Cougar is a small unincorporated community in southern Cowlitz County, Washington, set along State Route 503 in the Lewis River valley. With a population of 118 at the 2020 census, it is a compact, forest-bound settlement best known as the closest community to Mount St. Helens, lying about 11 miles from the volcano's summit. The community sits on the northwest bank of Yale Lake, one of three reservoirs created on the Lewis River by dams built in the 1950s, and is surrounded by the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. The community's history is tied to the land itself. It was named for the cougar, and for a time it held incorporated town status, recording 122 residents at the 1990 census before disincorporating ahead of the 2000 census. That shift to unincorporated status reflects its enduring character: a small, rural place oriented toward the forest and the mountains rather than toward growth. Today Cougar remains a year-round settlement with a population that swells seasonally as visitors arrive to explore the Cascade foothills. Economically and culturally, Cougar functions as a recreation gateway. Campgrounds, resorts, and small local businesses cater to hikers, anglers, boaters, and campers drawn by Yale Lake, Swift Reservoir, Lake Merwin, and the network of trails and waterfalls in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. The Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument and the mountain's visitor areas lie within reach, giving the community a steady flow of outdoor-oriented travel. For residents, Cougar offers a quiet, low-density way of life. Housing consists largely of cabins, cottages, and forest-edge homes, many used seasonally, scattered through a wooded landscape rather than arranged in suburban subdivisions. Children attend schools in the Woodland School District, with the nearest larger town of Woodland about 28 miles to the southwest along State Route 503. Cougar is a place for people who prioritize direct access to wilderness and water over proximity to city amenities.