Hiking Goat Ridge in Squamish
Contents
Goat Ridge Hike Information
Difficulty: Difficult
Distance: 21.75Km
Elevation Gain: 1,525m
Highest Elevation: 1,762m
Average Gradient: 14.02%
Effort/Reward Ratio: High / High
Time Needed:
– Slow: 10 – 12 Hours
– Moderate: 8 – 10 Hours
– Fast: 6 – 8 Hours
Dogs Permitted?: Yes
Season: June – October
4×4 / High Clearance Required? No
Scrambling / Exposure: No exposure, some simple scrambling along the ridgeline.
Goat Ridge Trail
Trailhead Coordinates: 49°37’35.2″N 123°11’16.2″W
Goat Ridge Overview
Goat Ridge is a scenic ridgeline (and peak) near Squamish, with a few different access points. Unfortunately there are a number of hikes in SWBC with the same name, with a popular hike in the Chilliwack River Valley, and another hike near Grouse Mountain sharing the name.
Goat Ridge is a lightly trafficked hike, presumably thanks to its relative difficulty compared to many hikes in the area. Due to the almost sea level start point this is a significant hike, much of which is spent in the treeline or along an FSR. Once you eventually reach the ridge itself though, the views are beautiful and the reward is worth the effort.
As noted there are a few different routes up to the beginning of the ridgeline. One start point is from Murrin Provincial Park, following the Petgill Lake trail before continuing on to the ridge. The other popular route begins in Britannia Beach and follows an FSR to begin, before a steep forested climb to the ridge. The route from Britannia Beach is a little longer but has less elevation gain and is less steep overall, and as such it’s the preferred choice for many. It also benefits from a fairly long FSR to begin, allowing for faster (albeit uninspiring) travel. This guide will be covering the route from Britannia Beach.
Either route you take will ultimately be challenging, with a lot of steep, slippery forest travel up to the ridge. The ridge itself is undulating and technical, with route finding necessary as you work your way along the bluffy micro terrain at the top. While there is a defined route to take, at times it’s a “pick your own path” adventure once you’re on the ridge.
While it’s technically feasible to hike Goat Ridge year-round, the steep forest travel will be extremely difficult in snow, so for the majority of people this is a summer only option. The shoulder season should be fine as well, as long as the snowline isn’t so low that you’ll hit snow early on. The ridge itself is one of the easier sections of the hike in terms of steepness, but as mentioned it is quite technical, with some tricky micro terrain to navigate. Snow will make this more challenging as you will have no markers to guide your way.
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Is Goat Ridge worthwhile?
As with many hikes on the Sea to Sky Highway, in order to reach a summit you have to put in a huge amount of effort. This hike begins just a couple of hundred meters above sea level, so the biggest drawback is the massive slog it takes to reach the beginning of the ridge. Most of this approach is a combination of mundane FSR, followed by exceedingly steep and oftentimes slippery forest travel.
If you are happy to persevere through this then the rewards along the ridge and from the summit are well worth the effort, with some stunning views of numerous iconic peaks, namely Sky Pilot Mountain, Mount Habrich, Mount Garibaldi and Mount Tantalus. You’ll also have some great views over the Howe Sound.
How difficult is the hike to Goat Ridge?
Goat Ridge can really be split into three sections. The first 5.5km or so is a straightforward, not particularly steep FSR plod. The next 2km is an extremely steep and fairly slippery forest grind. The final 3.5km is the ridgeline itself, which is rarely that steep but is fairly slow going due to its technical nature.
Physically speaking this hike is mostly a moderate gradient, except for the forest grind, which climbs over 600m alone, for a 30% average gradient.
Technically this hike has some challenges too. The forest can be very slippery, with lots of tree needles and loose dirt covering the trail. Combined with the steep gradient it’s very easy to slip over, especially on the descent. The ridgeline is also quite technical, with multiple different routes throughout the hike. There are cairns and paint markers along the ridge to guide the way, but at times you might be self-reliant in navigating some micro terrain. The ridge undulates incessantly, constantly climbing up and down small 10m bluffs. By the end of the ridge you’ll likely be quite frustrated.
Goat Ridge Route Information
The trailhead for the Britannia Beach route to Goat Ridge is at the very end of Copper Drive, which is 2WD accessible. The paved road will give way to an FSR, but just a couple of hundred meters down the FSR will be a gate preventing vehicles from passing. There are several different areas for parking, both on the paved road and before the FSR gate.
After parking, begin the hike up the FSR and go around the gate. This is another one of those areas where they don’t want vehicles going, but hikers and recreationalists are fine. You’re likely to see some mountain bikers or other hikers using this trail throughout the day.
