Gothic Basin — Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025

A friend and I camped in one of the dispersed campsites north of the trailhead on Saturday night, and made it to the trailhead around 9am. Lots of cars already there, but we found a spot and headed in.

This hike was gorgeous and brutal, and I probably don’t need to repeat the experience but I’m glad I did it! I brought my adventure dog Douglas, who navigated the rocky climbs surprisingly well on our way to Foggy Lake. Once we made it to the lake he was intent upon swimming, but his level of fatigue made me worry he wouldn’t be able to keep his head above water for long. Luckily he has good recall. 😅

I’d say if you’re looking for a day hike similar to Mount Si, reconsider this one - in my opinion it was much more strenuous and you need to keep your eyes on the trail almost the entire time due to the rocky ground cover. I’d also make sure your dogs are used to covering this much mileage and this kind of terrain - there weren’t many dogs on this hike and the ones who were on trail all looked pretty athletic. Bring lots of water (though there are a fair amount of stream crossings) and lots of high calorie treats. 🐾