Goat Rocks

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keithcomess
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Re: Goat Rocks

Post by keithcomess » September 15th, 2021, 1:36 pm

I just finished a 5 day/4 night hike (Lilly Basin towards McCall Basin). Very lovely area. I'd avoid planning a campsite at Goat Lake. By mid-afternoon (on a Tuesday), it was so crowded and packed with tents it looked like Hamid Karzai International Airport during the evacuation. People were "loving it to death." Otherwise, a perfect place to backpack.

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drm
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Re: Goat Rocks

Post by drm » September 15th, 2021, 1:56 pm

Right, that's why I chose Jordan Basin. When I walked past the lake, there were many open sites, but that was probably after some people left. It also seems like there is no decent place or privacy for doing, um, what bears also do (in the woods - or the middle of the trail). And I bet the winds coming off that lake are pretty chilly.

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retired jerry
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Re: Goat Rocks

Post by retired jerry » September 15th, 2021, 2:34 pm

Yeah, Goat Lake busy area, don't camp there.

Besides, it's wide open so no privacy. And very windy.

Between Goat Lake and Snowgrass Flat has lots of great camp sites

keithcomess
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Re: Goat Rocks

Post by keithcomess » September 15th, 2021, 3:38 pm

Jerry,

You're 100% right: high winds, no cover, and absolutely no privacy whatsoever at Goat Lake. There are some good campsites about halfway to Alpine Camp though.

Keith

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Chip Down
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Re: Goat Rocks

Post by Chip Down » September 15th, 2021, 7:30 pm

Goat Lake gets crowded? I'm surprised. I've never seen anybody there, or even in the general vicinity.
Of course, mid week autumn trips in the 1990s, it wasn't crowded much of anywhere.
I remember looking at the Gilbert summit register on a fine November afternoon, and noticed nobody had made an entry in weeks.

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drm
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Re: Goat Rocks

Post by drm » September 16th, 2021, 6:54 am

retired jerry wrote:
September 15th, 2021, 2:34 pm
Between Goat Lake and Snowgrass Flat has lots of great camp sites
I noticed them. The challenge now is water. A few creeks between the lake and Snowgrass are running, but most are dry. Many of those otherwise great campsites are a long ways from water. I guess those who come prepared with water bottles can get a great site. And many of them are a little ways off the trail in a little copse of trees.

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retired jerry
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Re: Goat Rocks

Post by retired jerry » September 16th, 2021, 8:59 am

I have a 4 liter Platypus bag. 8 pounds when full of water. A good amount for one day.

I'll carry that a mile or two if needed.

Another strategy is to carry maybe 1.5 liters of water. That's enough for the evening. Then, in the morning, get up and walk to a water source where I'll have breakfast.

keithcomess
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Re: Goat Rocks

Post by keithcomess » September 16th, 2021, 5:57 pm

Chip,

There were >15 tents at Goat Lake when we were there on August 26, and we transited the area around 2:00PM mid-week (leaving from Lilly Basin trail head). Privacy is an entirely notional concept, as there were far too many tents, no cover and the trail almost bisects the campsites. Plus, it is chronically very windy at the lake and the terrain is most suitable for a self-supporting tent (we use a Hyperlite with hiking poles as tent supports and it needs to be staked-out).

As mentioned in another post, water is at a premium now. That's possibly due to the prolonged drought. There are better and a few more secluded sites further up the trail to Alpine.

P.S.: if you're planning a trip from the Lilly Basin trail head, there is a short 4-wheel drive section a few miles short of the roadside parking (not a formal "lot").

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