A nice quiet crag overlooking Tumalo creek, featuring some longer trad lines up to 600' and a handful of bolted sport routes as well, mostly concentrated in the low 5.10 range. Perhaps about 50-60 routes total in the main area, with lots of potential for more (especially easier lines).
This area has had a secretive aura about it for some time, and shows signs of having very little traffic apart from one or two main routes you can expect to brush dirt, lichen, and spiderwebs off the chalk-free holds on the way up. Rock quality is pretty variable, with a number of questionable sections and holds on most routes. Many if not all of them could benefit from increased traffic--bring a brush and wear helmets. Inspect jugs and edges before you commit to them.
For these reasons, this place is probably best as a weekend diversion if you live in the area, and might be a little disappointing if you drove from out of town, past Smith, to get here.
As routes are being added here to the MP database, further information can be found on the Cascade Climber's forum, Summit post, old guidebooks, blogs, etc for the time being. Despite all the secrecy hype, it really isn't hard to find information on.
If you want a true adventure, stop reading now, drive up towards Tumalo Falls stop when you see the big rock, hike up towards it with a sling full of widgets and go exploring. Don't forget to check for ticks after. There you go, you now have the opportunity to experience it how many have before you.
Drive as if you were going to Tumalo Falls (Head out of town West on Skyliners road, turn onto gravel at FS 4603...or just type "Tumalo Falls" into Google Maps), this final stretch of road is closed seasonally in the winter.
Cougar Buttress is the obvious 600' cliff on your right. If you don't see it, you probably shouldn't be climbing. Park in a small turnout on the side of the road (FS 4603) just before you are parallel to the highest point of the wall.
The approach trail starts at a small break in the line of trees along the road; it starts just to the left of a white USGS Survey Marker sign and a smaller blue Natural gas line sign. It is directly in line with the highest point of the buttress, and offers a full view of the Cougar Buttress route.
A little difficult to pick up at first, the trail is very obvious where it cuts up into the thicker woods/ manzanita fields about 200' up from the road. Unless neck deep manzanita wading is your thing, I would recommend finding the trail. After a steep 10-15 minutes, the trail will deposit you right at the big shady alcove that is the start of the eponymous Cougar Buttress (5.9) route.
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Bend, OR
Bend, Oregon
Bend, OR
The compromise was just listing single pitch sport routes and leaving the multipitch routes off, which seems fair to me. However, looks like other people (not me) have been adding the multipitch routes now that the discussion is gone. Mar 21, 2020
I really don't get how this could be such a sensitive issue for some folks. It's a big hunk of stone, and not a popular destination regardless. But hey, I'm not a local, so what do I know. Mar 23, 2020
So, if we're going to reduce other’s possibilities for true adventure, let’s at least remind people that the area is sensitive and has no specific management plan, nor is it “on the radar.” Please pick up after yourselves; pitch in to improve it and reduce the human erosion component. -Of course (As a human with a vested interest in this place, maybe I’ll do whatever I want.) ugh….. Apr 4, 2020
There is SO MUCH adventure still to be had. The reality is that, despite taking many people out to my own secret adventure spots, NOBODY wants to stick with the development game of bouncing along on 4x4 roads and bushwhacking up a steep hill and hauling packs of tools and brushing moss... modern climbers just want to climb. They aren't likely to leave Smith or Trout for "the Coug", but if it does pull some people away, wouldn't that be a good thing? And if it doesn't, it's still your hidden gem.
The climbing community of central Oregon is growing and probably will continue to as long as climbing makes its way further into the mainstream. That being the case, I would think that the community would be best served by making info about this place available to all. The masses just need to be directed by folks like you all. I'm happy to approve any info you want to add to the page. Apr 4, 2020
Again, feel free to "improve this page" by adding the kind of local knowledge you've mentioned in your comments.
Cheers! May 12, 2020
Bend, OR
Firstly: Cougar might not have direct access issues, but it is for sure sensitive. As has been said, the trail has been hammered and because it's not an official trail from the USFS perspective, it can't/won't be fixed in any official capacity any time soon. (trust me, I've asked) The best we can hope for currently is good samaritans risking a slap on the wrist while they try and minimize the damage being done to the hillside.
Secondly: Nate, I've got to take issue with your binary perspective on this. More than once there's been strong consensus in the community that some, but not all beta is an acceptable middle ground. The reasons behind this were well verbalized in the now deleted comments. It's not that we want the area or specific climbs to be secret. That is 100% not the goal. What we're trying to accomplish here is to preserve a specific climbing experience that will be degraded by the existence of what's posted here. It has nothing to do with selfishness and everything to do with adventure. Personally, I think Jeff's page description is spot on and wish it was all that was posted. (ie, no specific route beta)
Thirdly: the idea that one climber (or in this case a handful) can unilaterally change a crag without any sort of backing by the community is not a new concept in climbing. For decades now the gold standard for combating this and managing climbing resources is community consensus. (usually through an LCO or similar organization) Consequential management decisions are discussed by vested local climbers who have been living and climbing at a given crag for years before action is taken. In this case, we've got Jeff, Chris, Bryan, Paul, myself, as well as numerous others who's opinions are known but not expressed here who'd like to see information about Cougar disseminated more intentionally. It only takes one person to act against that consensus and post a route (likely not even realizing they're doing so in the process) How would you feel if someone went to one of your secret crags, posted it, and then it became forever etched in the public domain in a way you didn't like? (again, Cougar is no secret and no one cares to make it one)
Lastly: the idea that MP is some sort of soulless hosting platform with no regard for what local climbers and developers want is super disillusioning. As I see it, MP is a community resource managed at a local level. That's why we have regionally specific admins to address regionally specific concerns. In this case we have a whole bunch of folks who have lived and climbed in Bend for years, given back to the community by developing, rebolting routes, and doing trail work throughout the region, (and posted quite a lot of useful info on MP in the process) who have come together with a unified vision for how something is presented to the general public. The MP that I want to be a part of would put a lot of weight on that reality especially when the only evidence of contrary opinion(s) are the small number of individuals who have posted beta about Cougar over the years. Jul 24, 2020
Bend, OR