Goat Rocks Traverse Hike
From Oregon Hikers Field Guide
- Start point: Walupt Lake Trailhead
- Ending Point: White Pass Trailhead
- Hike type: Traverse
- Distance: 28.7 miles
- Elevation gain: 4875 feet
- High point: 7,100 feet
- Difficulty: Difficult
- Seasons: Summer
- Family Friendly: No
- Backpackable: Yes
- Crowded: Between Cispus Pass and Old Snowy
Contents |
Hike Description
The Goat Rocks are a high spine of alpine peaks in the south central Washington Cascades. The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) runs down the middle of the Goat Rocks Wilderness. This is one of the nicest sections of the PCT in the Pacific Northwest, and this hike is a good way to hit most of the scenic spots in the Goat Rocks area.
I have not done the middle section, from Old Snowy to Tieton Pass, so I'm just estimating this.
Now, here's the bad. The first part of the hike is up a steep slope through trees - not all that interesting. And the trailhead, Walupt Lake, is 500 feet lower in elevation than the Snowgrass Flat Trailhead. Also, the last part from Tieton Pass to White Pass isn't all that interesting either. And you miss Goat Lake and Lily Basin.
Yet this traverse is a great hike. An alternative hike is to combine it with the Goat Lake Loop Hike. Start at the Snowgrass Flat Trailhead. Hike up to the PCT and over to Cispus Pass. Backtrack and go up to Old Snowy, maybe over to Elk Pass. Then backtrack to the Snowgrass Trail and down to Lily Basin Trail. Head over to Goat Lake and continue to Lily Basin. Then hike back down to the Berry Patch Trailhead and then back to your car at the Snowgrass Flat Trailhead.
Detailed Description
Start at the end of the road, at the end of the campground at Walupt Lake, at 3,950 feet in elevation. Follow the trail along the lake a short distance to a trail junction, and turn left on the Nannie Ridge Trail.
The trail switchbacks up fairly steeply through forest. There are a couple small streams right at the beginning, but nothing else until Sheep Lake. At 3.1 miles and after 1900 feet in elevation gain, there is a junction with an unmarked trail. You can take this, 0.3 miles and 300 feet elevation gain, up to the summit of Nannie Peak at 6140 feet. You get some views but not really expansive - too many trees. This would be a nice destination if this is as far as you wanted to go on a day hike.
At 5.2 miles, you reach Sheep Lake at 5,700 feet. This is a small lake with no apparent inlet or outlet. You could drink this water, but I bet people and creatures go for a swim on occasion - I'd want to treat it. Early in the season, you can find drinking water streams on the Pacific Crest Trail, above, but in late September when I was there, there wasn't any good water until the Cispus River. There are many established campsites in the area around Sheep Lake.
You reach the Pacific Crest Trail at Mile 5.4. If you go right, the Walupt River is 0.5 miles and 150 feet elevation loss. I got some drinking water there, but it was no better than Sheep Lake.
We want to go left on the PCT. A short distance later is a small spring below the trail. This is probably the best drinking water possibility. The flow was very low in late September.
From here, the trail gets up to the really nice alpine Goat Rocks scenery. At Mile 7.7 and 6,500 feet in elevation is Cispus Pass. There are great views of the southern end of the Goat Rocks, including Gilbert Peak to your right. On the other side of Gilbert Peak is Warm Lake (see the South Tieton Hike). Theoretically, you could climb up Gilbert Peak and then drop down to Warm or Cold Lakes. There are some tracks leading from Cispus Pass, but this route is definitely more climbing than hiking. From the pass, you can view Ives Peak above the bowl that holds the headwaters of the Cispus River.
At Mile 8.7, 300 feet down from Cispus Pass, is the Cispus River. This is the first good drinking water, and there's a good campsite. There are a couple of streams going across the trail. At the second stream, you can go up a short distance to a nice area to camp. Alternatively, get water from the second stream and camp at any of several sites within a mile.
From here, continue on the PCT. Expect to start seeing the multitudes of hikers coming from Snowgrass Flat. This is the nicest area of the Goat Rocks Wilderness, and everyone knows it. I passed about 20 groups of people on the weekend and maybe five groups mid-week in September.
