The raccoon is a familiar masked face in the lower forests, campgrounds and towns around Mt. Hood, though most visitors meet it at night. It lives throughout Oregon except the high mountains and deserts, so on the mountain it sticks mainly to lower valleys, streams, ponds and lakeshores.
Raccoons are omnivores and opportunists. In the wild they eat frogs, fish, eggs, young birds, rodents, insects, nuts, acorns and berries. Much of their hunting happens at the water’s edge, where they feel for food with very sensitive front paws. The old idea that raccoons wash their food is not quite right. Scientists now think water sharpens their sense of touch and helps them feel for bits they do not want to eat.
They are also skilled climbers and quick learners that can open doors and raid garbage cans and campsite food. Raccoons that get human food often lose their fear of people and can turn aggressive, and food handouts crowd animals together and help spread disease among them. The kindest thing a camper can do is give them nothing: store food and garbage securely and never feed them.
Young raccoons spend their first several weeks in a den before they are old enough to travel with their mother.
How to identify it
A stocky, gray to brownish-gray mammal with a black mask edged in white across the eyes and a bushy tail ringed with 4 to 6 dark bands. Front paws are nimble and very sensitive to touch. Mostly active at night.
Habitat
Lower-elevation forest near water, including streams, ponds, lakes and wetlands, as well as campgrounds, farms and towns. In Oregon it is found almost everywhere except high mountains and deserts, so it is uncommon on the upper slopes of Mt. Hood.
Photos
Sightings in the forest
31 research-grade sightings in Mt. Hood National Forest on iNaturalist, most recently on October 27, 2026. See them on iNaturalist →