Cougar Butte Trailhead

A few hundred yards from the trailhead, the trail passes under Cow Horn Arch, an unexpected, breathtaking rock formation that towers 20 feet overhead. 

Further along this high country trail, hikers will be met with excellent vistas of the Jackson Creek drainage and views that extend to Northern California on a clear day. The trail winds through large open alpine meadows full of wildflowers and along the tops of ridges with unusual rock formations before entering the Rogue-Umpqua Divide Wilderness at Cougar Butte. The trail can then be made into a lollipop loop with the Cougar Butte North Trail 1432N and the Rogue-Umpqua Divide Trail #1470. If making the loop, Abbott Butte Trail 1470A is a worthwhile side trip to the top of Abbott Butte, where you’ll find a deteriorating fire lookout and beautiful views of the Cascade Range and Crater Lake rim.