Goat Lakes
- 4.5 mi
- round trip
- 1,477 ft
- climb
- 6,900 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
- Jul–Sep
- best months
Is Goat Lakes open right now?
Alert in the area
The Forest Service lists an alert for Lolo National Forest.
East Fork Big Creek Road & Trail Closure- Superior Ranger District
Agency alert covering Lolo National Forest · Order 26-003- · USFS · Lolo National Forest
As of · Source: USFS · Lolo National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
Goat Lakes is a moderate out-and-back hike in the Plains/Thompson Falls Ranger District of Montana's Lolo National Forest, about 4.5 miles long with a one-way elevation gain of 1,477 feet. The trail starts at a low point of about 5,362 feet and climbs to a high point of about 6,900 feet. The route is on natural surface, and the Forest Service allows both horses and bikes. The trail is open year-round, and the nearest town is Thompson Falls. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station at Mullan Pass, which sits about 870 feet lower than the high point, show July and August highs around 70°F with only about six wet days a month. Winter is cold, with January highs near 28°F and lows around 19°F. The Goat Lakes Connector lies about 0.8 miles away, and the Honeymoon Creek mountain biking trail is about 1.4 miles off. Arrowhead Lake and Copper King Campground are both within about 3.5 miles.
- GOAT LAKES CONNECTORHiking0.8 mi
- Honeymoon CreekMountain biking1.4 mi
- Arrowhead LakeHiking2.8 mi
Ashley CreekHikingPhoto: Robert Ashworth from Bellingham, WA., USA, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)3 mi- Copper King CampgroundCamping3.4 mi
- Clark Memorial CgCamping3.8 mi
- Dry CreekCanoeing7.4 mi
- Gold Rush Cg/TrhdCamping8.4 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
- Ashley CreekHiking · ~5 min drivePhoto: Robert Ashworth from Bellingham, WA., USA, CC BY 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
Big Hole LookoutHiking · ~18 min drivePhoto: Forest Service - Northern Region, Public Domain Mark (via Flickr)- GOAT LAKES CONNECTORHiking · ~1 min drive
- KOO KOO SINT RIDGEHiking · ~6 min drive
- Honeymoon CreekHiking · ~4 min drive
- South Fork Four Lakes CreekHiking · ~8 min drive
- Arrowhead LakeHiking · ~5 min drive
- SPRING CREEKHiking · ~15 min drive
- Sqaylth-Kwum CreekHiking · ~7 min drive
- Cabin LakeHiking · ~8 min drive
Best time to visit Goat Lakes
Best months: July–September. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.
Jan
28° / 19°
19 wet
Feb
28° / 19°
17 wet
Mar
34° / 22°
19 wet
Apr
40° / 27°
17 wet
May
50° / 36°
15 wet
Jun
58° / 42°
13 wet
Jul
70° / 52°
6 wet
Aug
69° / 51°
6 wet
Sep
59° / 44°
8 wet
Oct
44° / 32°
13 wet
Nov
32° / 23°
17 wet
Dec
27° / 18°
18 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Mullan Pass Vor/Dme, ID, 22.1 mi away at 6,028 ft. The station sits about 900 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Route details
- Distance
- 4.5 mi round trip
- Climbing
- About 1,477 ft
- Summit
- 6,856 ft
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time
- About 2 hours
Season
Season: Year-round.
Questions about this route
How long is the Goat Lakes on Mount Silcox?
About 4.5 mi round trip.
How much elevation gain is on the Goat Lakes?
About 1,477 ft of climbing round trip.
How hard is the Goat Lakes?
It is rated moderate.
How long does the Goat Lakes take?
About 2 hours round trip.
When is the best time for the Goat Lakes?
Year-round.
Conditions and forecast on Mount Silcox
Daily highs and lows, wind and the chance of precipitation at the summit and route start for the next 7 days, from the Open-Meteo model.
