The Goat Rocks Wilderness is arguably one of the most beautiful hiking areas in Washington. With decent elevation gain, rugged trails and soaring mountain views (at some points seeing Mt St Helens, Mt Rainier AND Mt Adams all at the same time), it’s clear why this area is so popular.
This is also a desirable area for those wanting the Mt Rainier backpacking experience but without the permits. All back country camping within Mt Rainier National Park is permitted and available by lottery early in the season, so for those who missed out, Goat Rocks Wilderness is a great alternative.
But of course, that means backpacking in Goat Rocks Wilderness can get crowded. I’ve heard that Goat Lake, one of the most popular spots on the trail, can see upwards of 40+ parties on a summer weekend.
We hiked by that area on our trip and frankly, I don’t see how all those people would fit.
For this reason, and the long, bumpy drive to many of the trailheads (my sedan, she don’t like that scene), Goat Rocks had not been on our list.
Until this year.
Backpacking Goat Rocks: Making the Plan
For the third year in a row, I really wanted to take my boys on another week-long adventure in the woods. They are are getting older, now age 12 and 15, and who knows how longer they will put up with these shenanigans?
Both agreed by early summer they were game, so I started researching. I actually had my heart set on the North Cascades this year, with an itinerary almost drawn up and everything … and then the fires hit.
Bummer. Back to square one.
Deep into my hiking books once again, I kept seeing Goat Rocks. The only thing was, every itinerary I came across was 2-3 days max. And the roads. I know you sedan people get me.
Also, I was hoping for a longer experience, similar to previous years, so I continued to rule it out.
But then I looked more closely at the map and started drawing my own lines. It dawned on me that we could walk a long chunk of the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) all through the Goat Rocks area, and then use a variety of other trails to loop our way back to the highway.
And it all started right off Highway 12. With a store! And easy parking. Plus PCT. All of these were huge selling points for my boys. They were legitimately excited.
So I got to work and mapped a 6 day, 70ish mile (ended up being 65, see more on that below) traverse all up and through the Goat Rocks Wilderness.
This itinerary would take us up to Knife’s Edge, over Old Snowy, down to Walupt Lake, back up to Goat Lake, a repeat back over Knife’s Edge (doing that part twice sounded fun at the time), and then winding our way back to Highway 12.
You guys, this route is not in any hiking book, at least that I know of. And I would argue this is a pretty solid route for those that appreciate a loop, apart from a few gnarly trails that we’ll get to.
The only potential snafu to this plan was …. you guessed it … fires. Ugh. There were two fires burning in the area, one east of the region towards Yakima and another alongside Mt Adams, forcing PCT hikers to reroute around it.
In fact, two days before our hike, Hwy 12 was still CLOSED just past our starting point. This was causing me a lot of anxiety, especially related to parking. Thankfully the highway reopened literally just before our trip (thanks Kracker Barrel for the pre-trip intel!) and the smoke stayed at bay. What a miracle.
Important Resources for Backpacking Goat Rocks Wilderness
Here are the maps, books and other tools I used to plan this trip.
Washington Trail Association: WTA is the go-to for all Washington trails. Always review trip reports here for trail conditions, especially since this area often has snow late into the season.
All Trails: Another great resource for checking trail conditions, mileage and elevation. Also having the app on your phone is a must.
Gaia: Another app that you need to have on your phone. A couple of times the map on All Trails blanked out on me when we really needed it (and I have a paid subscription), and Gaia totally saved my butt.
Green Trails Map: This map is absolutely essential in my opinion. Map your route and carry it with you.
Backpacking Washington by Douglas Lorain and Mark Wetherington: Great descriptions of the Goat Rocks area with proposed (albeit shorter) itineraries.
Far Out app: Since you do spend some time on the PCT, the Far Out app is fun for calculating distances to water sources and campsites. If you have kids, I highly recommend it. It will always answer the question, “How long till we get there?” Of course, this is only applicable on the PCT.
*You do need to purchase the maps you want on Far Out, but to me, totally worth it. You can just buy sections of the PCT or you can do what I did, and just buy the whole dang thing for a very reasonable price.
Our 6-Day, Goat Rocks Wilderness Itinerary
First, our dates. We hiked from Sunday, August 18th to Friday, August 23rd, 2024.
Here’s the route I came up. I wish I could tell you this was the route we actually did, but we’ll get to that. For now, here’s the loop I mapped out.
The proposed loop is in yellow as you can see. BUT, you will notice the camps, denoted in red, don’t seem to make sense.
