Goat Mountain — Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024

This is a hard hike that's quite steep in parts. The first stretch (2–3 miles) is wooded and shady and the ground is soft, which we appreciated, especially on the descent. There was no snow whatsoever on the trail, no downed trees, rushing streams, or other major obstacles. Bugs were the worst in the meadows and most bothersome when we stopped moving. We had few bugs when we stopped to eat and recharge up on the ridge. We (two adults, mid-30s) hiked Goat Mountain on Wednesday, August 7, 2024. The road and trailhead are easy to find. We stopped at the Glacier Ranger Station to purchase our NW Forest Pass. The machine was broken and we had to go inside to make the purchase, which was no big deal.

We hit the trail at 10:00 am. The entirety of the trail was well maintained and passable. It was narrow and overgrown in spots but we found it easy to pass. The steep stretch at the end is more intense than I anticipated from the descriptions we read. The start of the climb can be easy to miss as the trail also appears to continue straight. There was a little stream bed and someone had marked the way up with a couple of small logs/sticks laid across the trail. I did not take note of the mileage, unfortunately.

I recorded 2,589 ft. of elevation gain and ≈9.4 miles roundtrip. We at some boulders a little ways up from the ridge and did not do the final push.