Cooper Mountain Nature Park
Seasons
Checklists
Location
Cooper Mountain Nature Park Website
From Highway 217 take the Scholls Ferry Road exit and head west on Scholls Ferry past Murray Boulevard. At Southwest 175th Avenue, turn right and go north, uphill, about 1.8 miles and turn left on Kemmer Road. The park entrance is on the south side of Kemmer Road. From Southwest Farmington Road (Highway 10), go south on 185th Avenue, which becomes Gassner Road. Turn left on 190th Avenue and left on Kemmer Road. Parking at Cooper Mountain is extremely limited. Please carpool, walk or bike! Please do not park on residential streets around the park.
DirectionsHabitat and Birds
The nature park occupies the top of the hill, saving it from residential development. The parking area starts on a grassy knoll with numerous Lesser and American Goldfinches. Over 5 miles of graveled trails lead in loops around the crown. All trails have some elevation changes, so these may not be suitable for some hikers. Habitats include scrubby oak and madrone on the south slope where White-crowned Sparrows and Lazuli Buntings sing. There are ravines of willow, cottonwood, and western red-cedar with Swainson’s Thrushes and Spotted Towhees. And there are some Douglas-fir woods about 20 years old with Dark-eyed Juncos and Black-throated Gray Warblers. Western Bluebird breeds in the park and is relatively easy to find. This is also a good place to find Purple Finch.
Discussion