Goat Lake (Mountain Loop Highway)

I visited Goat Lake in late September last year. A friend of mine wanted some new photos and videos for his company, Optimum Adventures, a company that does guided tours up to alpine lakes and rents out packrafts. I’ve never been to Goat Lake and I wanted every opportunity to take my Hornet Lite to an alpine lake before summer ended so I agreed to embark on this journey with him and four other people.

To be honest, I’ve never heard of this trail before and all I knew was it was located along the Mountain Loop Highway, which provides access to many other popular hiking trails such as Lake 22, Gothic Basin, and Mount Pilchuck.

This turned out to be a great option for a quick overnight as the trail felt moderate and there were plenty of established backcountry campsites situated a little ways from the lake.

Start here:

Overview
Getting to the Trailhead
Hiking to Goat Lake
Getting to Camp
Paddling on Goat Lake
Final Thoughts
Resources

Distance:
9.47 miles

Elevation Gain:
1830 feet

Area:
Mountain Loop Highway

Pass:
NW Forest Pass
America the Beautiful

Overview

3 of us carrying our paddles and packrafts up the Goat Lake trail.

Goat Lake, located along the Mountain Loop Highway, is a popular hiking destination known for its stunning alpine scenery and lake views. Stats online suggest that this hike is 10.4 miles roundtrip with an elevation gain of 1400 feet. The trail is accessible from late spring to early fall, with the best conditions typically found from June through October.

The trail beings at the Elliot Creek Trailhead and offers two route options: 1) The Lower Elliot - this trail follows the creek closely, featuring lush old-growth forests and 2) The Upper Elliot, provides more open views and a well-maintained path. Both trails lead hikers through a rich landscape of towering trees, vibrant wildflowers in the spring and summer, and cascading waterfalls.

As you approach Goat Lake, the trail opens up to reveal breathtaking views of the surrounding peaks and Goat Lake, nestled in a cirque basin.

Getting to the Trailhead

Trailhead Co-ordinates: 48.0537, -121.4113

After spending almost an hour packing up our bags, our group was ready to head out on the trail.

The road to the trailhead is mostly a smooth ride along the Mountain Loop Highway. I remember driving through it early in the morning and it felt so peaceful and quiet. I didn’t encounter a lot of cars on the way. The rough road doesn’t being until you take a turn onto Forest Service Road 4080. I would say the road itself was rather rough for a sedan or low clearance vehicle but driving with care should take you to the parking lot with no problem.

There is a good amount of space for parking but I could see it getting filled up quickly. We didn’t end up seeing a whole lot of people on the trail but when we got to the parking lot, it was already full. We parked alongside the road and made sure other cars were still able to drive up and down to access the trailhead and exit back to the main road.

There is a booth to self register for the trail. While permits are not needed for this hike, I highly recommend registering yourself so that the U.S. Forest Service know that you are out and about on the trail in case something happens.

Hiking the Goat Lake Trail

As mentioned, the purpose of this trip was so we could get Damo (the guy that owns Optimum Adventures) some photos and footage to promote his business. Damo was kind enough to have 2 extra packrafts with him and patiently showed all of us how to most efficiently pack everything into your pack. I had already done a few hikes with my Kokopelli Hornet Lite so I had no problem figuring out how to strap that bad boy outside of my pack.

The first 2 miles

The trail climbs gently through an old-growth forest. Occasionally, you will hear water splashing down as you hike alongside the creek. Even though we all had a good amount of weight strapped behind our packs, none of this section felt difficult at all. I haven’t done many backpacking trips with a larger group so time actually went by a little quicker than normal even though the hike into camp was about 4ish miles.

Most of the trail was well-maintained with the occasional loose rocks on the trail but they were larger rocks and not entirely slippery. Trekking poles have always helped me deal with these types of trails especially with a heavy pack and eager dog excited to sniff everything along the trail.

I would say about 95% of this trail was hiking through old-growth forest, which makes it great for a sunny and hot summer day. The only downside is there aren’t really any views along the way.

The Final Push to Goat Lake

The steepest part of the trail doesn’t come until you are about to approach the day use area of Goat Lake. But even so, because the trail was so maintained and the distance was short, this section was over before we all knew it. Since I had never gone backpacking with these people before, I was a little worried that I might slow the group down. But it turned out we were all keeping about the same pace. I stopped a little more often so I could get some trail shots of everyone with their comically large packs on. Tex does get a little excited when hiking with other people too so I always like to maintain some distance so he doesn’t quite literally continuously sniff them from behind.

Getting to Camp

It’s been a while since I’ve been on a trail that has a established area for camping. Most of the trails I have previously done had wilderness regulations but not a designated area for camping.

We set down our packs and started scouting out for a campsite that would accommodate all of our tents. Only two of us were sharing a tent so we needed the extra space to accommodate four tents. Luckily, there weren’t a lot of people camping when we arrived. I think it might have been because the weather wasn’t quite as nice and it was also in late September so a lot of the kids were back in school at this time.

We found a large flat spot nestled under the trees and got to unloading all the gear that we had on our backs for the last couple of hours. We ate some snacks and decided to venture out to the waterfall we passed on the way into the campsite.

The Waterfall

Damo standing where the creek becomes a waterfall.

We hung out at a waterfall for a little before we decided to head back to camp so gather our things to get ready to paddle on Goat Lake. At this point, I still haven’t seen the lake in its entirety. I was able to get peek-a-boo views of the lake from camp but little did I know what I was able to see.

Goat Lake

I honestly didn’t know what to expect of the lake. I saw photos online and knew it was going to be pretty but my jaw absolutely dropped when I was looking at this lake. For the amount of the effort I just put in to hike up here, this place felt like a dream. The serenity of the lake and the ragged peaks in the background made this one of the most beautiful lakes I’ve ever seen. Since it was late September, a lot of the trees and flora were already beginning to change colors and the contrast with the still green trees made the entire lake absolutely stunning.

We all took a moment to absorb the beauty in front of us while Damo began to inflate the packrafts he brought for the group. I was busy taking photos and videos for him while he educated some of the other folks in the group how to properly paddle in order to have a better time while out on the lake.

Paddling in Serenity

The good thing about willing to carry some weight on your pack is the tranquility and serenity you will feel as you paddle away from the shore. The trail honestly wasn’t packed to begin with and we only really saw one other larger group camping. But the fact that we had the option to venture out to the other side of the lake made it feel extra special.

The clouds did begin to roll in as we spent more time on the water. At this point, the weather definitely felt chillier than when we first started the hike. Nonetheless, we were all prepared and was able to stay warm on the water.

Damo in his Alpaca raft and Tori in the Kokopelli Hornet Lite - the same model I own.

After getting a few more shots of everyone paddling on the water, we decided that it was time to head back to camp, make some dinner, and have a relaxing night. Damo was wonderful at helping put all the gear away while the other folks and I headed back to camp and began prepping dinner. By the time we walked back to the campsite, it was already getting dark and I was definitely feeling pretty exhausted from adventuring all day so I didn’t take more photos until the next day.

Not sure if Tori knew what colors to wear but her outfit was so fitting for the scenery.

Morning Paddle on Goat Lake

The next day, we all woke up fairly early to make breakfast and coffee. We all decided that we wanted to return to the lake to do some more paddling before packing up. I suppose there was really something just so mesmerizing about the lake that we all wanted to go back. My purpose was to take a few more shots to make sure Damo had enough material to promote his packrafting business.

Tex had a great time hanging out in the Hornet Lite as well even though I know he definitely prefers the Kokopelli Moki Lite that I own because he is able to spread out his legs more. Nonetheless, him and I were able to enjoy some peace and quiet while Tori, Clementine, and Damo paddled further down towards the end of the lake and got closer to the jagged peak that made Goat Lake so beautiful.

After paddling for roughly an hour, we decided to head back to shore and hung out by the logs for a little while before we headed back to camp and packed up to hike out.

Final Thoughts

I always enjoy when I’m able to take my packraft to a backpacking trip. I know people have long been carrying their paddle boards and floats to alpine lakes but for something that’s not as strong and fit, I find it a lot easier and manageable to carry a packraft since they generally weight between 5 to 8 lbs, as opposed to a paddle board that could easily weigh up to 20 lbs and more. Whenever people see the paddles hanging out on my back, I can sense a little bit of jealously since they know that I am about to be able to have a good time paddling on the lake.

I’m not necessarily telling you to go out there and buy that packraft right now. But Optimum Adventures, aims to solve that problem for people wanting to experience an alpine lake a little differently. If you’re a beginner backpacker, he does guided tours where he would help set up the packrafts or if you simply want the equipment without committing to a purchase, he also rents them out.

All in all, I highly recommend at least trying to take your lightweight packraft up to an alpine lake. You can always start with a hike with less elevation gain and a shorter distance to see if you enjoy it. Be warned, once you start doing it, you might never want to leave your packraft at home.