Goat Rocks route advice?

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Latherdome
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Goat Rocks route advice?

Post by Latherdome » August 31st, 2022, 3:21 pm

I want to hike Goat Rocks in late September with my son, 20, over 3-3.5 days. Neither of us have been there. We're thinking 30-40 miles is good, allowing time to explore. We've hiked Timberline.

I'm having trouble coming up with a route that long that finishes where it starts (car), and that incorporates the "knife's edge" segment of the PCT. All the canned routes I find online are either much shorter or longer, don't include knife's edge, or end at a different place than started (out and back is OK if the scenery is good enough). I'm not real adept at using my GPS tools to create a new route of that length, and having not been there, I don't want to miss out on good stuff out of ignorance.

Any suggestions?

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drm
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Re: Goat Rocks route advice?

Post by drm » August 31st, 2022, 4:15 pm

So the first time I ever hiked Goat Rocks, I went up the traditional Snowgrass Flats trail, turned right on the PCT and camped in Cispus Basin. Day 2 I walked north on the PCT through and past the knife edge and camped to it's north. Day 3 I retraced my steps and returned to my car via the Goat Lake trail. That sounds like a decent fit for what you want. Everybody tried to cram it into a loop some how, but my T route worked well.

Latherdome
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Re: Goat Rocks route advice?

Post by Latherdome » August 31st, 2022, 5:06 pm

Maybe this then? 1 is Sheep Lake. 2 is Tieton Pass. 3 is Goat Lake. Origin/finish is near where Snowgrass and Goat Ridge trails meet.

Image

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texasbb
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Re: Goat Rocks route advice?

Post by texasbb » September 1st, 2022, 5:05 am

Best I can tell, your map shows you leaving from the Snowgrass TH, spending night 1 at Sheep Lake, night 2 at Lutz Lake, and night 3 at Goat Lake. Nothing wrong with that if you can handle the mileage and gain, but here are a few reactions.

First, I'd favor dropping into McCall Basin over Lutz Lake. It's a little farther, but Lutz is kind of a mudhole.

Second, rather than spending distance getting to Sheep and Lutz-or-McCall, I might suggest camping somewhere in the core (Alpine Camp area) and dayhiking out to see other things. Bagging Old Snowy is always fun, and there's no better view on the west side of the Goat Rocks than from Hawkeye Point above Goat Lake.

Finally, on the way out on the Goat Ridge trail, be sure to take the optional 95A alternate loop. It adds a couple hundred feet of vertical and maybe a half mile to the hike out, but nets you a great final view back to the whole range:
Image

Have fun! It's hard to go wrong in the GR.

leiavoia
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Re: Goat Rocks route advice?

Post by leiavoia » September 1st, 2022, 11:48 am

A smaller option would be to start and end at Packwood Lake. You can go up Coyote Ridge and back, making a loop. You can camp at Packwood Lake, Hidden Lake, or the little spring half way across the top of the ridge. It doesn't cover a lot of what the area has to offer, but it still has plenty of scenery.

Another option to explore would be to circle around the valley and go cross-country back to the car at Packwood Lake. I don't have any intel on that but would be curious if anyone else does.

Nwcanyoning
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Re: Goat Rocks route advice?

Post by Nwcanyoning » September 5th, 2022, 6:31 pm

Keep an eye on that fire near Coal Creek

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walrus
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Re: Goat Rocks route advice?

Post by walrus » September 6th, 2022, 7:40 pm

What about...
  • Day 1: from Berry Patch (or Snowgrass with a walk over), hike up to Goat Lake
  • Day 2: Zip up to Hawkeye Point or down to Heart Lake, then pack out and up to the alpine camp/split rock below Old Snowy (stopping at the spring for water)
  • Day 3: Sunrise from Old Snowy/go out along the knife edge as far as you like as a day hike, then come back and pack up to head down to Snowgrass Flats
  • Day 4
fill a water bottle or an empty tupperware with huckleberries (if there are still some in late September) and head home via Snowgrass

OR
  • Day 1: up from Snowgrass, PCT south to Cispus Basin
  • Day 2: day hike south through Cispus Pass to Sheep Lake, then return to break down camp and head north on the PCT to the aforementioned alpine camp. If you don't want to go as far south as the lake, it is well worth the walk to go up over Cispus Pass for a bit.
  • Day 3: knife edge/Old Snowy as a day hike, then pack down to Goat Lake or Jordan Basin
  • Day 4: take in the sunrise at Hawkeye Point, then out Goat Ridge
The Berry Patch and Snowgrass trailheads/parking areas are easy walking distance from each other, so you can put together any number of loops/explorations there.

Whatever route you pick (weather/fire permitting), I hope you have lots of fun

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retired jerry
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Re: Goat Rocks route advice?

Post by retired jerry » September 7th, 2022, 5:38 am

Minor suggestion on that

I don't like camping at Goat Lake. It's windy. No privacy. Lots of people.

Better to go a couple miles south towards Snowgrass Flat

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texasbb
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Re: Goat Rocks route advice?

Post by texasbb » September 7th, 2022, 7:50 am

retired jerry wrote:
September 7th, 2022, 5:38 am
I don't like camping at Goat Lake. It's windy. No privacy. Lots of people.
^This. It's gritty as all get out, too.

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drm
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Re: Goat Rocks route advice?

Post by drm » September 7th, 2022, 3:38 pm

Yeah, last time I was at Goat Lake, I was thinking where all those campers could possibly go to dig a hole in the morning that would not be in clear view of 50 people.

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