Goat Mountain — Sunday, Jul. 30, 2023

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 :)