Ryderwood is a census-designated place (CDP) in Cowlitz County, Washington, west of the city of Vader.

[4] Ryderwood, originally named Cougar Flats, was established as a logging camp by the Long-Bell Lumber Company in 1923.

[3] Simultaneously, the town of Longview was created to mill and ship the lumber coming out of Ryderwood.

Ryderwood was named for W. F. ("Uncle Bill") Ryder, the logging operations manager for Long-Bell, who came to the northwest to locate a timber source.

The community was envisioned beyond that of a temporary logging camp, as a permanent center that would contain a school, church and theater.

[6] The town built Ryderwood Lake[a] in 1956, encompassing 6 acres inside an existing gravel pit.

[10] According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 0.16 square miles (0.41 km2), all (100.0%) land.