Goat Rocks Wilderness: Goat Lake Loop and Old Snowy

8/29/19-9/1/19

~29 miles

The Goat Rocks Wilderness is one of the most scenic sections of the Pacific Crest Trail. I had the opportunity to go on a backpacking trip with several friends and my brother. This was a spectacular adventure. We decided to backpack in and also do some day hikes. Most of the route consisted of the Goat Lake Loop with side trips to Cispus Basin and Old Snowy.

We arrived the night before we would begin hiking and camped at Chambers Lake which had free camping. In the morning we had some time before everyone else arrived so we went and explored around Walupt Lake. It was a rainy morning.

It was afternoon before we started hiking from the Snowgrass Flats trailhead. Our goal for the first day was to camp at Goat Lake. First, we hiked a short distance over to the Berry Patch Trailhead.

The trail was wet but the rain had mainly stopped.

We joined the Goat Ridge Trail and began climbing up in the forest.

The trail started to come out of the trees.

Some of the clouds were moving fast.

We came to a nice view and took a break for a snack.

It was a very beautiful walk.

We could see the ridge we would soon climb.

This was some truly classic Goat Rocks hiking.

We reached a ridge and had a great view.  There was a fresh stream and also a campsite nearby.

We were pretty sure that we could see Mt. Saint Helens in the distance.

At the top of Goat ridge, we discovered even better views.

We took a brief side trip to Hawkeye Point. On the way we had a great view of Mount Adams.

Mount Adams

Hawkeye Point was in the clouds so we decided not to go all the way to the top.

We continued to Goat Lake.

Goat Lake

It was fairly crowded near Goat Lake.

After some searching, we were able to find a nice campsite.

It was a beautiful morning with the sun shining through the clouds.

Down the ridge a little ways, we saw some mountain goats.

Goat Lake

Campsite with view of Mount Adams

There was a stream nearby by to get water.

We continued on the loop as the clouds came back in.

There were lots of huckleberries to eat.

Famous Snowgrass

We decided to take a break at a trail junction at Snowgrass Flats to cook some fresh mushrooms!

We continued around the loop but then took the Bypass Trail to the PCT.

Pacific Crest Trail

We decided to hike southbound on the PCT and search for a campsite. On the topo map I noticed what look like a beautiful basin off the trail.

After following a small use trail, we found a great place to camp above Cispus Basin.

Cispus Basin

We decided to hike off-trail to a pass east of Ives Peak.

Mount Adams

It was easy off-trail hiking.

From the other side of the pass, we had a great view and a glacier to play on.

Looking back down to the basin. We set up camp by a large rock.

The descent was steep.

What a beautiful campsite!

We were surprised that several other groups had discovered this hidden basin and also set up camp.

There was some nice evening light on the mountains.

A short distance away there was a great view of Mount Saint Helens.

Early in the night, the Milky Way was right over Mount Adams.

The next morning I could see Mount Adams through the tent window.

Huckleberry Jam for breakfast

We liked our campsite so much that we decided we would day hike to Old Snowy and then return for another night.

We followed the PCT northbound.

There were some awesome views along the PCT.

The trail became rockier as we climbed.

We got our view of Mount Rainier and could also see Goat Lake again.

Mount Rainier

Goat Lake and Mount Rainier

Mount Rainier

The trail went across a glacier, but it was an easy crossing.

We reached a ridge and had an amazing view of Mount Rainier.

Then we started climbing up to Old Snowy.

Mount Adams

Old Snowy

There was a brief scramble up Old Snowy.

There was a great view from the top of Old Snowy.

We hiked down the Knife Edge.

Knife Edge

Old Snowy

We could see the PCT continuing on the ridge in the distance.

We reached a junction and started heading back to our campsite.

There was another glacier to cross. This one was a little steeper.

We passed the well-constructed rock wall on the PCT again.

Soon we were back at our campsite and enjoyed some great evening views.

The next day we packed up and got ready for the short hike back to the Snowgrass Flats Trailhead.

It was another beautiful day.

Soon we were back in the forest.

We crossed a stream and enjoyed some nearby waterfalls along the trail.

Soon our hike in the Goat Rocks Wilderness was complete. It was a special hike. We enjoyed the beautiful scenery, wildlife, huckleberries, and mushrooms. We were blessed with excellent weather which allowed us to see the many views. Overall, this area certainly lives up to the hype. In places it was crowded but it was a holiday weekend and for the chance to see such a beautiful area, it was definitely worth it.