Camped overnight at deadman's lake, proceeding to Vanson next day. Trail is clear, but mosquitoes are a menace, especially around the goat mountain and deadman's lake. It get's a bit better closer to the Vanson peak. The views from the peak are stunning.

On Saturday we were sad to see the trail being destroyed by dirt bikes. Disturbing the serenity of the place with nearly unmuffled rumble of the engine starting 6AM even though those are supposed to be illegal on the trail.

I wouldn't mind a few logs on the trail here and there to keep these away.

Other then that - it's an awesome hike with lots of wildflowers to watch and 3 grand mountains to observe. 

Trail 217 has been recently logged out from Goat Mtn/Ryan Lake trailhead, past Deadman's Lake, to the junction with Vanson Peak trail, and down to the Green River Trail 213.  Thank you trail crews and volunteers!  This route was a real mess just a few weeks earlier.  The trail dropping into Goat Creek has not been cleared yet, and has many blowdowns and broken tops.  The Vanson Peak side trail has not been cleared either.  Most of the snow is gone from this loop.

I always find total solitude on this trail.  Not a sole around yesterday on FS26, at the TH or on the trail.

FS26 has a couple of rough spots that can bottom out a car if care isn't heeded.  There are also a couple of spots, depending on the time of day, where the sun can cause blind spots on sharp curves that could be deadly.

I started at the FS2612 TH.  From this TH I clocked 5.5 miles to Deadman's Lake on both Garmin and Topo Maps+.

The first two miles of the trail through a new growth forest, are in great shape. This was welcomed since this is where almost all of the elevation is gained.  The trail starts to deteriorate with water runoff ruts around 2.2 miles.  The ridge trail is rutted throughout.  There are a few spots along the ridge where mud is prevalent and slick.

Fall colors are past.  No snow on the trail.  At this point, this trail is all about solitude with occasional views.

There isn't one spot on the trail where there is a 360 view.  Instead, there are spots along the trail where there are great views of Mt. Rainier, Mt. Adams, Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Hood.

I love this trail and deadman’s lake, but have been waiting for a September trip because the biting flies are unbearable during the summer. A few trees down in the first half mile but easy to negotiate. Saw footprints in the mud, bigger than my shoe here! It’s a little over 2 miles of steady climb until you reach the first false flat. You will climb a bit more from here. Maybe another mile until you reach the flatter ridge section. At 5 miles, you will cut down to deadman’s Lake. It’s about 1.4 to the lake shore. Most reports say it’s 5.5 miles or so but it is verifiably 6.4 each way. No water on the trail until you get to the lake. It’s a pretty serious hike with a heavy pack. I was with three other athletes and we were all beat. 2300 gain in, about 1000 out. Unfortunately we got rain all night and it was a bit cold. At some elevation here so you don’t want to be wet and cold. We had to make our trip happen after canceling the week prior and being cooped up with wildfire smoke. It was worth it. Caught three Brook trout on the far, deeper end of the lake. Most of the camp spots are along the north shore. No other people at the lake  but saw a few mt bikers and huckleberry pickers on the way out. Didn’t see any wildlife but Sasquatch sang us a melody about 3am. Could’ve been an elk, which would be logical, but probably the big guy 

With our dog, hiked up the Goat Mountain trail to soak up the views. The trail is in good condition the whole way. The start is about 1.5 miles ascending about 1900 feet, but after you hit the ridgeline, it is just a rolling single track trail with stunning views! The huckleberries are prime right now, and the wildflowers are still hanging on along the ridge. No water, until the lake if you go that far, so make sure you bring enough for you and your dogs! We had lunch at the saddle on the shoulder of goat mountain, enjoyed the views, and turned back there because the dog was a little hot and tired! 

Highly recommended for an easy hike with killer views if you’re in the area.