The road to Goat Mountain is in good condition, some potholes but nothing terrible.

My GPS agrees with other trip reports, closer to 9.5 miles and 4K elevation (this includes the unofficial trail).

This would be a good hike to do when it is really hot out as the first portion is in the trees/in the shade. That being said once you get towards the end of the official trail, into the alpine meadow, and onto the unofficial trail there is rarely any shade available so do bring hats and sunscreen!

The official trail is easy to follow and brings you up to some epic views. The unofficial trail has some sketchy (to me) parts with steep and slippery rock but that's a small section of it and well worth it to see the glacier at the top and more epic views. I wouldn't enjoy doing that section when it is muddy or wet.

Overall a really great day out in the mountains! We only came across two groups (one of 4 and one solo hiker) the entire day, it is a refreshing change from the bustle of the city. The ache in my quads are a good reminder of the effort put in :)

Native Plant Society botanizing hike revealed many interesting species (a full plant list is available from the NPS.org website. Steep trail with no places to camp until you get to the upper end of the trail. Huckleberries were beginning to ripen.

Beautiful day, and no obstacles and no snow anywhere on the trail. Wildflowers, like paintbrush, heather, partridge foot, and mountain azalea in full bloom, and therefore there were insects in the air, but it was not a problem at all. The section before you come out onto the meadow, before the first viewpoint, is a bit overgrown. On the steep ascent to the top, there are a few slippery, sandy sections, as every year, as you cut across the hillside, but it is not problematic if you take your time. It's a lot of work to get to the very top but the views are phenomenal, northward into Canada and eastward into the North Cascades (see a shot from my Peak Visor app).

It was a great day for a WTA work party! Our crew today was all women and we got a lot done! We moved a lot of rocks and a few small boulders to shore up a part of the trail that had washed out. 

On this trip we had planned to get all the way to the west peak summit, after a trip in October, ending on the false summit.  This time we brought along traction devices and axes to safely cross the small glacier between the false summit and the higher prominence about 100 feet above.  But the challenge of going beyond the false summit was too much for us.  It was a very hot day and the upward grind was relentless through open meadows.

The drive from Everett took about 2.5 hours.  There was a long detour on the Mount Baker Highway that delayed us a little.  Forest Road 32, leading to the trailhead (2550'), has a few potholes and is only about 2.4 miles long.  The trail starts through shaded forest and then opens up to vast meadows and a great view point to the south, at 5100'.  From there it continues up and gets very steep climbing to a ridge at about 6200'.  That section of trail to the ridge is the most difficult part of the route. And if not up for it, then ending your trip at the 5100' viewpoint, might be the best option.  It took us about 4.5 hours to get to the end of the trail on the false summit.  Along the trail leading to the ridge, at about 5900, there is a stream for replenishing your water supply.  

Total distance, according to my GaiaGPS was 9.73 miles round trip and the ascent was 4100' of elevation gain.  flowers are blooming and bugs are a bother if you do not keep moving.