Why Cooper Mountain is a ‘hiking gem’ close to Portland

When Cooper Mountain Nature Park first opened, the praise was effusive.

Just after the Washington County park opened its trails in 2009, Terry Richard, former outdoors and travel writer for The Oregonian/OregonLive, not only called Cooper Mountain a “must-do park,” but the “hiking gem” of Washington County.

Now, more than a decade later, how does that praise hold up?

Cooper Mountain, found on the western edge of Beaverton, is a joint venture by Metro and the Tualatin Hills Parks and Recreation District, developed with a $136 million bond measure approved by voters in 1995. The 230-acre park features three and a half miles of hiking trails that loop and wander through the forests and prairies, with sweeping views atop the 764-foot mountain.

Much of the park is drenched in sun (bring your sunscreen), though there are shaded portions. This is a great place for wildlife watching, with dozens of species of birds spotted in the park, as well as deer, rabbits, squirrels and frogs (as well as the occasional cougar). There are plenty of oak trees and Douglas firs, but hikers will also spot some Pacific madrones growing in the rocky soil.

It’s surely nice any time of year, but Cooper Mountain is particularly nice in the spring, when the landscape is humming with life. On a sunny afternoon this week, the trails were lined with blooming yellow Oregon grape flowers, and white Saskatoon flowers, with purple Oregon irises tucked into the grassy brush. Clear, blue skies stretched as far as Mount Jefferson, which peeked above a ridgeline in the distance.

Several hikers were out on the trail by the late afternoon, but the park was far from crowded. The Cooper Mountain parking lot, found on Southwest Kemmer Road, holds about 40 cars, though an overflow lot has space for some 15 more. You’re likely to see others on the trail, but there is plenty of room to spread out.

While signs warn of some steeper sections of trail, the park is a relatively easy place to hike, thanks to some well-graded compacted gravel trails. Trail accessibility varies throughout the park, according to Access Recreation, though at least one smaller section, the .75-mile Little Prairie Loop, is specifically designed for mobility devices.

The Tualatin Hills Parks and Recreation District hosts regular events in the Cooper Mountain Nature House, a big red building at the park entrance, including wildflower walks, yoga classes, nature camps and moon watching events.

It all makes Cooper Mountain a great place to get outside in the heart of the suburbs. And while there are certainly other places to hike in Washington County, the park’s “hiking gem” title still feels well earned.