While the full yellow path was my plan, we actually ended up re-routing at Elk’s Pass and going back the exact way we came in.
Our 5th camp, marked in Green way up there at Lost Hat Lake, should have been our final night.
But, rather than take the Coyote Trail to the Clear Lost Trail to Highway 12 and back on the PCT again, the boys really just wanted to stay on the PCT and take the known path back to our car.
So you can see our “actual” route had us camp at the same site twice, once on the way in and again on the way out. Totally not what I planned, but I comprised. You do that sometimes as a mom.
Plus, once you read our trail report, you’ll see why. These side trails off the PCT can be, let’s just say, somewhat unpredictable, and safety Soren does not like that. Truthfully I was really excited about the Coyote trail and the views up on that ridge line, but that will have to be for another day.
Please note these mileages are all approximate, estimated by myself with the Green Trails map and calculator. I’d double check these yourself for sure. Also I noticed that map mileages vary, so I went with Green Trails and their estimations.
And like I said, I have no experience with the original itinerary once it veers off the PCT on day 5, so do some research and proceed at your own risk. From all accounts the trail seemed nice, but beyond that I’m not sure.
What I can say is that our actual itinerary is totally doable and absolutely beautiful, minus a few horrendous parts on day 3, but overall we were very happy with our route.
Backpacking Goat Rocks Wilderness: Our Trail Experience
Day 1: White Pass to Tieton Pass
We started on a Sunday to hopefully avoid the weekend crowds, and hit the road by a leisurely 9am. The drive over from Seattle was relatively easy, and after a quick stop at the Kracker Barrel at White Pass for pre-hike treats, we easily parked at Leech Lake and hit the trail.
I’ll get right to the point of day 1. There are some beautiful open areas, but it’s a lot of walking in the woods. The thing with backpacking Goat Rocks is that you’ve got to earn it.
Day 1 is purely a travel day. Day 2 is when the fun starts.
But here are some of the more beautiful parts.
Also, Shoe Lake was stunning. Note there is no camping at Shoe Lake, so enjoy the view and even stop by for a dip, but don’t put it on your camp itinerary.
Also, glad I got this shot first day because we definitely did not have this view at all on our last day.
All in all, we had a lovely walk in. The trail is easy and we passed SO many PCT hikers. It was that time of year. They were so friendly and it brought my boys a lot of joy to be around all these super cool hikers.
After 11 or so miles of hiking, we reached Tieton pass and started scouting for a site. Within minutes we found a lovely spot, just above the trail and about .2 from a scant water source. But it was sufficient.
An hour or so after we got to our camp site, a PCT couple joined us. Both from Switzerland, my kids enjoyed hearing their travels. They were 2,300 miles in, and both Soren and Theron were just in awe.
And I loved that they just plopped next to us and were like, mind if we join you? Love it.
Day 2: Tieton Pass to Cispus Pass
We parted ways with our Swiss friends who were, naturally, up and out way before us. In fact, they informed us they were heading back to summit Old Snowy, which they had not done the day before due to getting there late in the day.
Now thinking back to Old Snowy and that whole section, I’m in awe. Backtracking to retrace all those hard steps would be hard to fathom now understanding the area.
But we packed up and headed on our way, knowing our day would take us over Knife’s edge and past Old Snowy, and I was particularly excited for this reportedly beautiful stretch of trail.
Some PCT hikers call this one of the most beautiful chunks of the whole PCT. Here we go.
The first part of this section was still very woody, and we passed many other campsites along the way. But … soon the views started to open up. We were finally getting to the good stuff.
Unfortunately the clouds remained a constant, and we didn’t get the wide, expansive views that many report. But the clouds kept moving and shifting, giving us different views at every turn.
Rainier tried to emerge many times. The full view remained elusive, but the a peak-a-boo was all we needed.
In less than two hours we started to enter the rocky section where I knew we would eventually get to some treacherous trail.
But right before you enter the fun part, there’s a fantastic, fast running stream that is the perfect place to have lunch and refill all your water receptacles.
And then you see the entry. Deep breaths. If you have kids with you, prepare for the cortisol.
I mean, in reality, it’s all fairly safe. This beginning part is fairly straightforward. And once you get to the parts where falling and tumbling down a mountainside is a real thing, realize that the path is wide and it would take real effort to make such a mistake that you end up in such a predicament. But of course it is possible.
Again, it is hard to actually fall off if you are paying attention. But when you are there, and the wind is blowing, and your 12-year old and his cumbersome backpack are walking lazily side to side … you worry a little.
To calm the fears, Soren and I always put Theron in the middle. And on top of that, several times I gently grasped the top of Theron’s pack, just in case a sudden hard wind caused him to stumble.
My worst fear was a rock trip that would get him off balance, with just enough momentum from his backpack that it would send him over the edge. Slightly irrational, but then again, maybe not? I prefer not to make the news.
And then we got to Old Snowy. To traverse this route, there are two options, clearly noted on your maps. You can go up towards Old Snowy, traveling .8 mile of trail and hitting almost 8,000ft elevation. You can then even summit Old Snowy (not required, but you will see the turn-off).
OR, you can take the lower route, the horse route, which is only .4 of trail and minimal elevation. Basically you stay low and skirt around the whole business.
The decision was tough … mainly because the shorter horse route had snow. And there were no views. The mist had rolled in and for sure there would be no reward for heading up to Old Snowy this particular afternoon.
Thankfully we met an older gentlemen at the intersection as we debated our next move. He had just taken the snowy horse route. While somewhat treacherous, the whole thing had taken him maybe 20 minutes, while 20 minutes later he was still waiting for his son and nephew to arrive from the other path.
We debated some more. Finally we agreed to go the snow route. Quicker, and if this guy did it, we’d be fine?
Let me just say, this 20-some minutes of travel is one of the most talked about parts of our trip. The non-snow parts of trail itself were treacherous, with one section that was almost completely washed out. And then there were two very sketchy snow crossings.
The pics do not do this justice. The whole thing is at a complete slope, and with each step you hope your boot holds. If not, you risk sliding down the snow to the waiting rocks below.
Also, it’s mid-afternoon now, so the snow is getting slushy. And we did not bring spikes. We were not set up for success.
As a mom, let me just tell you how stressful this is. At many, many points during this section, I just had to trust God and trust my boys. I could not be there handholding and guiding their every movement.
I HAD to trust they had the wisdom to take sound steps and make good judgement calls. And they did.
Clearly we made it just fine, but the adrenaline rush was no joke. I’m SO glad we had at least one set of poles so each boy could have some sort of stabilization device.
Yeah, I’m still team no-poles. But we always bring them unforeseen situations such as this.
But once we got to the other side … oh my. Such a reward. The sun was shining. The views were superb. And we had a chance to rest.
A couple miles later we reached our destination, Cispus Pass.
Honestly, I had no idea what this area would be like, only that mileage wise and camp-availability wise it seemed like a good place to stop.
Well holy moly, the whole place is stunning. We quickly realized this was a very popular location to spend the night and campsites were going fast. We found several spots with phenomenal views, including one that had a stellar vantage of Mt. Adams, but the boys picked a spacious camp further up that offered warm views of the surrounding hills.
Of course totally forgot to get a pic of our camp setup, but Theron and I spend some time in our Zero chairs enjoying this fine view. What a way to end a very long day.
Day 3: Cispus Pass to Chambers Lake
The weather continued to hold, and we packed up and headed out while the sun was shining. We were now coming into the full beauty of Cispus Pass, and I see now while hikers adore this area.
The views felt akin to the Summerland region in Mt Rainier National Park.
I just kept stopping to take it all in, much to Soren’s disappointment.
But the more Theron and I stopped, the more we caught adorable pikas posing in the sun, and fat marmots galloping across the rocks and grass. Soren was missing it all. He was in one of those “let’s hurry up and go” moods.
It felt like a goat was bound to pop out of every corner. I thought for sure that backpacking Goat Rocks Wilderness would produce goats, but alas, no such luck.
This part of the trail skirts briefly through parts of the Yakima tribe reservation, so take note and obey the signs.
Without seeing a single goat, as usual, we eventually we came to the cut off for the Nannie Ridge trail. Here we would sadly depart the PCT and make our descent down to Walupt Lake.
This is where some decisions had to be made. I started thinking earlier that a 13 mile day was just a lot … for all of us. Walupt Lake would shave off 3 miles or so and allow us a bit of a rest. And hopefully offer more amenities than other camps due to it being an actual campground.
The boys were on board for stopping, so we made our way down and investigated.
It soon became clear I was not loving this idea anymore. The campground was … fine. The lake was … fine. AND, I forgot that wilderness camp spots cost cold, hard cash, not credit, and I was broke by that criteria.
I was willing to risk the fee and explain our predicament if we were caught, but instead, the boys surprisingly were on board with trudging forward and making this our longest day on trail.
After they made good use of the conveniently located outhouses (sorry to the poor girls who lined up and had to wait forever for my kids to finish their business!), we forged ahead.
This is where things start to get exciting … because I really had no idea what to expect from these lesser-maintained trails. Yes, I mapped them out, but there were so few trip reports to research that I felt like we were going in blind.
I mean, sure, these trails connect on the map, but do they still connect in real life? Is anyone actually using them? Any challenges to be aware of? I had nothing but a green line on the Green Trails map.
Let me just answer these questions for ya real quick. This unnamed, 7A trail, as it’s labeled … sucks. It’s overgrown, shaded, and littered with blowdowns. Literally nothing to see but sparse woods and the occasional dirt road crossing. Some sections felt like bushwhacking. So fun.
At one such crossing it was very unclear where the trail even picked up again. Thankfully Gaia saved me again there too. I burned some phone battery on this trail for sure. So much map. checking.
And then at the final stretch, you literally walk a dirt road about half a mile in to Chambers Lake camp. Let me tell you, that final walk felt like for-ever. I’m sure you can relate.
And then, Chambers Lake. Finally. To my delight, this was a Forest Service campground … and completely free! Phew, the lack of cash was stressing me out.
But y’all, just be aware. This is definitely not a highly used camp. Located far off some random dirt road and next to a marshy and somewhat muddy lake, I wouldn’t call it a dream destination. It was rather dark with many wide open campsites that kinda ran into each other.
Also, lot of stumps where trees had fallen over. Didn’t love that.
But, with the weather starting to turn on us and a spit of rain developing, the tree cover was actually quite nice. The murky lake water for filtering? Not so nice.
The outhouse made up for everything though. Surprisingly it was brand-spankin’ new and barely had an odor. What a gift. Plus, with only ONE other party at camp that night (I know, almost kinda eery), it felt like our own private bathroom. It’s the little things.
I have to say, this is another of our most talked about parts of the trip. It just felt so creepy being basically all alone in this giant camp, just a stones throw from the Goat Rocks Wilderness.
We ate our little dinner huddled under a dry spot shielded by branches overhead, and had a decent sleep.
Day 4: Chamber’s Lake to Lily Basin/PCT
The next morning we woke up as the only other party in camp was heading out. We were all alone. So weird for middle of August in Washington! If you want privacy, Chamber’s Lake camp is where it’s at.
Next part of our adventure required a little bit more road walking to access the Goat Ridge trail. Clearly a popular trail, this takes you up to Goat Lake, which is a coveted camp area by many.
I had high hopes for this day given what I had read, and let me tell you, it did not disappoint.
Once again we were extremely fortunate to be greeted by partly cloudy skies and no rain. What a blessing! While not super warm, at least we still had visibility and occasional sun. I’ll take it!
And I’m so grateful because this section is undeniably breathtaking. I’d go back just for a day hike up and back, which is clearly what many were up to.
Boys were mostly excited not only because we were leaving creepy Chamber’s Lake, but we would be rejoining the PCT again by days end. *Just 8 miles and we’d back near the area around Knife’s edge, before Cispus basin, to make camp.
The trail here has a steady grade upwards and pretty rocky, but overall fun and interesting. Lots of chipmunks and marmots. And being a Thursday, relatively few people.
Goat Lake, as expected, was stunning. It’s not just the lake itself, but the fact that most of the campsites have expansive views.
The downside? Likely you will be cramped with many other campers and, from what I’ve heard, very little privacy for taking care of “business.” Those expansive views come at a price. And the rocky soil is difficult for digging cat holes. Save your business for later down the trail if you can.
For all of these reasons, this camp was chopped. We enjoyed the surroundings for a brief bit but kept going down the trail.
The views keep going, so enjoy as you wind around Goat Lake and travel further along, back towards the PCT.
Finally we reached the junction with the PCT and made our way back down the same trail we traversed day 2, leading towards Cispus Basin. Instead of going all the way back down, we started looking for camps shortly after the intersection.
Took a little searching but we eventually found this secluded site with a fantastic view of Mt. Adams. And a secret water source down a short, connected trail. Score!
Day 5: Lily Basin/PCT to Tieton Pass
So here’s the part where we deviate from the “original” itinerary. My intention was to make this trip a full loop and avoid backtracking our way back to highway 12.
