| Apparently we didn't suffer enough the first time we went up Goat Mountain, so we decided to take on the challenge again. :) Compared to many of our Bitterroot Mountains, Goat Mountain is relatively small at only 6052 ft. in elevation. If you are an experienced hiker, give it a go. Depending on how fast you hike, it's about an hour up to the top. With a nice break to enjoy the views and the trek back down, it's still something you can do in a morning, afternoon, or evening. But if you are fairly new to hiking, I would not recommend it. You won't like the steepness, trust me. I think the trail was put in by mountain goats (it's a user trail, not an official Forest Service trail). You will definitely want to work your way up to this one with plenty of other hikes first. The trail has been destroyed towards the top and lost in segments along the way, due to the wildfire that burned through this area in 2016. You just find your own way along these portions, but that's pretty easy to do without any fear of getting lost. When you come back down, just head back towards the valley in the direction from which you came up, and you'll eventually pick up the trail again. Keep heading down, and when you see the road and trailhead from up above, you will know you are still on track in the right direction. |   |
When standing on top of Goat Mountain looking west, you can see Sawtooth Canyon to the right and Roaring Lion on the left, with the ridge continuing between the two.
Views of Sawtooth Canyon (above photo) and the Bitterroot Valley (below photo).
| We spent an hour hanging out on top enjoying beautiful sunshine and views while having a little snack and taking a few pictures before heading back down. A wonderful way to spend part of a Saturday afternoon in late October with lovely fall weather. |  |
No matter how long we stay ... sooner or later it always comes time to go.
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| These are views along the way going up and coming down. Ward Mountain is seen to the south on the other side of Roaring Lion Canyon. The road continuing further to Roaring Lion Trailhead can be seen far below. It's a long ways down, so you certainly don't want to get close enough to fall off, but the dropoffs do give some amazing views in the mountains! Our first trek up Goat Mtn. was an after supper hike as the sun was going down. I'll find those photos for another post to come. |  |