At Mile 10.3, elevation 6,400 feet, is the junction with the Snowgrass Trail. It's 0.8 miles and 500 feet elevation loss down to the Lily Basin Trail and the Goat Lake Loop Hike. There are nice campsites along this trail, but they're pretty close to the trail. The Snowgrass Flat stream is about 0.3 miles to the south. This should be a reliable, year-round source of drinking water.
To continue our hike, keep going on the PCT. There are many excellent campsites, but you have to bring drinking water from the Snowgrass Flat stream. At mile 12.4 is the high point of the backpack at 7,100 feet. At this point, it's 4,600 feet elevation gain and 1,000 feet elevation loss from Walupt Lake. It's a short scramble of 0.3 miles and 300 feet elevation gain up to the summit of Old Snowy. There are a couple of streams as you get to the top. It's a rough trail, and there's a lot of loose rock you have to walk over, so it's a little difficult.
I haven't been on the next section. The trail down from the high point is through more loose rock. At mile 14.2 is Elk Pass at 6,700 feet in elevation. Make a traverse east from the Goat Rocks high ridge, and pass above a reliable spring. A short trail leads south to McCall Basin, which is very nice. Continuing on our hike, at Mile 17.1 is Tieton Pass at 4,800 feet elevation, above the headwaters of the Cowlitz River. The Clear Fork Trail #61 heads north from here, and the North Fork Tieton Trail #1118 heads east.
The Pacific Crest Trail passes above Shoe Lake at about Mile 20.9, 6,110 feet in elevation. It's a short distance down to the lake on a loop trail which rejoins the PCT. You can get drinking water, but there's no camping at the lake. There are places above the lake I've camped at.
From here the trail goes up to 6,700 feet and then down to White Pass at 4,400 feet. The last section of the hike is past a ski area. At White Pass, there's a store, a lodging area that's probably not open in the summer, and a campground that's not open in the winter.
Fees, Regulations, etc.
- Self-issued wilderness permit; wilderness rules apply
- Northwest Forest Pass (or America the Beautiful Pass) required at White Pass Trailhead
- Campground, picnic area, vault toilets, drinking water at Walupt Lake and White Pass
Maps
- Maps: Hike Finder
- Green Trails Maps: Goat Rocks - William O Douglas Wilderness #303S
- Green Trails Maps: Walupt Lake, WA #335 and White Pass, WA #303
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: Goat Rocks Wilderness
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: Cowlitz Valley Ranger District
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: Naches Ranger District
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: Gifford Pinchot National Forest
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest
- National Geographic Trails Illustrated Map: Goat Rocks, Norse Peak and William O. Douglas Wilderness Areas
Trip Reports
- Search Trip Reports for Goat Rocks Traverse
- WA PCT, Sect. H: Indian Heaven, Mt. Adams, Goat Rocks
- Walupt Lake to White Pass, Goat Rocks July 25-29, 2016
- Mega Tour de Goat Rocks: A Lesson in Life - 7/24/15
- Goat Rocks - Walupt Lake to White Pass (10/10/12 - 10/12/12)
Related Discussions / Q&A
- Search Trail Q&A for Goat Rocks Traverse
Guidebooks
- Hiking Washington's Goat Rocks Country by Fred Barstad
- Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail: Washington by Tami Asars
- Day Hiking Mount Adams and Goat Rocks by Tami Asars
- Washington Scrambles by Peggy Goldman (to Ives Peak)
- 102 Hikes in the Alpine Lakes, South Cascades and Olympics by Ira Spring & Harvey Manning (partial)
- Pacific Crest Trail: Oregon & Washington by Jordan Summers
- Day Hikes on the Pacific Crest Trail: Oregon & Washington by George & Patricia Semb
More Links
- Trail #98 Nannie Ridge (USFS)
- Trail #2000: Pacific Crest Trail, Goat Rocks (USFS)
- Trailhead: Walupt Lake (USFS)
- White Pass Day Use/Boat Launch/Trailhead (USFS)
- Pacific Crest Trail: White Pass to Walupt Lake (The Mountaineers)
- Nannie Peak Loop, Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) Section H - Bridge of the Gods to White Pass, Snowgrass Flat, Shoe Lake & Walupt Lake and Walupt Creek (Washington Trails Association)
- White Pass -> Walupt Lake via the PCT (Ride With GPS)
- "The most ‘wow-worthy’ Pacific Crest Trail hikes in Washington" (Seattle Times)
- Wilderness: Goat Rocks (USFS)
Contributors
- User:retiredjerry (creator)