Hiking Goat Mountain East in the Mount Baker Wilderness
Contents
Goat Mountain East Hike Information
Difficulty: Difficult
Distance: 18.40Km (11.40 Miles)
Elevation Gain: 1,461m (4,793 Ft.)
Highest Elevation: 2,076m (6,811 Ft.)
Average Gradient: 15.88%
Effort/Reward Ratio: High / Very High
Time Needed:
– Slow: 8 – 9 Hours
– Moderate: 7 – 8 Hours
– Fast: 6 – 7 Hours
Dogs Permitted?: Yes
Season: ~July to October
4×4 / High Clearance Required? No
Scrambling / Exposure: Some steep heather scrambling with mild exposure (Class 2)
Goat Mountain East Trail
Trailhead Coordinates: 48°53’51.7″N 121°38’45.4″W
Goat Mountain East Overview
Goat Mountain is a summit located in the Mount Baker Wilderness in northern Washington, sometimes referred to as Goat Mountain East to distinguish it from the lower west peak. While Goat Mountain West is a fairly popular hike with a trail the entire way, the higher eastern peak departs from the trail and requires route finding through steep, open heather slopes to the top. The majority of hikers will prefer to simply stick to Goat Mountain West, with the east peak more popular with peakbaggers looking to attain the true summit, which is around 60m higher than the west peak.
The views from both peaks aren’t too different, with both offering breathtaking sightlines of Mount Sefrit, Mount Shuksan, Mount Baker, the Border Peaks, Mount Larrabee, Tomyhoi Peak and plenty more. As a large portion of the trail passes through heather and blueberry bushes, this hike is incredibly scenic in the fall once the colours turn (end of September and early October)
The majority of the trail follows the usual Washington switchbacks through the forest as you rapidly gain elevation, before departing from the trail and working through open meadows towards the eastern peak. There are a few different ways to the summit, with our party opting for a different route up and down. Either way, it’s very steep heather and you will likely need to use your hands for much of the ascent, though you are never really exposed to any significant fall. Microspikes may come in handy year round to assist with grip, especially if the heather happens to be damp.
Due to some particularly steep terrain and access difficulties, few people will summit Goat Mountain (East or 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 East worthwhile?
Both Goat Mountain West and East offer incredible views, which is a large part of the reason I was more than happy to make a repeat trip for the true summit. While the east peak is more of a peakbaggers peak, the route finding is quite straightforward and the steep heather climb should be manageable for any adventurous parties. Some groups will actually summit both the east and west peak in the same day, as it doesn’t add too much time to combine these (maybe an extra 2 hours or so to add on the 2nd peak). If you time it for the fall as we did, the scenery only gets better.
How difficult is the hike to Goat Mountain East?
Physically speaking this is a somewhat difficult hike, but much of the elevation gain is on efficient switchbacks that are rarely too demanding. Most parties can knock off the switchbacks without needing any break until they reach the open slopes at around 1,560m. From then on the entire hike is a delight.
The biggest technical challenge is mostly just route finding, but with a GPX this isn’t too bad. The summit climb involves very steep heather that will require some hands on work, primarily just for stabilization. There isn’t ever much exposure other than a steep slope that you’d fall onto. As noted, microspikes might be handy to bring year-round to assist with grip on the heather.
Goat Mountain East Route Information
The trailhead to Goat Mountain 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 junction, you’ll just need to pay attention to the point at which you need to depart the trail at around 1,700m (5,580 Ft.).
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 in the summer as well.
There’ll be a little more steep climbing to 1,550m (5,085 Ft.) 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 entirely as the view is so good.
Heading back to the trail, after some more simple ascending and stunning views, you’ll want to start paying attention to the point at which you need to drop off the trail and head down onto the heather slopes leading towards the eastern peak, which should be visible at this point. The elevation at which you drop is around the 1,700m (5,580 Ft.) mark.
Here we made the mistake of trying to remain high, which only ended up putting us into dense, steep forest. We eventually dropped down to the open heather slopes where travel is straightforward. Due to runoff of melting snow and rain, the terrain here can be quite boggy year-round, so do your best to avoid getting wet feet.
You’ll continue through these open meadows, with plenty of side hilling on heather as you make progress. In the late summer the amount of blueberries here is off the chart, you could fill buckets up buckets at the right time of year. Don’t be surprised if you encounter a bear around here!
As you make progress towards the peak, at around 1,800m (5,905 Ft.) elevation you’ll have to decide which route you intend to take to the summit. On our ascent we opted to climb up to the col between the west and east peak and work our way up from there, but on our descent we took a more direct line down, avoiding the col and simply heading straight down the open heather slopes. This did involve a short stretch in a gulley as well, though it was quite straightforward. Either route will work fine, but we preferred our descending route for what it’s worth.
The terrain now steepens significantly, and if the heather is any way damp you will want to consider putting on microspikes as it can be quite slippery without. Between 1,800m (5,905 Ft.) – 2,000m (6,562 Ft.) will just be very steep heather climbing, with the odd use of hands here and there for stabilization. You shouldn’t ever be exposed to any fall other than a steep slope below.
Beyond this the remainder of the climb to the summit is back to straightforward hiking following a mostly intuitive route. If in doubt, refer to your GPX. You will have had exceptional views of Mount Sefrit, Shuksan and Baker the entire time, however once you crest the summit the views to the north will open up, and are arguably even more impressive. The Border Peaks and Mount Larrabee will steal the show, but plenty of other peaks will be visible, such as Tomyhoi, Slesse and Rexford. Even little Winchester Mountain and Yellow Aster Butte will be down below these giants as well.
Once you’re finished on the summit, descend back down the same way you came (assuming you liked that route, we decided to switch it up).
When should I hike Goat Mountain East?
As noted Goat Mountain 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
Pack microspikes year round for this one, they could come in very useful for the steep heather.
I have not been on a hike with this many blueberries, it’s ridiculous how many there are. Usually the blueberries peak in mid-September, so if you go then bring some ziploc bags for taking some goodies home!
Due to the aforementioned bluebs, bears are not uncommon here so prepare accordingly.
