Goat Lake, Snowgrass Flat & Goat Ridge — Saturday, Jul. 22, 2017

We hiked the loop clockwise via Berry Patch Trailhead / Goat Ridge Trail #95. We arrived at the trailhead around 9:30 Saturday morning, and were pleasantly surprised to find it was not too crowded. We did notice the Snowgrass Trailhead was significantly more crowded and it appeared most people hiked the loop counterclockwise.

The first mile and a half or so were quite steep, but mercifully in the shade. Bugs were not bad other than a brief stretch just after the #95A trail rejoined the main trail. However, it was still enough for us to get a good number of bites. Make sure to apply bug spray beforehand! 

There was no snow on this portion of the trail at all. We camped the first night above the little tarn at the top of Jordan Basin (approx. 4.5 miles in). Talk about an amazing view! There were a couple other groups camping in the area, but very spread out. It was still very nice and quiet. 

On the second day we crested Goat Ridge and headed down towards Goat Lake on Lily Basin Trail #86. The wildflowers were beautiful -- a carpet of pinks, purples, whites, yellows, and reds in every direction. The views along this stretch were phenomenal, and the highlight of the trip. There were patches of snow along the trail here, with a few dicey spots where the snow bridges were melting out. Trekking poles came in handy. The lake was almost completely snow-covered and the snow patches continued well after the lake.

We camped the second night at an amazing little campsite just south of Slide Falls. It was a beautiful clearing in the trees complete with two firepits, a stone table / cooking area, and about 10 armchairs made from flat pieces of rock presumably gathered from the talus slope next to the site. A meadow was next to the site with dozens of little alpine streams, wading pools, and large boulders for sunbathing. 

We headed out on the third day and passed a few more nice campsites along the rest of Lily Basin Trail. The rule of thumb seemed to be whenever there was an unmarked side trail, a campsite was at the end of it.

The hike down through the woods after Snowgrass Flats (Trail #96) was fairly unremarkable and mostly in the trees. Muggy with little breeze, but fortunately the bugs were not bad here. 

All in all, we had a wonderful time and can't wait to come back. We did see other hikers and overnighters, but not nearly as many people as I expected, especially considering it was a weekend with absolutely perfect weather.