Goat Rocks

Washington

By Yes Mom I'm Alive

SNOWGRASS LOOP TRAIL

TO THE PCT

The Pacific Crest Trail is 2,650 miles, and the stretch from our camp to Old Snowy is said to be 3 of the prettiest.

We woke up before the sun and groggily packed our day bags. Sleepy as we were, with a forecast of 96 degrees and an exclusively unshaded trail we knew better than to start much past dawn.

MOUNT RAINIER

Thick haze from a nearby wildfire obscured the dead-on view of Mount Rainier (Tahoma) just below the junction to Old Snowy. Still, it would be hard to find a better campsite than this one.

THE KNIFE'S EDGE

The Knife's Edge (can you think of a cooler name for a trail?) is the legendary long traverse dotted atop the ridge under Old Snowy. With steep drop-offs on both sides, even the most steely of PCT thru-hikers are wary of it.

Fortunately for us, our route up Old Snowy veered the opposite direction.

OLD SNOWY

We reached the junction with the faint trail up to the summit of Old Snowy. It was a short and sweet scramble that required little skill.

This was Coco's first summit of a glaciated peak – congrats Coco!

ADVICE

GETTING THERE

The Goat Rocks Wilderness is located in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest in southwestern Washington. It's a 3-hour drive from Portland (directions) or Seattle (directions).

You can park at either the Snowgrass or Berry Patch Trailhead; both are located on the Snowgrass Trail #96 loop. You'll need a Northwest Forest Pass to park at the Berry Patch Trailhead, but not at Snowgrass. On weekends expect both parking lots to be full.

Visitors are also required to carry a Wilderness Visitor Permit; it's free and self-issued at the trailhead.

RECOMMENDED ROUTES

You can customize your route to be an out-and-back or loop. Climbing Old Snowy is an optional detour, but highly recommended.

We started at the Berry Patch Trailhead and took the Snowgrass Trail #96 an easy 4.5 miles to Snowgrass Flats, a wide meadow at the junction with the Lily Basin Trail. Here, you can set up your camp under the trees at a number of spread out dispersed campsites.

The next morning, we woke up and started our climb up Old Snowy at 7 a.m. I can't recommend this strategy enough: Not only did we beat climbing at the hottest part of the day, we saw only two other hikers this early in the morning.

To climb Old Snowy, take the Lily Basin Trail #86 to connect to the Pacific Crest Trail. Here, you'll hike along what many say is one of the most beautiful stretches of the PCT. On a clear day, you'll have unobstructed views of Mt. Adams, Mt. Rainier, and Mt. St. Helens along the trail.

The climb from camp at Snowgrass Flats to the summit of Old Snowy is a moderate 3 miles and ~2300' of elevation. In the summer, the route is clear from snow. No special gear is required.

We descended Old Snowy around 10 a.m. to return to camp. After a brief nap, we packed up camp and hiked back down the trail we came. Our original plan was to continue along the loop to Goat Rock, but the combination of heat and smoke from nearby wildfires motivated us to leave a day early down the quickest route.

Camping

There are several great camping spots at the Snowgrass Flats area - take your pick! Be sure to mind the Gifford Pinchot Wilderness regulations and camp at least 100 feet away from water sources.

You can find more scenic campsites if you continue along the trail – but by late summer most unofficial tent sites are not in close proximity to water. Snowgrass Flats has one steady river near the trail junction.

If you don't plan to climb Old Snowy, you may want to put a few more miles into your first day and camp at Goat Lake.

Food + Water

There is a decent supply of water near Snowgrass Flats - at the junction with the Lily Basin Trail, continue down a narrow bootpath to the right. You'll eventually come to a running stream. Don't forget to bring a water filter system!

Safety

The summit of Old Snowy requires a short and easy scramble - but there's some exposure that might unnerve hikers with a fear of heights. Go slow and watch for climbers coming down on your ascent.