In order to do that, we would need to exit the PCT once we traversed over Knife’s edge and take the Coyote Trail to Lost Hat Lake, which would eventually take us over highway 12, reconnect with the PCT just north of Leech Lake, and then easily wind down to our car. Excellent plan, yes?
I still say this is an excellent plan. Only thing was, after that horrendous experience with infamous trail 7A, the kids were really not up for another choose-your-own-adventure sort of hike. They wanted predictability. They wanted to make sure they were going home. And they love the PCT and all the fun hikers to meet.
I’m flexible. And truth be told, I had already mapped the mileage if we did decide to backtrack the way we came in, knowing there was a chance we would change our mind. In this case, less chance of bushwhacking and more PCT fun won out.
So instead, we went back over Knife’s edge, taking the Old Snowy route this time as the weather was much nicer, and then retreated the same way we came in. I offered we could look for a new campsite this time, maybe near McCall Basin, which had been pondered in previous itinerary iterations, but I was shot down.
No, the boys wanted to revisit the same camp we parked at our very first night. In a way, it was fun to return to day 1 and think over all we had seen and done in those last 5 days.
We reminisced about sketchy Knife’s Edge, about basking in the views at Cispus Basin, the eery, empty feeling at Chamber’s Lake, and the exhilarating day around Goat Lake that ended with views of Mt. Adams from camp. All the trudgery. All the fatigue. All the laughter. It had been a thing.
As we started to wind down and get into our tents that very last night, little did we know we had one more adventure in store.
It started to rain. For the first time of this whole trip, it REALLY started to rain. Rain had been in the forecast the whole time, but somehow we managed to miss it. We were incredibly lucky.
But this night it caught us, and in incredible fashion. And, had we not met a guy just before Knife’s Edge that warned us of an impending downpour, I might not have cleaned up camp so quickly and thoroughly.
I swear it was not more than minutes after I tucked into the tent that the rain hit … hard. I mean hard. I haven’t heard rain that hard at home or anywhere in as long as I can remember.
And then came the thunder and lightning. You guys, I have never camped in a downright storm. Full on thunder and lightning … out in the woods … surrounded by trees … in a flimsy tent. It’s kinda scary. No, really scary.
Just when I would start to fall asleep, the whole night sky would light up, illuminating our tent, and then within second the pounding thunder. It just kept coming.
Obviously it ended at some point and we fell asleep, but it was not restful. Sort of a light, stressful slumber where you are on edge the entire time.
The next morning, as you can imagine, everything was wet. We had packed most things up super tight, so regular items were a-ok, but our tents were a mess. The rain had hit the ground so hard that mud spat way up and under the tents. But hey, waterproof check. Gear held up just fine.
What’s the best thing about last day on trail? Wet hair, don’t care! Just shove all that crap into plastic bags and then into our backpacks. Much washing to be done at home, but that’s for later me to worry about.
Day 6: Tieton Pass to HOME!
I am very happy to report that our gear stood up to the thunder storm challenge. Apart from understandably soggy tents, everything important remained dry. Now, if we had to hike all day with those wet tents and figure out how to make them work for another night, I have no idea how we would have fared. With some uncomfortable dampness, I assume.
Maybe that’s a lesson I’ll need to learn on another expedition (I hope not though!), but thankfully for us on this trip, wet tents went in the bag without a care and off we went.
Remembering that this was not a super scenic part of the trail, we just put our heads down and started moving. The rain kept up a bit and the skies were totally overcast, so there was no reason to dawdle.
The end was almost in sight when we all spotted something we had never witnessed before on trail … Llamas?
This very friendly older couple were leading their group of heavily packed llamas back down to the trailhead. Turns out they had camped (or glamped?) just a few miles up with their team of pack llamas. Given how much those llamas were carrying, I suspect it was a very nice set-up.
We chatted for a few and then made our way by them. What a unique way of camping. Not my thing, but more power to you.
Before we knew it we were back to the trailhead, before 2pm in fact. Amazing how fast we can move with easy terrain and motivation! After a quick warm-up at the Kracker Barrel store, where many a PCT hiker was also warming up and drying out, we were soon on our way back back home!
What a week, y’all! Backpacking Goat Rocks Wilderness, I highly recommend. Even with sketchy trails, variable weather and long days, I give this 5 stars.
And my boys … high fives all around. Once again they killed it. As a parent I can’t even describe how incredibly rewarding it is to literally watch your kids, in real time, deepen their skills in patients, perseverance, kindness, gratefulness and respect.
Take your kids hiking, friends. You won’t regret it.
