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Summary: The first part is along the waterton canyon trail. As you walk look for some pipes that are about 20 ft in the air that cross the road to the north side. The steep trail starts under those pipes on the left side of the draw to the spur. This spur takes you to the ridge and then up to the peak. Near the top the trail fades in and out (call it a game trail), just keep on the ridge and head towards the mountain top. Trailhead: Take C-470 to the Wadsworth/Chatfield exit. Go south on Hwy 121 for several miles to the Waterton Canyon trailhead. Park in the parking lot to the east. (Lat:39.49127 Lon:-105.09358) Trail Guides for Goat Mountain: Best Seasons: Fall, Spring, Summer, User Groups: Hikers, Ranger Contact: Localhikes Reporter: This hike was submitted by Dennis Camell, who has posted 21 other hikes on this site Trail Reviews Submit your own review Did this on Saturday, took me about 5.5 hours including all the time I wasted watching a herd of deer on a nearby ridge. I wouldn't want to do it in the middle of the summer as there is little to no shade. Lost the trail several times on the way up and down, but that made it interesting. The view from the top is great, but the views while hiking up are a lot better in my opinion. I recommend poles for the descent. FYI- waterton canyon trailhead is closed to dogs because of sheep in the area. This is my favorite hike. A little tricky to find but well worth it. My wife and I have hiked Goat Mountain several times and we feel it has a little bit of everything except shade. There are steep parts, a little rock climbing and beautiful views. Those false summits will knock you out. Don't forget to take a pencil or pen for the log. Awesome! I loved this hike. I thought others were crazy when talking about trouble with route finding and class 3 scrambling, but you don't get to that stuff until the last 2 miles or so. The first half is easy. The second half is tough. Didn't help that there were still 3 foot snow drifts towards the top along the route today. I hate postholing. I will definitely do this again, but I'll wait until May. Saw some goats and deer RIGHT on the trail. Challenging and fun! The false summits were annoying and seemingly endless, but it felt great to reach the summit. Quite strenuous. No pen for summit log. 1st half was okay, 2nd half had trouble navigating around the last couple of false summits-just lost the trail. I knew I was getting to the top, just not sure if I was getting there the right way. I know I was in places I shouldn't have been. Tricky trail in spots with loose dirt & rock. Some rock climbing. Last third to the summit, scrub oak at times made me feel like I was in a maze. Had early start, 80 when finished, drank a gallon of fluid and needed more. Got to top but no pen for the log... Thank-you previous posters on this hike - it would have been hard to find this trailhead without your info. Make sure once you go under the pipes that you go straight up the left ridge which is very steep at the beginning. Don't take a hard left - that trail just puts you running parallel to the Waterton Canyon road. Trail is fairly well marked most of the way up, but I lost it towards the top and eventually turned back before reaching the summit. Not much shade or cover most of the way - I wouldn't try it during the heat of the Summer. Views of the Denver area are awesome. This is not a real review. I am a guy from Denmark, and I am going to Denver for a week next summer. I searched for good hikes, and found this. Then I tried to find the trail route on Google Earth, and wow... Now I can memorize the trial from my livingroom i Denmark. Try it out! Can't wait to do the real deal. Be sure to get up on the left ridge immediately under the pipes, about 1 mile in from Kassler. The start of the trail is pretty steep and crumbly. Later on, when the real climbing starts, be prepared for a series of false summits. You haven't arrived at Goat until you find the cement marker, an old metal pole, and a logbook in a glass jar that replaced the earlier log in the 70's!. Not a long hike, but quite strenuous, with some Class 3 stuff later on. Fun! Notice: Traveling in the backcountry can be hazardous. You are responsible for informing yourself about these hazards and taking necessary precautions. Information on this web site comes from volunteer reporters and may contain errors or omissions. A current guidebook and proper equipment are essential for safe enjoyment of the hikes posted on this site. Keys: Colorado Hiking, Colorado Trails, Colorado Hikes, Arapahoe County Hiking, Arapahoe County Trails, Arapahoe County Hikes |