Goat Rocks Backpack Day 3: Goat Lake

We slept in on our last day and missed the sunrise (heard helicopter(s) off and on from 8:30-2:30). Beautiful morning as we broke camp and enjoyed our view of Mt Adams from our campsite.
For our final day, we would hike back down to Snowgrass Flats, hike along the Lily Basin Trail over to Goat Lake and down the Goat Ridge Trail to Berry Patch TH (8.75 miles with 1,170' gain/2,700' loss)

From our camp to the Snowgrass Trail was only 0.3 miles, but what fabulous views! Here the Goat Rocks with Old Snowy on the left.

Mt Adams from the trail junction, heading down off of the PCT.

Old Snowy reflecting in a small pond along the Lily Basin Trail

Pasqueflower seed heads and purple cascade asters along the trail

We would see quite a few wildflowers in bloom where ever there was water flowing in a creek or where a creek had recently dried up.

Looking back towards Mt Adams













Pano on the Lily Basin Trail, Mt Adams, Goat Ridge and Hawkeye Point

View from the beginning of Goat Creek, lots of monkeyflowers in bloom here, Mt Adams in the background











Pano at Goat Lake, Hawkeye Point in the center. We had a lovely lunch break here.

We watched a herd of mountain goats up on the ridge high above Goat Lake.

We saw paintbrush and other wildflowers as we hiked up the trail from Goat Ridge, Mt Adams in the background.

The afternoon sun, lit up Goat Lake (no filters), so beautiful!!!

Heading up from Goat Lake, we saw the mountain goats had emerged further up the ridge line.
Mountain goats on Goat Ridge above Goat Lake in the Goat Rocks Wildnerss, so appropriate.

More paintbrush and other wildflowers as we continue up the Lily Basin Trail.

Bird sitting on the trail sign at the trail junction on Goat Ridge. We took the Goat Ridge Trail down to the left from this ridge.









From here we could look down towards Jordan Basin, Mt St Helens in the far distance

Quite a few wildflowers in bloom along the trail

wildflowers were amazing for this late in the season

Love the wildflowers and the views!

The last couple of miles of the trail is in the forest, but we had a peekaboo view of Mt Rainier to the north,
















and a view of the Goat Rocks, before descending down to the trailhead.












some of the butterflies, other insects, wildflowers and fungi we saw along the trail today: