Goat Lake
Location: North Cascades - Mountain Loop Highway
Length: 10.4 miles roundtrip
You are going to see some of the most ridiculous old growth, ever. I did not know this stuff still existed in Washington aside from the legit trees on the Boulder River trail. You just have to see it to believe it. Needless to say, Jessy and I made "wood" jokes the entire trek. Big fatties. I think the fresh oxygen makes us high? Anyways, the secret to this hike is if you take it on a pretty day, pack as much gear as you can and persevere the distance because you will want to hang out at this lake for hours. It's that color of blue and green that makes your eyes pop. When the view isn't fogged in, you get an incredible view of Foggy Peak. There is something about a completely uninhabited lake, devoid of signs of civilization that just makes your heart sigh. The only unfortunate part is, there isn't a ton of space to hang out. There's one cool log that makes a perfect bench, but otherwise the lake has a lot of brush surrounding the shores and if you hike during the weekend, it might bum you out. In that case, I'd pack my tube and float out to the other end of the lake. The good news is that there is camping. I didn't take much time to explore here as it was pretty wet, but could you just imagine having this place to yourself at the end of a summer night? Heaven!
Length: 10.4 miles roundtrip
Elevation: Gain/1400 ft. Highest/3161 ft.
Difficulty: Easy-Moderate
Time: 6 hours
I did this hike in the rain but didn't care because it was gorgeous all the same and I was hungry for the first hike of the season! I cannot even imagine the beauty this one has on a dry summer day...
If you're driving the Mountain Loop Hwy and enter via the Verlot Ranger Station, this trailhead is all the way at the end past Monte Cristo and onto the gravel stretch. It might be easier to drive in the back way from Darrington. Either way, you're going to be driving on some less than awesome road. The trail is pretty easy, just long. Given the choice, take Lower Elliot when you come to the fork as the elevation gain is less severe for 3 miles and the view of the roaring Elliot Creek is both stunning and refreshing. If you take Upper Elliot, it gets rather steep without much of a view. The views aren't totally worthless, I would just take this way back.
You are going to see some of the most ridiculous old growth, ever. I did not know this stuff still existed in Washington aside from the legit trees on the Boulder River trail. You just have to see it to believe it. Needless to say, Jessy and I made "wood" jokes the entire trek. Big fatties. I think the fresh oxygen makes us high? Anyways, the secret to this hike is if you take it on a pretty day, pack as much gear as you can and persevere the distance because you will want to hang out at this lake for hours. It's that color of blue and green that makes your eyes pop. When the view isn't fogged in, you get an incredible view of Foggy Peak. There is something about a completely uninhabited lake, devoid of signs of civilization that just makes your heart sigh. The only unfortunate part is, there isn't a ton of space to hang out. There's one cool log that makes a perfect bench, but otherwise the lake has a lot of brush surrounding the shores and if you hike during the weekend, it might bum you out. In that case, I'd pack my tube and float out to the other end of the lake. The good news is that there is camping. I didn't take much time to explore here as it was pretty wet, but could you just imagine having this place to yourself at the end of a summer night? Heaven!
Comments
Post a Comment