There’s not much to say about the FSR section of this hike, it’s the usual plod along a moderate gradient rocky road that, annoyingly, would be easily drivable without the gate. There are a lot of water sources along the FSR, with creeks running along the side frequently. After about 2.8km you’ll pass your first junction. It’s best to just have an offline map as there are multiple junctions along this FSR. Generally the junction you’ll want should be fairly obvious, but a map would be nice nonetheless as a wrong turn could be annoying.
After following the FSR for 5km or so you’ll start to get some really nice views of the Howe Sound as the trail passes a few switchbacks through open cutblocks. Keep climbing, and once you reach around 5.5km you will be leaving the FSR to join the forested trail. There should be a large, obvious cairn signifying where you depart from the FSR, but again a map would be useful so you know exactly where this is.
Once you’re in the treeline the trail for the most part should be obvious, with a mostly well worn path throughout. That being said we did refer to our map on occasion just to verify our route since there are no markers anywhere along this hike.
The gradient of the trail now increases markedly, with incessantly steep travel the entire time you’re in the forest. Once again there is not a lot to say about the forest section, it’s mostly a grind you just want to get out of the way. Do take care with your footing though as the forest floor is slippery and steep. A couple of us took a fall on the loose floor, but you’re never in high consequence terrain.
After a steep grind you’ll pass over a creek, and after grunting for a short while longer you’ll top out at a pair of lakes below the ridgeline. Thankfully the forest climb is now over and the ridgeline section of the hike is about to commence. This is also where the Petgill Lake route merges with the Britannia Beach route.
You’ll now want to work your way around the shore of the lake and continue following the trail through some trees towards another smaller lake. The trail will now loop back on the ridge, where it will climb steeply up the rocky terrain. Once you reach the ridgeline the route becomes less defined, but there should be fairly frequent markers in the form of cairns and paint spots on the rocks guiding the general route.
Still, there are actually a few different routes you can take at times, with some markers guiding you away from the linked AllTrails route. Now is the time you might need some route finding skills as the terrain becomes quite technical. Much of the ridge is undulating, where you might ascend 20m up a rocky bluff, before having to descend down the other side for 10m. You’ll do this time and time again as you work your way along the ridgeline, at times having to traverse left or right to avoid a steep drop.
The ridge itself is wide and spacious, and while the views are nice the ridge is so wide it often obscures much of the views. Many people opt to freely explore the ridge in search of viewpoints along the way, so you might want to budget extra time if that is the case. Otherwise, simply continue working along the undulating ridge, which will likely be slow going and quite possibly frustrating as each time you top out on one section, you’re soon to realize you’ll be climbing back down just ahead.
Along the ridge will be multiple tarns, some of which are quite scenic, otherwise it’s useful to know you don’t really need to carry a lot of water. There is also no shade on the ridge, naturally, so if going on a hot summer day you’ll want the usual sun protection.
Eventually, after working the ridge for some time, you’ll reach the final climb to the peak. The ridge continues a little further if you want to keep going, but it’s slightly lower than this high point, so many stop here. The views from the top of the ridge are stunning, especially of the nearby Sky Pilot Mountain and Mount Habrich. Mount Garibaldi will also offer its usual imposing views, as well as many of the North Shore Mountains. The ridge will block many of the Howe Sound views while on the peak, but you should be able to find some great viewpoints of this along the ascent if you look for it.
After finishing up you simply head back along the ridge the way you came. Unusually we found the return leg more pleasant than the approach, and took our time exploring more of the ridge. The undulation doesn’t seem so bad going back and we felt we moved a lot quicker. Once you’re back in the forest you need to take care as descending on this steep, slippery terrain is challenging. Each of us took some falls as the loose dirt and needles gave way beneath our feet, but thankfully the terrain is inconsequential throughout. Once back on the FSR is just a long, dull plod out.
When should I hike Goat Ridge?
As noted I would suggest this as a summer hike route, with the shoulder seasons also fine as long as the snowline isn’t down into the forested section (which ends at 1,400m). The forest with snow would be extremely challenging and potentially dangerous. We found the ridgeline perfectly manageable with snow, albeit route finding was more challenging as any cairns/paint was mostly covered up. All in all you’re probably looking at June – October as the ideal time to go, depending on the snow line.
Top Tip
If there is any potential for snow make sure to bring microspikes. Poles will also be very useful, especially on the steep forested section. Good traction on your feet is a must due to the steep slippery forest.
An offline map is strongly recommended due to the route finding required on the ridge. While most of the ridge is straightforward, there are some bluffs that are trickier to get around/down, and a map signifying the way will be very helpful.
There are quite a lot of water sources throughout the hike, whether it be creeks or tarns, so don’t fret about carrying a huge amount of water.
