Goat Mountain — Friday, Aug. 16, 2019

We picked a bit of a gloomy day for a Goat Mountain hike, but I enjoyed it all the same. (Plus, we were here for the berries, not the views.) The road to the trailhead was in fine condition, accessible to any and all cars. The trailhead parking lot is small, but the poor weather made for a nearly empty lot when we arrived in the early morning — though I’m not sure how busy the area gets on a sunny summer weekend.

The trail begins with forested switchback after switchback until you finally open up into the most heavenly berry patch you ever did see. Presumably, there are also stunning views of Mount Baker from up here, but I can’t really speak to those. The uphill climb is not quite over yet, as the trail continues upwards for quite some ways (thought it turns into a bit of a bootpath for the final stretch). We stopped hiking before the final steep ascent because we knew the views weren’t likely to improve and we had a dinner date to catch, but we were able to catch a few peek-a-boo views of the mountains and lakes across the way.