Trip Report: Goat Rocks Wilderness
When: 09/15/2017
Location: Goat Rocks Wilderness
Conditions: Low 70's and sunshine during the day. Upper 40's during the night.
Duration: 2 days/2 nights
Difficulty: Moderate
Kid Friendly: Yes
Pet Friendly: Yes
Usefull links: www.recreation.gov | www.fs.usda.gov
The Full Report:
First off, this trip was really two days spread out of a late drive up after work on Friday and an early return home for a soccer match.
Regardless, it was lovely to get out of Portland for a bit. I set up camp at Walupt Lake which is easy enough to get to after several miles down a perfectly good gravel road. The lake offers a perfect launch point for adventures into the Goat Rocks Wilderness from a Southern approach.
I chose to do a day adventure on Saturday only since my time was limited. Trail 98 leads right out of the campground and after some healthy elevation gain it levels out nicely before intersecting with the PCT after passing Sheep Lake. This is also where the vistas start to get good. The trees start to thin out with plenty of breaks for views to the west (except for this trip due to haze from the nasty wildfire season we were having). As you can see Mt. Adams was barely visible.
After crossing over the ridgeline, you are rewarded with your first views of the Goat Rocks Massif and Gilbert Peak. I continued to hike north along the PCT up to Cispus Pass. After a brief break, I chose to ascend the ridgeline due east for a better view of the surrounding area. The scramble up the loose scree was well worth it regardless of the haze. Perfect 180-degree views of the Goat Rocks wilderness. I had found all the rocks but sadly the goats went missing on this trip. Another small reason to come back and visit this ruggedly beautiful landscape.
The Full Report:
First off, this trip was really two days spread out of a late drive up after work on Friday and an early return home for a soccer match.
Regardless, it was lovely to get out of Portland for a bit. I set up camp at Walupt Lake which is easy enough to get to after several miles down a perfectly good gravel road. The lake offers a perfect launch point for adventures into the Goat Rocks Wilderness from a Southern approach.
I chose to do a day adventure on Saturday only since my time was limited. Trail 98 leads right out of the campground and after some healthy elevation gain it levels out nicely before intersecting with the PCT after passing Sheep Lake. This is also where the vistas start to get good. The trees start to thin out with plenty of breaks for views to the west (except for this trip due to haze from the nasty wildfire season we were having). As you can see Mt. Adams was barely visible.
After crossing over the ridgeline, you are rewarded with your first views of the Goat Rocks Massif and Gilbert Peak. I continued to hike north along the PCT up to Cispus Pass. After a brief break, I chose to ascend the ridgeline due east for a better view of the surrounding area. The scramble up the loose scree was well worth it regardless of the haze. Perfect 180-degree views of the Goat Rocks wilderness. I had found all the rocks but sadly the goats went missing on this trip. Another small reason to come back and visit this ruggedly beautiful landscape.