Hiking Goat Mountain West in the Mount Baker Wilderness
Contents
Goat Mountain West Hike Information
Difficulty: Difficult
Distance: 17.00Km
Elevation Gain: 1,325m
Highest Elevation: 2,050m
Average Gradient: 15.59%
Effort/Reward Ratio: High / Very High
Time Needed:
– Slow: 7 – 8 Hours
– Moderate: 6 – 7 Hours
– Fast: 5 – 6 Hours
Dogs Permitted?: Yes
Season: Summer
4×4 / High Clearance Required? No
Scrambling / Exposure: Simple, short scramble to reach the true summit. No scramble to reach the more popular false summit.
Goat Mountain West Trail
Trailhead Coordinates: 48°53’52.5″N 121°38’45.3″W
Goat Mountain West Overview
Goat Mountain West is a fairly popular hike located in the Mount Baker Wilderness in northern Washington thanks to its straightforward trail and rewarding views of Mount Baker, Mount Sefrit and Mount Shuksan in particular.
The entire trail to the false summit of Goat Mountain West is well maintained and easy to follow, despite the fact the official trail stops at a viewpoint at around the 1,550m mark. In order to reach the true summit of Goat Mountain West, hikers would need to either scramble down off the false summit into a notch between the two, which involves a short exposed own climb that most people won’t want to do, or the other route that traverses across a permanent snow patch just before the false summit, which can prove tricky without the necessary gear (microspikes and potentially an ice axe). Due to these complexities the majority of parties go to the false summit and are content with that, however the GPX below does go to the true summit via the snow patch route.
Goat Mountain West may be considered a peak in its own right by some, but most will consider the nearby Goat Mountain to be the true summit, which (unsurprisingly) lies to the east of Goat Mountain West. There is no trail to Goat Mountain (east), so hikers would need to self-navigate to that peak should they desire to.
Due to some particularly steep terrain and access difficulties, few people will summit Goat Mountain West until the snow has receded, making this a predominantly summer peak. The primary season is therefore July to October, with a few weeks either side usually fine also. Access to the trailhead is from a small parking lot along Forest Road 32 off of Mount Baker Highway. This road is fine for all vehicles, with some straightforward potholes to navigate. It is not plowed in the winter.
Dogs are welcome on this hike.
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Is Goat Mountain West worthwhile?
Goat Mountain West offers some breathtaking views of many iconic peaks, whether the trio of Sefrit, Baker and Shuksan along the way, or the peaks along the border, such as Tomyhoi, Larrabee, the Border Peaks and Slesse Mountain to name a few. The trail is well manicured and a perfect gradient for quick travel, so despite the somewhat demanding stats, most hikers can knock this off pretty quickly.
How difficult is the hike to Goat Mountain West?
Physically speaking this is a moderately demanding hike. The average gradient is fairly steep, but it’s so consistent that it rarely feels exceedingly difficult. There are only a few stretches towards the top where the gradient really kicks in. Most parties can complete this fairly quickly if they decide to push it.
Technically the hike is also quite simple, especially if you stop at the false summit like most parties do. In that case you are just hiking the entire time. If you opt to go to the true summit your biggest challenge is reaching the notch between the false and true summit. The scramble off the false summit isn’t for the faint of heart, so most parties opt for going over the permanent snow patch. At times you can avoid the snow by squeezing around the edges, but you may want to carry some microspikes and possibly an axe just in case. From the notch there is a simple, short, unexposed scramble to the true summit.
Goat Mountain West Route Information
The trailhead to Goat Mountain West is a few kilometers down Forest Road 32 off Mount Baker Highway (see coordinates). There is parking space for several cars in a parking lot, plus overflow parking earlier on the road if needed. The road is 2WD friendly as it only has some potholes that are easy to avoid. You do need to purchase a National Recreation Forest Pass to park here.
From the parking lot you’ll head slightly back down the road to the obvious trailhead. Once you’re on the trail there are pretty much no junctions the entire way to the summit as there is only one trail in the area. The first 1.5km of the hike follows a series of switchbacks as you gradually work your way up through the forest. After this you’ll reach a fairly flat section of the trail as you continue to weave through the forest.
Shortly ahead you’ll reach another series of switchbacks that passes through some dense foliage that can sometimes be overgrown and a little annoying. If you’re the first party on the trail you can expect a face full of spider webs here as well. Once you reach the 1,300m mark the dense foliage begins to ease off, and around the 1,400m mark you more or less break out of the trees entirely.
There’ll be a little more steep climbing to 1,550m elevation where you will be richly rewarded with a stunning view of Mount Sefrit, Mount Shuksan and Mount Baker. You can descend marginally to some bluffs overlooking this view, and many parties actually chose to stop here as the view is so good.
Heading back to the trail, you’ll now be following the “unofficial” trail to the summit. You could never tell as the trail is still very well manicured and easy to follow. After some more simple ascending you’ll reach the start of a glorious stretch of alpine meadows, which can often be colorful, especially in the fall. The trail here becomes a little less obvious at times, with some slippery side hilling on steep slopes. There is one section where it’s particularly easy to lose the trail, where the actual trail takes a sharp right turn, but many people have incorrectly continued straight, ending up in some steep and loose terrain (you’ll note this on the GPX above at the 7km mark).
The whole time you’re hiking through the meadows the views behind you continue to improve. Between 1,800m and 1,900m is the steepest part of the day as you’ll climb up to a ridge southwest of the summit. The views from this ridge really open up, with Tomyhoi, the Border Peak and Larrabee now coming into view.
The trail along the ridge will be very easy to follow and in no time you’ll base at the base of the false summit. If you are going up the false summit you’ll just follow the trail up. If you are instead aiming for the true summit, shortly before the false summit you’ll note a permanent snow patch as you drop off the ridge to your left. You’ll need to cross this snow patch and head towards the notch between the false and true summit. Dropping into the snow patch is the trickier part as in the summer it is usually very firm and steep enough that you’d slide down. The terrain isn’t consequential in any way other than going for a slide, but even that wouldn’t be too fun. You may be able to glissade down the snow with an ice axe, or alternatively kick step while facing in. Whatever method you choose it’s only a short drop down before you simply traverse across the snow patch to the base of the notch. From here you just climb up to the top of the notch, then there’s a short, simple, unexposed scramble to the true summit.
The summit views are much the same as the ridge, only now you’ll have unobstructed 360 degree views. After resting up at the top you simply return back the same way you came.
When should I hike Goat Mountain West?
As noted Goat Mountain West is predominantly a summer hike due to the forest road not being plowed, plus the steep avalanche terrain you would face in the winter. The shoulder seasons will be fine if you’re prepared for steep snow travel, but most people will simply stick to summer (July to October)
Top Tip
If you intend to reach the true summit make sure to bring microspikes and potentially an ice axe. While the snow patch is small they both came in handy even in July. By late summer you may be able to skirt around the snow.
