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 Reporter |
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 Page 1 of 2 Submit your own review 
Reviewed by RJMarkin on 6/3/2009 Set off at 7am today. Rained the day and night before so used gaiters - with all the scrub oak, could have used waders. Great view of Goat Mountain after ascending the trail by the pipes but quickly fog and low clouds rolled in. By the time I hit the summit, it was enshrouded in fog. Ate some food, took a phone call and then it started to clear. No problem with finding the trail. Strenuous ascent and descent with such steep grades. Loved it! I will be back. Off the trail at 11:30am.
Reviewed by Ian on 8/17/2008 Great walk - but in the cooler weather only 3 1/2hrs return although strenuous - I was pushing it a bit as I set out late. Great views between the light rain and cloudy periods. Keith your cairns are still there and quite useful particularly coming down. I would do it again but not in summer - would need double time for the walk!
Reviewed by Keith on 7/28/2008 Nice Hike, much longer than it looks. July is a bad month to hike it (so I discovered). There's little tree cover and about 1.5 miles into the hike, the trail becomes overgrown with brush and difficult to maneuver with all the loose rock. I was quite uneasy that I might step up on a rattlesnake. I did encounter a rattler while scrambling over the rock on the third false summit. It was in a crack and gave me an abrupt warning rattle. Mother Fu¢ker scared the $hit out of me. Nice views from the top, but bring your "bee" repellant in the summer, specifically for the summit. I tried to set up a few cairns to mark the trail, but it was hopeless. Just stay on the ridge line. 
Reviewed by JJ on 6/25/2008 Ok, someone has now put a pen in the log jar and I just put pencils there. Having hiked this several times now, I would not recommend this as a summer hike, rather for spring or fall. Way hot in the summer! If you do it in the summer bring extra water and start extra early. Another reason: I would recommend long pants to survive the underbrush and bushwacking. It's a great workout hike.
Reviewed by ERN on 5/5/2008 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.
Reviewed by Eric on 4/26/2008 FYI- waterton canyon trailhead is closed to dogs because of sheep in the area. 
Reviewed by RDLS on 2/29/2008 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.
Reviewed by Doug on 3/9/2007 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. 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 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
