Cougar Reservoir
Lane County County · USDA Forest Service · 1,129 acres

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Essentials
At a glance
- Hours
See official page for current hours
- Amenities
On site
Visitor amenities
…stay a while
- Restroomfacility
…near water
- Boat Launchwater
- Fishingwater
- Swimmingwater
Park size map
Official park boundary from GIS.
Overview
About this park
Cougar Reservoir (also known as Cougar Lake) is a reservoir on the South Fork McKenzie River in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is in Lane County, 46 miles (74 km) east of Eugene and about 3 miles (5 km) south of the community of Rainbow in the Willamette National Forest. In 1963 the United States Army Corps of Engineers built Cougar Dam on the river primarily to generate hydroelectricity and control flooding, and the reservoir formed behind the dam. The lake is also used for recreation, including boating, fishing, swimming, and waterskiing. The United States Forest Service maintains three campgrounds—Cougar Crossing, Slide Creek, and Sunnyside—near the reservoir, with opportunities for hiking and picnicking as well as camping. Other campgrounds in the general vicinity include French Pete and Delta. Terwilliger Hot Springs is along Rider Creek just west of the lake. Cougar Reservoir supports populations of stocked rainbow trout and stocked landlocked Chinook salmon as well as naturally reproducing cutthroat trout. Fishing for rainbow trout, especially in winter, is said to be "fair". The lake also supports bull trout, but it is not legal to catch and keep them.
- Location: Lane County, Oregon
- Type: Reservoir
- Shore length: 18 mi|km}}
- Surface elevation: 1558 ft|m}}
- Max depth: 425 ft|m}}
Setting
Landscape & setting
Lake facts (Wikipedia):
- Inflow: South Fork McKenzie River
- Outflow: South Fork McKenzie River
Access
Access & hours
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cougar_Reservoir (Wikipedia / Wikimedia, CC BY-SA). Verify access, seasons, and regulations with the land manager before visiting.
Background
History & notes
List note: an impoundment of the McKenzie River created by Cougar Dam Map / bathymetry image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/%7C_caption_bathymetry_____%3D?width=1600
Today
Weather
Forecast is advisory — confirm park hours before you go.
Nearby
More parks in Oregon
Data quality
Sources
Confidence checks: coordinates · website · image · hours · amenities (and last verified when known).
Confidence score
78/ 100
BLM OR Hydrography Waterbody (Lakes)
- official website
- coordinates
- amenities
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- image
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