shuttle. Start early and be prepared for a long day.
The water flow will increase as you go though the canyon. Flow is probably 3-4x at the end of the narrows than where you drop in.
This is not a well outfitted and commonly run canyon, folks should be prepared to rebuild anchors.
Approach[edit]
Drop a shuttle car at the Trail of Two Forests and drive up on the paved road past Ape Cave. Turn on to a dirt forest road at 46.12382, -122.24213 and follow down this until the creek has washed out the road (the drop in point). Your vehicle probably won't make it all the way, a RAV4 made it to 0.6 miles away from the drop in point. This is the parking area noted on the map. (If you don't have a 4WD-HC vehicle, you can park just off the road at the turn off and walk in which adds like +5-10min.)
- If you want to skip the upper part of the creek, it may be possible bushwhack directly downslopes to the start of the Hall of Moss.
- An unexplored, but possibly better approach could be to drive on the paved road until 46.12456, -122.26307, then drop into the creek at 46.12453, -122.25921. It looks like this could add a rappel too.
Descent[edit]
Upper Section[edit]
- R1: 40ft from bolt DCL.
- R2: 70ft from tree DCR 20ft back.
A long brushy creek walk with few downclimbs. Two falls with potential for rappelling in higher flow.
The Hall of Moss[edit]
This section starts shortly after the confluence. It has many pools that look like jumps, but none of them go except the mandatory one. Scrambling around is generally easy, some more rappels could be added here for fun.
- R3: 40ft from bolt on large boulder canyon center.
- J1: 15ft jump. Or rappel from tree DCR.
More waterpark features.
- R4: 130ft from tree DCR. This line will hit you with all the water right in the face as you go over the lip, the rest will be free hanging. The edge atop the pitch is extremely sharp; slipping/creeping the rope is recommended. Watch for glorious rainbows on a sunny day.
After this, there's about 0.5mi of soul-sucking bouldery creek-walking to the narrows.
The Narrows[edit]
- R5: 25ft from bolt DCL.
- 8ft drop, downclimbed on log DCR.
- 3ft plunge out of slot. DO NOT JUMP (big boulders hidden under the water), lower yourself down.
Reach confluence.
- J2: 20ft. Easiest jump from DCR (?).
- Logjam in narrows ending with possible 15ft jump. Required two nuisance rappels to exit the jam in 2024.
- J3: 25ft. (Must jump out ~5ft to avoid lip.) Or rappel from single bolt DCR.
- R6: 35ft from log DCL. Beware using the single bolt DCR. This is a bad line as rappellers will enter a deep hanging pothole with the full force of the creek coming down on top of you. This could be a deadly trap in higher flow.
Exit[edit]
After the last plunge pool, continue walking down the creek, you will immediately pass a waterfall coming in on the right and the walls will start to widen and the creek will get shallower and gravel-bottomed. Change out of your wetsuit. Cross an overgrown meadow/swampy area and follow elk trails up to cross a small mini-saddle. On the far side, navigate around the meadow/swamp on it's left edge following elk trails through grassy terrain. Beyond, head up through the forest to the Trail of Two Forests parking area. This is mostly on the lava flow which is some up and down but brush does not grow on lava so it is easy walking. Total distance is around 2mi, 600ft gain.
- Use caution in the lava field as there are a number of open vertical shafts (old tree casts) here and there. Falling into one would probably not go well. Running around after dark not recommended.
Red tape[edit]
- The Trail of Two Forests trailhead requires a NW Forest Pass.
- You will pass the booth for the Ape Cave parking area. If open, they will ask you if you have a reservation. Tell them you are going up the forest road to take pictures of the waterfalls on Cougar Creek. (Ape Cave is extremely popular and has timed entry permits to reduce crowding.)
- FR 8303 has a gate just past the Trail of Two Forests that is closed in winter.
Beta sites[edit]
Trip reports and media[edit]
Background[edit]
Scouted by Eric Jorgenson on June 10, 2023. First descent by Eric Jorgenson, Amy Kolor and Lauren Kenyon on July 3, 2023.