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​Oh, how I love the mountains!

And when I'm wanting to get out to enjoy a sunny day in late fall, Goat Mountain comes to mind.

Goat Mountain sits between Ward Mountain to the south and Downing Mountain to the north, as part of the ridge between Roaring Lion and Sawtooth Canyons.

Although the trail is relatively short, it is quite steep. A great way to get in some cardio! 

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​November 2019.

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We love taking time to explore off-trail rock outcrops to hang out a bit while enjoying sunshine and views. :)

​Trail 1: Still on our quest to get more sun and bare ground for hiking this cold and snowy spring, we thought we might check out Ward Mountain. We knew there would be snow to start, but figured we would likely hit dry ground when we got around to the switchbacks going up the south-facing slope. But nobody had kept a packed trail going up Ward this year, so we were sinking and post-holing from the get-go. After a bit of that, we decided we would be better off heading up Sawtooth.

Trail 2: As we followed the trail around the base of Goat Mountain and into Sawtooth Canyon, we had a mix of bare ground and snow. But of course, the farther we headed in, the deeper the snow got, until eventually we decided it was time to turn around once again.

Trail 3: We still had some time left, so we decided to head part way up Goat Mountain to finish our hike for the day. We enjoyed a bit of sunshine, some bare ground and rocks to hang out on, and of course, the wonderful views.

​I think it was the first time we have ever set foot on three different trails on the same day. LOL! :)

We were expecting a sunny day for today's hike, but the weather forecast was a little off. Instead, it was a bit chilly with the overcast skies and wind. But since we still have almost a foot of snow on the ground at home, it was nice to find some bare ground to hike on in addition to the snow.

​We came across our first wildflower of the season on Goat Mountain today, discovered our first tick of the year, and enjoyed an abundance of beautiful views. 

​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.

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​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.
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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.
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